Mavericks fall in section semifinals, finish season at 8-2
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TRIMONT - No. 2 Martin County West got their opportunity with 9:41 left in the fourth quarter. Braeden Smith's second interception of Saturday afternoon's Section 2A semifinal clash in Trimont looked like a potential finishing blow. No. 3 Cleveland already led 14-6, but the latest Clippers turnover put their offense in a first-and-goal situation. Another score could nearly seal a trip to next Friday's section title bout against No. 1 Mayer Lutheran in New Prague.
The Mavericks’ defense held. Cleveland quarterback Carson Lyons’s consecutive runs fell short of the goal line. Martin County West had 98 yards to drive the field and tie the game.
A mix of steady runs from running back Pierce Rohman and quarterback Maddex Faber, plus a few timely receptions by Preston Cepress and Lixon Forsberg, pushed the Mavericks to the Cleveland 24-yard line. The 21-play, nine-minute series boiled down to a third-and-15.
"That's just this team," Martin County West head coach Tom Elliot said. "21 plays to try and continue their season and tie the game, that's who these kids are. They've been put in spots like that a couple of times this year and continue to do it."
Faber dropped back to pass it deep. Scanning the field, the senior facilitator looked once more to Cepress in the back of the end zone. Both Cepress and Cleveland defensive back Wyatt Krenik elevated and fought for the ball, but the ladder came down with the catch. Three quick kneels from Lyons ate the remaining 35 seconds and sealed the Clippers’ victory. Martin County West finishes the season with an 8-2 record. It's a complete 180 from the 1-8 campaign they had the year prior.
"We knew this was going to be a dogfight, and it turned out to be exactly that," Elliot said. "It obviously wasn't the result we wanted, but just super proud of the kids. They fought the entire way. ...From last year to this year, what a turnaround, and it’s all on the shoulders of those kids. To go from 1-8 to 8-2 is an incredible feat, and that's something I hope they can hang their hats on."
Both teams traded touchdowns on their respective opening drives. Cleveland got on the board initially with a 14-play drive that chewed nearly seven minutes. Two of Lyons three completions came at the right moment. Lyons found Tanner Simonette on a screen pass to the right, picking up 17 yards on a crucial fourth-and-14. Krenik was the recipient five plays later after Lyons rolled right before connecting on a 5-yard touchdown pass.
Four minutes was all it took for a Maverick response. A mix of Rohman and Faber runs from the shotgun set Martin County West at midfield. The first of six Faber completions went to Cepress on a deep go-route over the middle. Cepress' basket catch and an ensuing dash past the pylon put the Mavericks on the board. Rohman's failed two-point conversion run to the right kept the score at 7-6.
The contest's final score came with 2:39 left in the second quarter. Martin County West's second straight punt put Cleveland on its own 44-yard line. Smith's 26-yard reception on third-and-9 immediately put the Clippers inside Maverick territory. Simonette was the recipient of Lyons’ second touchdown throw, catching a swing pass to the left before gliding into the end zone untouched.
"Obviously, we feel really crappy right now with a season-ending loss," Elliot said. "It was their effort, their work, their offseason that helped turn this thing around. That's just what I tried to relay to them. Eventually, they will think about that, but I wanted them to think about that in the moment, of just how much of an impact this had on the Maverick football program."