IRVING – Friday's Arlington Bowie-Flower Mound Marcus playoff game changed in a flash in the second half – a flash named Jonathan Johnson.
Johnson rushed for 221 yards and sparked a three-touchdown flurry in the third quarter that propelled Bowie to a 35-7 win in a Class 5A Division I area-round playoff game at Texas Stadium.
Johnson carried the ball just 16 times, but his 12 carries in the second half produced 205 yards. His 28-yard run on Bowie's first offensive play of the third quarter woke up the Bowie offense.
With some help from the defense and the kickoff coverage team, Bowie went on to score 21 points in a 2:11 span.
Bowie (11-1), ranked No. 10 in the state in 5A, will next meet Lubbock Coronado, a 44-28 winner over Midland Lee on Friday.
After a 7-7 first half in which the defenses dominated, Bowie had a 28-7 lead with 5:16 elapsed in the third quarter.
Bowie made a critical adjustment in abandoning the end-arounds it used repeatedly in the first half with little success. Bowie instead went to counter plays in the second half that opened up wide running lanes for Johnson.
"It was good against a 3-4 [defense] because we had them so spread out," Johnson said. "We were able to hit them inside."
Johnson had four carries for 16 yards in the first half. His 28-yard run to jump-start the second half was followed by a 17-yard run to the Marcus 8-yard line.
JOHN F. RHODES / DMN
Jonathan Johnson of Arlington Bowie found plenty of running room in the second half against Flower Mound Marcus.
Quarterback Christian Matthews scored from 5 yards out to give Bowie a 14-7 lead.
Marcus' Tylar Epps muffed the ensuing kickoff and J'Mond Green recovered for Bowie at the 9.
Matthews tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Marcus McGraw for a 21-7 lead.
On the next play from scrimmage, Marcus (9-3) tried to change its luck with a reverse pass, but Andre Robinson intercepted it for Bowie.
Four plays later, including two more long runs by Johnson, Matthews threw a 31-yard rainbow to Roddy Maginot for a 28-7 lead.
Marcus got its only points in the first quarter after a sack by Kenneth Eneh forced a fumble recovered by Taylor Hardin at the Bowie 20. Stephen Hopkins scored from 5 yards out to tie the score at 7-7.
Hopkins had rushed for 1,664 yards coming into the game but was held to 36 yards on 19 carries by the Bowie defense. Marcus generated just 111 yards of offense.
Staff Writers Randy Jennings and Todd Wills contributed to this report .
