Joaquin started the first drive of the game at their own 41-yard line. At 4th and 6, Cooper Bragg faked a punt for an 18-yard gain and 1st down. Mansfield made the Ram’s run game difficult, so Quarterback Trenton Runnels had to find Bragg for a 10-yard pass and later a 28-yard passing touchdown. In Ram style, they went for the two-point conversion, putting them on the scoreboard first after 5 minutes of play time; 8-0. In the Wolverine’s opening drive, offense started at their 39-yard line where they had better luck running down the field than the Rams did. Mansfield’s Jaterrious Howard made headway with a 16-yard running gain and Jaydan Hamilton with a 19-yard rushing touchdown. WIth a minute left in the first quarter, Mansfield tied the game up 8-8.
At 3rd and long at the 42-yard line on the next drive, Runnels handed the ball off to Cooper Bragg who found holes in the Mansfield defensive line for a 29 yard carry, putting the Rams at the 13-yard line. The Rams had a 5-yard penalty pushing them back to the 18-yard line on 3rd down, but Runnels managed to find Bragg for a touchdown pass; Cooper Bragg flipped into the endzone for the two-point conversion. Rams led 16-8 with 8:40 left in the first half. Mansfield wasted no time tying up the game; with 2 plays, a 56-yard rushing touchdown by Hamilton and a two-point conversion, the game now 16-16 at the 8:20 minute mark. On their next drive, Joaquin offense inched the ball down the field with the help of Runnels, Bragg and Amarion Wilson. At 4th & 5 and 36 seconds remaining in the half, Runnels finds Bragg in the corner for a Rams touchdown! The two-point conversion was no good, providing the Rams with a 6 point edge heading into the second half.
Mansfield started the second half with the ball, but Joaquin’s Hunter Kay jumped on a fumble at Mansfield’s 44-yard line. Runnels tossed the ball back to Bragg for a 40-yard rushing touchdown. Only taking a minute off of the clock, Joaquin led 28-16 after Dagan Lee failed to get the 2-point conversion. Mansfield answered back on their next drive with a 16-yard pass play from JJ Howard to Zayvon Sanders, putting them in the red zone. Defensive lineman Runnels and Lee had a great QB sack to keep the Wolverines from advancing, but Howard did not let Joaquin’s defensive line strike again. The senior quarterback pushed his way into the end zone; Wolverines trailed 22-28…