SANDITE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT, MANSFIELD SUMMIT WINS, 41-28

Sand Springs got hot late in the game, but they just ran out of time. The Sand Springs Sandites scored the final two touchdowns in a 41-28 season-opening loss to Mansfield Summit, Texas in the Border Brawl Friday, Aug. 31 at Memorial Stadium. Trailing 41-14 with about nine minutes to play, Sandite senior quarterback Caden Pennington threw a 24-yard pass to Jacob Snodgrass, and after a Jaguar fumble, the two hooked up again for an eight-yard score, cutting the Jaguar lead to only 13 points, 41-28. After forcing Summit’s only punt of the game with around six minutes to play, Sand Springs marched down to the Mansfield 15 yard line but turned the ball over on downs. Mansfield Summit (1-0) jumped out to a 27-0 lead, scoring the first four touchdowns of the game, and a missed extra point from kicker Austin Meza was just about the only thing that went wrong for the Jaguars. Mansfield quarterback Brysen McKinney accounted for five of his team’s six touchdowns, throwing three and rushing for two. McKinney threw touchdowns to Jaelon Travis, Brendan Sirls and Hal Presley, and he rushed for two scores of one and four yards. Sand Springs running back Joel Mackey scored the Sandites’ first two touchdowns, but Pennington got hot late, hitting several receivers to move the chains. Pennington found Daren Hawkins, Aaron King, Justin Roe, Snodgrass and Mackey on the final three drives, but he wasn’t the only one to complete a pass. With 7:40 minutes to play and trailing, 41-21, Pennington threw a lateral to receiver and back-up quarterback Braden Foster who then found Hawkins streaking down the sideline and tackled at the Mansfield 9-yard line. Three plays later, Pennington threw his second touchdown to Snodgrass. Defensively, linebackers Luke Bratcher and Hayden Cramer made tackles all night, and freshman Brooks Dudley intercepted a pass from McKinney that was tipped.