The Argyle Eagles led start to finish on Friday night in their 35-27 win over Mansfield Timberview in the first district matchup of the season. However, the Wolves gave the Eagles a run for their money in the second half.
An onside kick recovery from Argyle’s Brady Bromar might have been the difference in the game as it gave the Eagles the ball with a minute left in the game, leading by eight.
Once Argyle kneeled the ball on back-to-back plays to wind the clock down to zero, the Eagles had earned a win in their first district matchup, but it was also head coach Todd Rodgers’ 100th career regular season home win.
“It’s uniquely special because I know these kids, they’ve been in Argyle – some of them weren’t even born when I first started coaching here,” he said. “So, they’ve been raised in the community and, to know their families and to know the kids, it was great to get the win.”
Throughout that time with Argyle, Rodgers has led the Eagles to 21 consecutive playoff berths. In this season’s pursuit, not every win will come easy.
“The score was a little out of balance after the first half and I knew we were going to have to really play well if [Timberview] got it turned around,” said Rodgers. “And they did, but we ended up closing it out in the fourth quarter.”
Argyle started out with two touchdowns within its first three drives of the game. To complement the offense, the Eagles forced Timberview to punt without gaining a first down on its first two drives.
Neither the Eagles nor the Wolves could score until Argyle found the end zone again with just over a minute left in the first half via the legs of Nathaniel Bruce, who ran it in from three yards out. It was his second score of the game.
After halftime, it looked like Argyle was on its way to a rout of Timberview after the Eagles scored on their first drive on a 30-yard run from Bruce, his third of the game. It put the score at 28-0.
He also recorded a few tackles on defense and about 30 yards on kick returns.
“We’re yoking our team to him and letting him carry us,” said Rodgers. “He’s been a senior and has been a captain for two years now and I’m just very pleased with his leadership and his commitment to our success.”
However, the Wolves fought back, scoring 14 unanswered points in two consecutive drives.
“We were preaching down the sidelines,” said Rodgers. “We wanted to score after every series, but it only came to fruition there toward the end. We had to dig deep and change the pace of the game because we’re still trying to figure out who our football team is right now.”
Finally, after the Wolves tacked on another touchdown, bringing the deficit to just seven, Argyle’s offense woke back up for a 50-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Maguire Gasperson to tight end Braden Bach. It brought the score to 35-21.
“It was fabulous,” said Rodgers. “We are always trying to get ourselves to execute at a high level in critical moments because big time players have to make big time plays. That’s what those two did.”
Timberview had just under two minutes left in the game to score 14 points.
They reached the end zone in 52 seconds with a passing touchdown before botching the extra point, leaving the score at 35-27.
An onside kick attempt was recovered by Bromar, allowing Argyle to run the clock and secure the win.
Before the season, Rodgers said the two hardest games on Argyle’s schedule would likely be Timberview and Colleyville Heritage.
The Eagles fought off a comeback from Timberview to improve their record to 2-1. They have a bye week next week and then go on the road to face Colleyville Heritage on Sept. 26.
