Then, in a matter of seconds, Mansfield Timberview snatched it away.
Receiver Sharman Brown stole a jump ball away from Belton’s Nick Alaniz to set up the winning score as Timberview edged the Tigers 34-33 in a thriller Friday night at MISD Stadium.
“I feel for our kids because we put ourselves in position in the second half to win the game,” Tigers coach Rodney Southern said. “Some things just didn’t go our way. We had a couple tough things happen, but I’m proud of our kids.”
Belton fell to 0-3 heading into its District 12-5A opener against Harker Heights on Thursday.
With the Tigers leading 34-33 with just under two minutes left, the Timberwolves (1-2) faced a fourth-and-1 situation at their 26-yard line. Blake Dixon, who ran for three touchdowns in relief of Minnesota commitment Eric Stephens, outran Belton linebacker Kyle Voss to the sideline for a first down.
Quarterback Donte Parker scampered 27 yards for another first down to the Tigers 44. On the next play, Parker, unable to find an open receiver, finally heaved it deep to Brown. Alaniz appeared to be in position to intercept the pass, but Brown leaped up from behind the defender, pulled the ball away and raced to the 1.
“We made some completions and we made some first downs,” said Timberwolves coach Terry Cron, who led Bartlett to the Class A state title in 1992. “Sharman Brown is a great receiver and he just went up and got it. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
Dixon scored on the next play to put Timberview up 34-33 with 42 seconds left.
“A couple of those plays, we’re in position, we have to come up with interceptions,” Southern said. “They just made a play over the top. You have to pressure the quarterback there and you have to be sound in coverage. They made a play and we didn’t.”
Belton trailed 28-14 after Timberview’s Aaron Burks hauled in a 38-yard touchdown reception from Parker with eight minutes remaining.
Tigers quarterback David Ash, who went 16-of-21 passing for 220 yards in the second half, connected with Jarrett Crowell on a 10-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-1 to trim the lead to 28-21.
Belton’s defense stepped up and made a big stop when Zac Sakaria tackled Parker for a 4-yard loss to force a punt. The Timberwolves hurt their cause with a 15-yard boot to set up the Tigers at the 26.
On the next play, Ash found Kevin Thornton (nine catches, 125 yards) for a touchdown.
Southern elected to go for the two-point conversion and the lead, but Ash couldn’t find an open receiver and Belton trailed 28-27 with 3:54 left.
On the ensuing kickoff, Thornton recovered the onside kick at Timberview’s 48. Ash was sacked for an 8-yard loss and then found Thornton for an 11-yard gain to the 47.
After an incomplete pass, the Tigers faced fourth-and-7 with the game on the line. Ash found Crowell down the left sideline for a touchdown to give Belton a 34-33 lead with 2:31 left.
Ash went 18-for-29 for 225 yards and three TD passes, all of them in the second half.
“Our pass protection was better in the second half,” Southern said. “We got in some empty formations that gave them some problems and we ran our routes well. David was taking some chances on deeper balls, but Kevin and Jarrett and all those guys ran really good routes.”
Sophomore Kenny Shuler provided a spark to the Belton offense with 28 first-half rushing yards. His 10-yard score gave the Tigers an 8-7 lead, their first lead of the season. Belton trailed for the first 115 minutes, 22 seconds of the season.
“It’s coming,” Southern said. “It’s part of building a program. It’s part of the whole process. We’ve seen it coming for a long time. Now we just need to take the next step when we roll into district.
“We still had too many penalties (12 for 67 yards) tonight, which is what I’m disappointed about. But as far as our play and effort and our kids battling and staying in the game, I couldn’t have asked for any more than what we got tonight."
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
