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BURLESON — The banner on the Mansfield sideline stated, “Elk. It’s what’s for dinner.”
But the Burleson Elks sent the Tiger faithful home eating crow.
A 27-0 victory put Burleson’s district record at 2-2 (3-4 overall) and kept it in the running for a valuable playoff spot.
Mansfield suffered its first District 4-5A loss, leaving them at 3-1 and 4-3 overall.
The Elks offense held the ball for 7:11 on their first drive, capping off the series with a Michael Stane 2-yard touchdown run, after starting the drive off on their own 20. Anthony Cook kicked the extra point for the 7-0 lead.
Stane and senior Bryan Moron combined for 25 yards of rushing on the drive, while timely passes by junior quarterback Jake Mullin kept the series rolling along.
Mansfield came out and tried to answer the Burleson score, relying on the arm of senior quarterback Drew Mehringer.
But the engine behind the Tiger air attack sputtered on their opening drive, with four of Mehringer’s five passes falling incomplete.
Sophomore Connor Sullivan came out to kick his first punt of the game, with 3:11 left on the clock in the first quarter.
Burleson kept their rushing attack rolling along into the second quarter, before the Mansfield defense forced junior Tim Harkrider to make his only punt of the evening.
Mansfield switched from a predominantly passing game, and rushed on the first five plays of the next drive. Sophomore Donovan Roberts ground out a first down before the Tigers went back to the air. Mehringer’s pass on third down fell incomplete, and Sullivan was forced to punt once again.
Stane starred on the next drive, rolling up 57 yards of offense on the way to the end zone. He ran the ball four times, and gained 25 yards on the only pass of the drive. Stane scored the touchdown on a third-down conversion from the Tiger 8. Cook kicked the point after to put the Elk lead at 14-0.
The Mansfield passing attack picked back up on the ensuing drive. A 24-yard pass from Mehringer to Roberts, and a 25-yard pass to Semaj Miller put the Tigers in Elk territory.
But then the penalty bug bit Mansfield.
A false start and a holding call prevented Mansfield from entering the Elk red zone. After a failed fourth down attempt, the Elks regained possession of the ball.
The Elks went to the two minute drill, and got to the Mansfield 25, largely thanks to a 35-yard Windsor Rippetoe reception. A defensive holding call against Mansfield on third-and-9 put the Elks into field goal range.
Cook’s 42-yard attempt fell less than a yard short as the buzzer for halftime sounded.
Mansfield’s opening drive of the second half proved to be its closest chance to score. Mehringer failed to complete any of his passes, but a series of runs up the middle by Roberts earned the Tigers large chunks of yardage.
The Elk defense protected their end zone however, and the Tigers were forced to attempt a field goal. Connor Sullivan’s 35-yard attempt sailed wide left, and the score remained 14-0 in Burleson’s favor.
Burleson’s ground game didn’t lose any momentum after the long halftime break, and waiting through Mansfield’s first drive. Stane and Rippetoe shared rushing duties and kept chipping away at the Tiger defense.
After driving for 15 plays and over seven minutes of the third quarter, Stane plowed into the end zone from four yards out. Cook kicked his third PAT of the night to extend the Elk lead to 21-0 with less than two minutes left in the third.
Mansfield’s offense wasn’t on the field long before allowing the next Elk touchdown.
On only the fourth play of the drive, junior cornerback Brent Falls read the passing play perfectly, and stepped right into the path of Mehringer’s pass. Falls snagged the ball out of the air, and ran untouched 55 yards into the end zone. Cook’s kick went wide right, and the Elks led 27-0.
Mansfield’s offense took the field, and once again drove into the Elk red zone. A sack by junior lineman Justin Bates promptly took the Tigers out of the red zone, and they turned the ball over on downs three plays later.
Burleson stuck with their bread and butter in Stane and Rippetoe, moving quickly to the Mansfield 21 thanks to a Rippetoe 39-yard run. Mansfield’s defense held strong though, forcing the Elks to attempt a fourth down conversion.
Mullin’s pass on fourth down fell to the turf, and Mansfield regained possession.
At this pointof the game, Mansfield decided to give the backfield a break, and put in the substitutes. Junior Corey Nicolle completed one of his three passes, but the Tigers were forced to punt the ball away once again. Burleson merely ran out the clock to end the game.
The win was critical for the Elks’ playoff hopes, while it topples Mansfield from the top of the ladder in District 4-5A.
Next week, Burleson travels to Granbury (0-4 district, 0-7 overall) in hopes of getting that much closer to a playoff spot. Mansfield plays crosstown rival Summit.
Josh Manck can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2335, or sportsreporter@trcle.com
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