Timberwolves triumph in 4th
BRYAN — Manvel almost turned disaster into triumph, but Cedar Park proved to be too much for the Mavericks in their bid to reach the Class 5A Division I football state semifinals for the first time since 2017.
Fifth-ranked Manvel rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter after a dismal end to the first half, but the fourth-ranked Timberwolves scored the last 14 points to send the Mavericks to a 52-42 loss in the 5A Division I Region III final Friday afternoon at Merrill Green Stadium.
Trailing 35-21 at halftime, Manvel (9-2) found traction in its run game in the third quarter. The Mavericks mounted a nine-play, 63yard drive — all runs — capped by a 2-yard scoring plunge from junior running back De’Monte Seymore with 5:57 left in the quarter. After Manvel forced a three-and-out, Seymore and junior Ty Harris combined for 37 yards on four carries to set up a 26-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Gabriel Larry to senior receiver Jalen Walthall to tie the game at 35 two minutes later.
Following a field goal from Cedar Park’s Justin Bohrer, Larry gave the Mavericks their only lead of the game, keeping a read option and breaking a tackle before cruising into the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown and 42-38 advantage with 11:50 left in the game.
Seymore rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and Harris added 123 yards and a pair of scores on 18 carries, with most of the damage coming after halftime. Larry had seven carries for 38 yards and added a pair of touchdown passes.
“Overall, we didn’t play well in the first half,” Manvel coach Kevin Hall said. “I told them, ‘Just give me one thing, and that’s come out here and fight.’ And they did. Our kids have fought all year long. We’ve had kids with surgeries and they’re out and schedule changes. They’ve endured everything, and they’ve never wavered.”
It was the Timberwolves (13-0) who showed the most fight at the end, though. Junior defensive lineman Murray Robinson got it started by stuffing Seymore on fourth-and-1 at midfield with 9:07 left, and Cedar Park quarterback Ryder Hernandez capped the ensuing eight-play drive with a 1-yard shovel pass to senior Gunnar Abseck to retake the lead with 6:59 left.
Cedar Park senior defensive back Blake Burton recovered a Manvel fumble on the next possession, and the Timberwolves took advantage of the short field, driving 34 yards on seven plays and overcoming a block in the back penalty. Cade Haught sealed the game on a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left.
Two false starts put the Mavericks behind the chains, and Larry’s fourthand-18 pass fell incomplete.
“That allowed us to take a deep breath,” Cedar Park coach Carl Abseck said. “We knew Manvel wasn’t going to quit or give up, so we knew they were going to give us everything they had. We won an ugly game, which is fine because I’d rather win an ugly game than lose pretty.”
With Manvel looking to tie the game late in the second quarter, Burton intercepted a Larry pass and returned it 25 yards to the Manvel 30-yard line. On the next play, Hernandez found Preston Scott in front of a diving defensive back on the sideline for a 30yard touchdown and a 35-21 lead with seven seconds left in the half.
The Mavericks struggled to stop the Timberwolves’ potent passing attack in the first half as Hernandez completed 22 of 34 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns. The senior signal-caller finished with 381 yards and four touchdowns on 29-of-55 passing. Senior receivers Jack Hestera (4-112) and Josh Cameron (10-107) both had more than 100 yards receiving.
Cedar Park jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on an 83-yard touchdown pass from Hernandez to Hestera and a 5-yard touchdown run from Kevin Adams.
The Mavericks’ run game broke through late in the opening period as Jordon Vaughn carried four times for 25 yards, and Harris capped the 11-play drive by breaking off a 23-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 32 seconds left in the first quarter.
Cedar Park’s Tristan Hervey took a reverse 32 yards for a score early in the second quarter, which Harris countered with a 54yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 21-14 with 7:54 left in the half.
Hernandez later connected with Hestera for a second touchdown on a 19yard back shoulder fade on the left sideline. Larry cut the deficit back to 28-21 when he found Walthall for a 22-yard touchdown on a go route with 1:46 left in the second quarter.
“Cedar Park’s a great team,” Hall said. “We didn’t win this game, but there is no tarnishing this season. This football team is phenomenal, and there’s a bunch of young kids playing and a bunch of hurt ones coming back next year. We’re gonna start the offseason next week, and we’re moving forward.”