Look: Manvel beats Richmond Foster in back-and-forth district battle
ALVIN, Texas — For the first time since their district opener in early September, the Manvel Mavericks faced their first fourth-quarter deficit in weeks.
The Mavs, who rallied to retake the lead after trailing District 10-5A DI rival Richmond Foster 14-9 at halftime, faced a 15-14 deficit with less than 9 minutes to play after a go-ahead Falcons' field goal to kick off the fourth quarter.
Manvel flipped a switch, though, and slammed the door shut during a dominant fourth-quarter surge.
The Mavericks scored two touchdowns in a little more than 6 minutes too move ahead and Manvel's defense clamped down to thwart a late Falcons' comeback bid, sealing a 28-23 Mavs' victory over Richmond Foster on Saturday afternoon at Alvin Memorial Stadium.
Richmond Foster — the No. 49 team in SBLive's Texas Top 50 power rankings — and Manvel, who were originally scheduled to square off Thursday night at Alvin ISD's Freedom Field, jostled for control throughout a hectic battle atop District 10-5A DI.
The win represents Manvel's fourth straight in district play, and vaults the Mavericks into a three-way tie for first place with Angleton and Fulshear atop the 10-5A DI district standings.
Manvel jumped out in front with an early 9-0 first-half lead thanks to a first-quarter touchdown reception and a safety defensive to start the second quarter.
Senior wide receiver Javhari Taylor snagged a pass along the sideline and juked a defender to score on a 28-yard touchdown catch 8 minutes into the opening quarter.
A few minutes later, Manvel put points on the board again on a sack in Foster's end zone when the Falcons were backed up inside their own 5-yard line.
That defensive score made it a 9-0 Mavs' lead with 10 minutes left until halftime, but Richmond Foster came charging back.
The Falcons found the end zone on two touchdown runs during the final 4 minutes of the second quarter, highlighted by senior running back Ashton Ojiaku's 77-yard rushing touchdown that pushed Foster ahead 14-9 heading into the half.
Manvel recovered a fumble during the Falcons' first drive of the third quarter and returned it the edge of the red zone before being stopped. That critical turnover set up another go-ahead scored for the Mavericks, but a failed two-point conversion attempt made it a 15-14 Manvel lead with 6:27 left during the third.
After Foster moved back ahead with a 19-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Kaeden Smith and the Mavs' offense shifted gears.
Smith scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 15-yard scoring run up the middle of Foster's defense, propelling Manvel back in front 21-17 with 7:21 remaining in the game.
The Mavericks' signal caller struck again when he fired a deep pass to senior Joseph Paddio, who shook off a would-be tackled and dove for the goal line to score on a 30-yard touchdown pass, which gave Manvel a decisive 28-17 edge with 2:03 left to play.
Incredibly, the Falcons flew back downfield in the blink of an eye to make it a one-score game.
Senior quarterback J.T. Fayard unloaded a 75-yard touchdown pass over the top of the Mavs' defense on the first play of the ensuing drive, slashing Manvel's lead to 28-23 with 1:48 remaining during the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks, however, scooped up the ensuing onside-kick attempt by Foster — which had one remaining timeout — to fend off the Falcons' furious last-minute comeback bid.
Manvel (5-2, 4-1) will look to pick up its fifth straight win in district play when the Mavericks face the Magnolia Bulldogs (2-5, 0-4) in their next 10-5A DI matchup at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at Bulldog Stadium in Magnolia.
Richmond Foster (6-2, 4-2), meanwhile, will have a chance to bounce back when the Falcons return to action against Magnolia at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at Traylor Stadium in Rosenberg.
Check out SBLive's exclusive photo gallery from the game:
PHOTO GALLERY — MANVEL 28, RICHMOND FOSTER 23
All photos by Tom Dendy