An ill-timed penalty and the game’s only turnover led to Mansfield scoring twice in 40 seconds and go on to a 22-18 win in a battle of unbeatens Thursday night.
The Bearcats (8-1, 5-1 Conference 3A-4) had scored on the game’s opening possession and led 12-0 going to the third quarter.
The first touchdown came on a 55-yard run by Cooper Smithson at the 5:20 mark of the opening quarter.
The next three possessions saw Mansfield punt and both teams turn the ball over on downs. The Bearcats turned it over on downs at the Mansfield 35.
Mansfield would then move inside the 10 but ultimately ran out of downs with 2:24 to play in the first half and the ball at the Bearcat 15.
After Ayden Rhinehart got nowhere on first down, Drake Brackney won an 85-yard race to make it 12-0.
Brackney would run 12 times for 127 yards on the night.
A 37-yard run cut the Bearcat lead to 12-8 with 5:14 to go in the third quarter.
The Bearcats kept the ball the rest of the quarter and moved across midfield but would run into issues pre-snap and ended up punting to start the final quarter.
Mansfield moved to the Bearcat 31 and was at the 32 with a fourth down when they were rescued by a facemask penalty then went in front 14-12 with 3:02 remaining.
Two plays after the kickoff a pitchout and a defender arrived together and a resulting fumble was retuned 19 yards for a touchdown and it was 22-12 with 2:22 to play.
The Bearcats would cut it to 22-18 on Brackney’s second touchdown run, which covered 8 yards, but were unable to get an onside kick and Mansfield ran out the clock.
The Bearcats will close out the 2025 season by hosting Charleston next Thursday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
PENALTY, TURNOVER COSTS JUNIOR HIGH BEARCATS
