LINCOLN -- Even a preacher can show a poker face and play a deuce when it comes to coaching football -- just ask Mansfield's Tim Cothran whose ploy held off Lincoln.
Cothran, who each Sunday swaps his red Tigers football apparel for a suit and tie as he ministers to the congregation of Midland First Assembly of God, called time-out with his Tigers facing fourth-and-nine from their own seven late in the fourth quarter and instructed his punter to step out of the back of the end zone.
Intentionally giving up a safety was preferable at that juncture in Cothran's playbook to taking unnecessary chances against Lincoln's offense which scored on two of three drives picking up 151 yards. Lincoln sophomore quarterback Drew Moore completed 6-of-9 passes during that span and potentially could have orchestrated a dramatic late game comeback after the Tigers took a 28-7 lead on Clint Stovall's 31-yard reception of Mansfield quarterback Fisher Willsey's pass.
Moore engineered a two-play drive covering 69 yards with a 36-yard pass to freshman runningback Kale Jones followed by a 23-yard touchdown toss to sophomore Kellar Price. T. Vang booted the extra-point cutting Mansfield's lead to 28-14.
The Tigers reeled off six plays after recovering an onside kick but coughed up the football and Rafael Regaldo recovered for the Wolves. Moore found Price for 15 yards and Kyler Calvin for 13 more before he was picked off throwing deep.
Mansfield took over at its own six and couldn't move beyond the seven so Cothran opted to take the safety and give up two points with a free kick from the 20. A.J. Garner's fair catch gave Lincoln possession at the Tiger 46 and Moore shook off the interception and went back to work.
He hooked up with Price who ran out-of-bounds stopping the clock after a 14-yard pick up then fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Garner. Vang's kick narrowed the margin to five points and Mansfield had to weather an onside kick attempt before running out the clock to seal the 28-23 victory.
Missed opportunities to put points on the board early cost Lincoln (2-5, 2-2) against Mansfield (2-4, 1-3) in 3A-1 Conference play.
The loss to a team with an identical league mark of 2-4 hurt Lincoln's chances for a second straight playoff berth under coach Reed Mendoza, a feat never before accomplished in school history.
Willsey ran for three touchdowns and passed for another to lead the Tigers. Willsey broke a 68-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, the first of 21 unanswered points by Mansfield that enabled the Tigers to break the game open.
After Jones' touchdown run from a yard out coupled with Vang's P.A.T. kick enabled Lincoln to pull even at 7-7 the Wolves didn't score again until Mansfield built a 28-7 lead.
Willsey added a 31-yard touchdown run and completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Stovall in the third quarter.
Jones recovered an onside kick for Lincoln to start the game, but the Wolves failed to capitalize on a short field although they advanced the ball 30 yards into the red zone. Mansfield dropped a runner two yards behind the line-of-scrimmage on fourth-and-7 to turn the Wolves away empty-handed.
Mansfield put together a 10-play, 84-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead on Willsey's 1-yard quarterback sneak.
A 24-yard pass play on the ensuing possession gave Lincoln a first down at the Tiger 38, but the drive ended on the next play with an interception.
Mansfield had a touchdown taken off the board by a holding penalty and punted which led to a 4-play, 55-yard Lincoln scoring drive. Nick Martinez ran the ball for a first down then Moore completed consecutive passes to Calvin for 8 yards and Regaldo for another 8 before Jones took the ball to the house from 27 yards out.
Jace Birkes' punt return gave the Wolves a first-and-10 from Mansfield's 43. Aided by a pass interference and offsides call against the Tigers Lincoln moved the ball to the Tiger 23 but a fumbled snap put the offense behind the sticks and a dropped pass on fourth-and-11 led to a turnover on downs.
Willsey broke off a long touchdown run and Mansfield regained the lead at 14-7 which was the difference between the teams at halftime.
Mansfield 28, Lincoln 23
Lincoln^--^7^0^0^16^--^23
Mansfield^--^7^7^14^0^--^28
First Quarter
Mansfield -- Fisher Willsey 1-yard run (Braxton Beyers kick), 4:25.
Lincoln -- Kale Jones 27-yard run (T. Vang kick), 0:01.
Second Quarter
Mansfield -- Fisher Willsey 71-yard run (Braxton Beyers kick), 10:38.
Third Quarter
Mansfield -- Fisher Willsey 33-yard run (Braxton Beyers kick).
Mansfield -- Clint Stovall 31-yard pass from Fisher Willsey (Braxton Beyers kick).
Fourth Quarter
Lincoln -- Kellar Price 23-yard pass from Drew Moore (T. Vang kick).
Lincoln -- Safety, punter stepped out of end zone.
Lincoln -- A.J. Garner 33-yard pass from Drew Moore (T. Vang kick), 0:51.