MANSFIELD – Early in the third quarter, Mansfield had all the momentum and seemed poised to defeat its crosstown rivals from Mansfield Summit for the first time in six tries.
But one play changed everything.
Adam Visosky's hit jarred the ball loose with 5:03 left in the third quarter, and Tevin Dial picked it up and raced 55 yards to the end zone to propel Summit to a 17-14 comeback victory over previously undefeated Mansfield.
Quinn Sharp added a 29-yard field goal with 7:13 left in the game, and Summit's defense held off Mansfield (4-1, 1-1 in District 4-5A) the rest of the way.
Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks to what appeared to be foot injuries early in the third quarter, and backups finished the game.
Until Dial's fumble return, Mansfield had generally played better and took advantage of two first-half fumble recoveries to take a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Mansfield has never beaten its younger crosstown rival since Summit (4-1, 2-0) opened in 2002.
Summit opened the scoring on its first possession of the game with a drive that started at midfield. The Jaguars stuck to the runthe entire time, as Yaw Mensah ran for 13 yards, and Nelson Akinwande followed that with a 10-yard run to get Summit to the Mansfield 11-yard line.
Two plays later, DeJuan Player took a pitch from quarterback Matt Hill and ran around the left end for a 10-yard touchdown.
Mansfield recovered quickly, moving the ball down the field behind the rushing of Stepfan Taylor and quarterback Donavan Roberts, and two acrobatic catches by Semaj Miller.
Miller's first catch came on second-and-6 from the Mansfield 47 as he leaped high and took the ball out of a defender's hands for a 28-yard gain. Three plays later, Roberts found Miller again for 20 yards to move Mansfield to the Summit 1.
Taylor scored his first touchdown on the next play, and the game was tied after James Neal's extra point.
Mansfield got the ball back in quick fashion after Summit fumbled at the Mansfield 27. The turnover spoiled a Hill-to-Player connection for 23 yards.
Mansfield then drove 73 yards to take a lead that held up for the rest of the half.
Roberts gained 4 and 38 yards on a pair of runs, the latter that wound up at the Summit 3. Taylor then scored after an incomplete pass.
