Mineral Wells Area News

Rams can lock up third in district with win Friday at Burk

By DAVID MAY / Special to Mineral Wells Area News

For the first time in three seasons, the Mineral Wells Rams will play a mid-November game after securing their place in the post-season with Friday’s 26-13 win over Eagle Mountain on Senior Night, the season’s home finale.

Mineral Wells improved to 6-3 on the year and 2-2 in District 3-4A-2.

Second-year Rams head coach Cody Worrell was all smiles after the win.

“That was a big one,” he said. “I’m so proud of these kids. The kids deserve it. They have worked their tails off. They executed well. I am super, super proud of them.”

The Rams’ last regular-season game is this Friday at Burkburnett, which will determine third- or fourth-place playoff seeding. The Bulldogs defeated Bridgeport, 42-28, on Friday. Burk, Bridgeport and Eagle Mountain each have one district win.

The outcome of Friday’s games will determine which of those three teams will qualify for the last district playoff spot. Burkburnett is in if they defeat Mineral Wells and Eagle Mountain loses at Graham.

A win Friday and the Rams will finish third and face the number two team from District 4 in the opening bi-district round, which the Benbrook Bobcats have locked up. Benbrook (8-1, 3-1) fell to Glen Rose, 52-14, Friday enabling the Tigers (7-2, 4-0) to secure that district’s crown. Should Mineral Wells lose on Friday, they will face Glen Rose.

“We control our own destiny on that,” Worrell said. “We go get a win next week and we will be good to go.”

Graham will win district after its 38-0 throttling of Brock on Friday – the Steers’ fifth straight shutout and seventh of the season.

All of that aside, Mineral Wells knows they are in the post-season. Last year the Rams missed the playoffs after winning their last game, but not by enough points to get in.

“We’re just fired up. I’m fired up right now,” Worrell said. “I am tickled to death these kids are going to get to play at least an 11^th game. We’re just excited.”

It was important for the Rams to not just win Friday, but play well after facing Brock and Graham in their last two outings and failing to score in both games. Fired up entering the game, the Rams got off to a strong start against first-year program Eagle Mountain. Feeling the game was in control at halftime, Mineral Wells worked to melt the second-half clock and shorten the game.

“In the second half, I know we didn’t score any touchdowns, but we took long drives,” Worrell said. “That is what our goal was. Long drives and get out of the second half quick. That is what we needed. I told our coaches on Senior Night, in a perfect world, our seniors get in and we got them all in.”

Mineral Wells dominated the game statistically. The Rams ran 72 offensive plays to just 33 for Eagle Mountain. The Rams offense racked up 369 total yards – 224 rushing and 145 passing – while the defense held the Knights to 147 total yards, including just 34 yards rushing. The Rams tallied 21 first downs to 7 for the Knights, and were 8-of-15 on third down (53%). The Rams ran the ball 60 times with eight players having at least one carry.

Quarterback Owen Gadd was efficient in the passing game for Mineral Wells, completing 6-of-11 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Running back Kayden Montalvo was a workhorse in the rushing attack, carrying the ball 21 times for 102 yards with one touchdown.

The Rams won the opening coin toss and deferred their option. Eagle Mountain elected to receive and start the game on offense. Mineral Wells had other plans.

A low pooch kick landed where no Knight player was close. A scramble ensued for the live ball, with Josh Petrie pouncing on and securing it for a Rams first down at the Knights’ 31. Mineral Wells ran the ball seven times, the last one resulting in a 6-yard touchdown by running back Montalvo. Gabriel Borjon’s extra-point conversion gave Mineral Wells an early 7-0 lead.

Starting at midfield, the Knights’ offense went three-and-out on its first possession. The punt was downed at the Rams’ 4-yard line where the offense took over.

Gadd engineered an 11-play, 96-yard scoring drive that featured the Rams’ ball slinger finding Jaidun Fisher, swinging out of the backfield, for a 50-yard completion to the Knights’ 29-yard line. Trayvon Berkins added a 9-yard run followed by a 7-yard Montalvo carry. Gadd hit tight end Holden Hering crossing the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown with the first quarter winding down. Borjon missed the PAT, giving Mineral Wells a 13-0 lead.

The Rams’ defense came up big on the Knights’ next possession early in the second quarter, stopping a fake punt attempt 1-yard short of a first down to hand the ball to the Rams’ offense at Eagle Mountain’s 44-yard line.

The Rams used a little trickery on first down. Gadd threw across the field backward to Jaidun Fisher, who squared up and heaved a pass downfield to a wide-open Preztynn Harrison for a quick-strike score covering all 44 yards and a 20-0 lead.

An Eagle Mountain fumble was recovered by Prestyn Ramirez. Taking over at their 44, Mineral Wells was held to three plays before unsuccessfully trying their own fake punt on fourth-and-three near midfield.

That set the Knights up for their first scoring drive of the game, a drive that included the Knights recovering their own fumble to keep the drive moving before eventually scoring on a quarterback keeper from 5 yards out to make it 20-7 midway through the second.

The Rams consumed the last 7 minutes of the quarter with an incredible 16-play drive, picking up five first downs. Twelve of the plays were runs, the longest going for 13 yards on a Harrison sweep around the right side of the line. Gadd had a 16-yard pass completion to Montalvo. Senior Aldo Tejeda booted a 36-yard field goal to end the first half and put the Rams up 23-7.

Mineral Wells opened the third quarter by eating up 7:32 of the clock with a 12-play possession that failed to produce points after the drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Knights’ 27.

Eagle Mountain’s first second-half possession consumed most of the remaining third-quarter clock and ended with a midfield punt back to Mineral Wells.

Moving into the fourth quarter, the Rams’ offense again put together a long, clock-chewing drive that lasted 7:08. The 13-play drive, with just two pass attempts, ended with Tejeda booting his second field goal of the game, this one from 25 yards for a 26-7 Mineral Wells advantage.

The Knights benefitted from a long kickoff return to the Rams’ 24 and quickly scored on a pass to make it a 26-13 affair with 5:41 remaining.

The teams exchanged possessions before Tejeda missed a 21-yard field goal attempt.

Rams linebacker Jackson Hicks picked off a pass and the Rams went into victory formation to run out the game’s final seconds.