Mineral Wells Area News

By DAVID MAY / Special to Mineral Wells Area News

Mineral Wells collects fifth win, readies to face No. 2 Brock

The Mineral Wells Rams shook off a sluggish start to roll to a key 35-13 district-opening win at home Friday over the Bridgeport Bulls.

The Rams’ defense forced two fumbles converted into scores and running back Kayden Montalvo scored three of the Rams’ five touchdowns on the night.

After getting faked for a score on the Bulls’ first possession, the Rams’ defense dominated the Bulls’ offense for the next three quarters. Mineral Wells went run-heavy in the first half, enabling the offense to strike through the air in the second half, including a big 53-yard touchdown reception by Texas Tech wide receiver commit Preztynn Harrison.

Mineral Wells improved to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in District 3-4A-2. Bridgeport dropped to 2-4 and 0-1. Opening district play with a win is huge. Last season the Rams lost its district opener on the road and missed the playoffs on a fourth-place tiebreaker.

“I was proud of the way our kids played, especially in the second half,” said Rams head coach Cody Worrell after Friday’s “Pink Out Night” win. “Our defense played really well after that first drive, so I was super proud of them and the way they came out after the flat start.”

The Rams produced 314 yards of offense, including 174 on the ground, on 56 snaps. Quarterback Owen Gadd was 6-of-8 passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Rams held the Bulls to just 58 net rushing yards but allowed 197 passing yards. The red-and-black defenders held Bridgeport to three-of-nine on third-down conversion attempts and just one-of-five fourth-down efforts. The Bulls quarterback was sacked four times.

A big improvement Friday was the Rams’ offense committing no turnovers. That was a huge turnaround for a team with 10 turnovers in its previous three games combined. Mineral Wells was flagged for 10 penalties against Bridgeport, an area coaches will want cleaned up.

Mineral Wells took the opening kickoff and, with a good return, began at its own 38. Running back Kayden Montalvo peeled off a 10-yard run on the game’s first play. The Rams faced fourth-and-three from the Bulls’ 45 and Worrell decided to try and convert. However, Montalvo’s effort was stopped a yard short and Bridgeport took over at its 43.

After a delay penalty, a 20-yard pass completion set the Bulls up at Mineral Wells’ 42. On just their second offensive play, Bridgeport quarterback Ethan Hinkle ran play-action, faking a handoff that the Rams’ defense bit on. That left receiver Cooper Byers streaking uncovered downfield for an easy 42-yard catch and score. The Bulls’ point-after kick failed, giving the visitors an early 6-0 lead.

The Rams’ offense then went three-and-out on its next possession. It wasn’t how Worrell wanted to see his team come out, especially after a bye week.

“We came out flat,” Worrell said. “We’ve got to get better starts.”

Things turned around quickly for the Rams midway through the opening quarter. With Bridgeport operating from Mineral Wells’ 48, the Rams’ defense forced a fumble by Bulls running back Cole Pritchard. Trent Yowell Jr. pounced on the loose ball and the Rams’ offense was in business at midfield.

Mineral Wells ran the ball seven times, utilizing Montalvo, PR Mendez and Cassious Johnson with Montalvo covering the last 7 yards into the end zone for his first touchdown on the night. Kicker Gabriel Borjon booted the point-after and the Rams had a 7-6 lead. Borjon made all five of his PAT attempts.

Mineral Wells’ defense held the Bulls to a four-play drive after Bridgeport tried to convert fourth-and-14 from the Rams’ 38-yard line. Moving into the second quarter, the Rams’ offense ran into problems with a grounding call then and nearly losing a fumble that left them with fourth-and-Jacksboro before punting.

Starting from their own 7, the Bulls embarked on a 9-play, 5-minute possession but got nothing to show for it after the Rams’ defense forced a punt.

That led to a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive for the Rams. The drive’s first play was a 20-yard Montalvo run. Offensive holding set the Rams back, but a personal foul call against the Bulls gave the drive new life. On third-and-eight from the Bulls’ 29, Gadd hit receiver Kadin Kaspar for 13 yards and a first down. Two Mendez runs to the 10 was followed by Gadd tossing a pass to tight end Holden Hering over the middle for a 14-6 lead just 20 seconds before the half.

The Bulls opened the third quarter with a nine-play drive but again the Rams stopped them at midfield after two Bulls pass attempts fell incomplete.

Mineral Wells scored on its first third-quarter possession, overcoming another holding penalty early in the drive. (Of note, the Bulls had no holding calls which raised the ire of Rams coaches on several occasions.) Another 13-yard pass completion to Kaspar put Mineral Wells first-and-goal at the 6. Montalvo raced around the right side of the line and into the end zone for his second score and a 21-6 Rams lead.

A Yowell sack of the Bulls quarterback on fourth down gave the Rams the ball at Bridgeport’s 37. Consecutive holding calls followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty left Mineral Wells facing second-and-37 from its own 46-yard for the first play of the fourth quarter.

That is when Gadd heaved a pass high and downfield for Harrison, who used his 6-5 frame and superior athleticism to out-jump the Bulls defenders for the ball, turn and race into the end zone for a 53-yard score and a 28-6 lead.

“We saw some stuff at halftime we could take advantage of,” Worrell said. “Our plan early on this week was to throw it. The opportunity to throw it in the first half wasn’t there like we thought it would be, but it did present itself in the second half.”

It looked like Mineral Wells had the ball back after the kickoff bounced off the chest of a Bulls player attempting to field it. However, an inadvertent whistle was blown before the Rams’ recovery, resulting in a re-kick.

The Rams’ defense rose to the challenge again, beginning with a sack by Trayvon Berkins. The Bulls went on a 12-play possession, but again the offense left the field with no points after an incomplete fourth-down pass from the Mineral Wells 28. Bridgeport advanced to the Mineral Wells 10 before a tackle for a loss, an incompletion, a Prestyn Ramirez quarterback sack and an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the Bulls backwards.

The Rams took over and drove to midfield. Another deep-ball pass to Harrison was complete but wiped out by a holding call. Mineral Wells punted, pinning the Bulls back on their 7-yard line with 55 seconds to play.

On first down, the Rams’ defense surged and hit the quarterback, forcing a fumble recovered by Canon Ramsey at the 4. Montalvo needed one carry to score his third TD of the game and a 35-6 lead.

The Bulls didn’t waste the last seconds of the game. They connected on a 49-yard pass to the Rams 1-yard line with 0.7 seconds on the clock. They punched it in and made the PAT for the final 35-13 score.

Worrell said it wasn’t always pretty, but it was a win – one Mineral Wells needed as it prepares to welcome the Brock Eagles to Ram Stadium on Friday night. Playing its first season in Class 4A, Brock is ranked No. 2 in the state. The Eagles are 6-0 and 1-0 in district after thumping first-year program Eagle Mountain, 42-7, on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

“We accomplished our goal,” said Worrell. “Our goal after tonight was to be 1-0 in district and that is exactly what happened. We are 1-0, and I am super proud of our kids.”