Fourth quarter comeback spurs McNeil to first playoff win since 2004

Making its first playoff appearance in 19 years, McNeil made sure the wait for a postseason victory wouldn’t be any longer Friday night.

After three quarters where it couldn’t seem to do anything right on offense, the Mavericks did nearly everything right during a fourth-quarter comeback when they scored 17 points unanswered to take a 17-14 win over Bowie in a Class 6A bi-district playoff game at Kelley Reeves Athletic Complex.

“This means everything to us,” said senior defensive back Kameron Green, a three-year starter who had an interception as part of three turnovers created by the McNeil defense. “We’ve worked all summer for this, and for the seniors, we’ve worked all four years for this.”

Mavericks quarterback Jadon Sultz threw for 168 of his 207 yards and both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while Bryce Wilson kicked a 25-yard field goal that marked the difference in the game with barely more than a minute to play.

“Our whole game plan was to get receivers the ball in one-on-one situations, but in the first half we weren’t getting them, which was probably my fault,” Sultz said. “The second half, me and the receivers got together, figured out what was going wrong and we started hitting on those deep shots more.”

Sultz completed four passes of at least 20 yards to four different receivers in the fourth quarter.  He hit Joshua Williams and Zach Christie on long passes as part of an 80-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard scoring pass to Jarrell Gary, then a few minutes later tossed a 43-yard scoring pass to Aden Taylor.  And on the winning drive, which also included a double-pass to get a first down on a third-and-5, Sultz hit Gary for a 23-yard gain to help eventually set up Wilson’s kick.

“In the first half, we made some mistakes, and there were maybe some tough calls that didn’t go our way,” McNeil coach Scott Hermes said. “In the second half, some of those same kids that made mistakes played really well and made plays that we as coaches knew they could make. We’re a young team, and some of those young guys had to figure some things out. And there’s no substitute for playoff football.”

While McNeil’s offense is sophomore-laden, it was its defense of primarily seniors that kept the Mavericks in the game the first three quarters.

Though Bowie quarterback Cruz Tello fired a 50-yard touchdown pass to Rowen Wells and hooked up with him again on a 56-yard pass that led to his 2-yard scoring run in the second quarter, the Mavericks yielded little else. McNeil (7-4) held the Bulldogs to less than 250 total yards.

“We made two mistakes and decided that we’re a better defense than they are offense,” Green said. “So, we were going to go out there and play, not get in our heads and not fight with each other anymore. We were just going to play the game, and we were confident our offense would take care of it.”

The Mavericks' defense gave its offense a chance early in the fourth quarter when Kaden Patty and Jaret Black forced a fumble deep in their own territory.

“That changed the game for us,” Green said. “That changed the whole momentum.”

McNeil’s offense responded with its first scoring drive, and its defense forced two three-and-outs the rest of the way, which was crucial with time becoming an issue.

“Our defense was outstanding,” Hermes said. “We tackled well, and our linebackers played their tails off. … It says a lot about our kids and their never-quit attitudes and expectation to win. They thought they were going to win, and they found a way.”

Gary finished with seven catches for 79 yards to pace McNeil's receiving corps, while Tello threw for 162 yards to lead Bowie (4-7).

Coincidentally, the Mavericks also beat the Bulldogs in their last playoff appearance in 2004 when they went to the regional semifinals.

Though the current McNeil players weren’t born at that point and Hermes was in his second year of coaching the defensive backs at Sanger High School north of Denton, he said it’s big for the school to win a playoff game after a nearly two-decade drought.

“I think it changes the school,” he said. “When your football team is successful and people are proud, and you come out on a cold, rainy night and there’s a lot of people in the stands being loud — there’s a lot of pride that comes with that. I’m just proud to be a part of that and to be at McNeil.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: McNeil rallies in the fourth quarter to stun Bowie