By Raymond Linex II

MILDRED – At 0-3 with an offense stuck in neutral, Mildred needed something, anything to kickstart a woeful season.

Maybe it was homecoming. Maybe it was a challenge. Maybe it was lost heart found deep within. Whatever the reason, a team on the verge of snapping snapped back.

The Eagles are in the win column after a gutsy, emotional, even entertaining 15-14 win over Maypearl in front a packed homecoming crowd at Asby Field.

“I thought we played with more heart than in any game, even last year,” said Harvell, who led the Eagles to an 8-3 playoff season a year ago. "I can’t say enough about the way we fought. We needed that win in a bad, bad way.

“Our confidence was shaken.”

This was the same Maypearl program that beat the Eagles 35-10 a year ago, the same Panthers who entered the game sporting a 3-0 record.

This was a Maypearl team that shook off Mildred’s first-half dominance to take control with an impressive drive to make it 14-7 with 5:29 left, then forced a three and out to get the ball back with 3:30 left.

But the Eagles (1-3), playing with some conviction seldom seen the previous three weeks, put together an improbable 82-yard drive in the final 1:50 to win it.

On first down, freshman quarterback Nic Shimonek hit Clay Harrell for 38 yards down the Mildred sideline, only to lose 15 of it when the Eagles were flagged for sideline interference. Four plays later, on fourth and three, Shimonek hit Daniel Folsom on a 5-yard out route for a first.

With 1:20 left, there was still hope and 47 yards to go.

On second down, a 15-yard screen pass to Payton Weaver was nullified. The tackle turned running back wears No. 52, and is ineligible to catch a pass. Two plays later, on fourth and 15, Shimonek – who has looked every bit of a freshman through three games – delivered a big league strike for 17 yards on a post pattern to Harrell. He also took a hit, a late one, for 15 more yards, and with 34 ticks left, Mildred stood only 20 yards away.

On second down, a pass interference moved the ball to the 2 with 25 seconds left. Coaches dialed up Folsom again, the same out play, and this time a bigger result, a touchdown caught on just over the goal line before he was drove out to the 1, to make it 14-13 with 19 seconds left.

Harvell, believing his team was too gassed to withstand an overtime, made the gutsy call to go for two. The Eagles had one more play in them, and the freshman hit Rody Seilheimer, a sophomore playing on a bad ankle, for another short completion, but just long enough, and the go-ahead score.

“To me, it was all or nothing,” Harvell said.

Maypearl fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles recovered, and for the first time this year, Mildred took snaps from the victory formation.

The game was tied at the half, 0-0, as Mildred owned a time of possession edge of just more than five minutes.

That was by design, Harvell said, because they believed they were rushing Shimonek. They turned more to the run, but their freshman quarterback grew up, alongside his team, in that fourth quarter.

Six of Mildred’s 13 first downs came on that winning drive, two on fourth downs. All 13 play calls (two were erased by penalties) were pass plays.

“Nic made some big plays at the end,” Harvell said. “He grew up a little bit, but we still have a long way to go.”

Mildred took a 7-0 lead midway through the third after a 41-yard Miles Weaver interception return to the Maypearl 9, setting up Logan Shelton’s 1-yard plunge on fourth down.

Unfortunately, Maypearl struck back within a minute on a long Joe Jalapa touchdown run, and DJ Crownover had runs of 14, 10, 17, 16 and nine before his 4-yard touchdown in the fourth put the Panthers up.

The 227 yards allowed was a season low, as was the 14 points for the Eagles. Maypearl had eight plays of 10 or more yards, but the Panthers also had 15 of two yards or less, including seven for losses.

“I thought our defense was exceptional,” Harvell said. “… For the first time in four ballgames, we executed our game plan.”



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Mildred 15, Maypeal 14

Maypearl 0 0 6 8 — 14

Mildred 0 0 7 8 — 15



Third Quarter

Mi — Logan Shelton 1 run (Trevor Owen kick), 7:28

Ma — Joe Jalapa 71 run (kick failed), 6:30

Fourth Quarter

Ma — DJ Cornwover 4 run (Crownover run), 5:29

Mi — Daniel Folsom 2 pass from Nic Shimonek (Rody Seilheimer pass from Shimonek), 0:19



Ma Mi

First downs 8 13

Rush-yards 28-208 37-33

Passing yards 19 105

C-A-I 2-5-1 12-21-1

Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-0

Punts-avg. 2-43 5-26

Penalties-yards 8-50 6-35



Individual

Rushing — Ma: DJ Cornwover 16-69, Joe Jalapa 4-75, Conner Vaughan 7-63, Speer Lackey 1-1. Mi: Logan Shelton 9-13, Daniel Folsom 8-23, Payton Weaver 5-19, Nic Shimonek 15-(-22).

Passing — Ma: Vaughan 2-5-1-19. Mi: Shimonek 13-21-1-105.

Receiving — Ma: Layne Compston 2-19. Mi: Folsom 4-15, Miles Weaver 2-6, Kyler Graham 2-13, Shelton 1-10, Rody Seilheimer 1-(-1)Clay Harrell 3-62.