Winnsboro defeats Mineola for playoff spot

Posted 11/14/19

Take two teams, match them evenly in talent, size and heart, and unleash them with a single playoff spot at stake. The results were memorable. It didn’t have the gut punch that was the Canton …

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Winnsboro defeats Mineola for playoff spot

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Take two teams, match them evenly in talent, size and heart, and unleash them with a single playoff spot at stake. The results were memorable. It didn’t have the gut punch that was the Canton game, the cold precision of the Gladewater game or the excitement of the Tatum game, but last Friday’s Mineola vs. Winnsboro contest defined East Texas football. 

The Red Raiders defeated the Yellowjackets, 33-29, to capture the last playoff spot in District 8-3A DI, Region 2.

Mineola finished with a .500 season which very nearly was an 8-2 season, had three close finishes gone the Yellowjackets’ way. Despite the disappointment of not reaching the playoffs, the team provided a lifetime of gridiron memories. They also demonstrated those elements of selflessness, teamwork and commitment on which Mineola athletics are based. 

Just how closely matched were the Yellowjackets and the Red Raiders? Mineola gained 344 yards from scrimmage while Winnsboro ground out 366. Trevion Sneed carried the ball for 202 yards on 20 carries and Winnsboro’s primary rusher, senior Landry Deaton, carried for 181 yards on 17 carries.

The Red Raiders attempted one forward pass, which was incomplete, while Mineola was two for five in pass attempts. It was a “cinch up your chin strap” kind of game. 

The Yellowjackets came out determined. Sneed ripped off 19 yards on his first carry over left tackle, and the game was on. Mineola moved 61 yards behind the tough running of Sneed and a nice jet sweep by Cole Castleberry. Sneed scored over the right side from five yards out. 

The Red Raiders answered. Deaton carried for 16 yards on their first play from scrimmage. They drove 56 yards down to the Yellowjackets’ 10-yard line where they faced a fourth-and-5. The Yellowjacket defensive right side rose up and stopped the fourth down rush. Mineola took over on downs. 

The Yellowjackets used a 54-yard catch and run from quarterback Thomas Hooten to Castleberry to spring them from their own territory. Castleberry made an excellent catch by reaching back over the top of the defender to snatch the ball on a go route. He then accelerated away from the defender for 20 yards after the catch. Three plays later Sneed scored on a misdirection play from 13 yards out. 

Winnsboro fielded the short and high kick-off and lateralled the ball back to their speedy returner Dominque Allen, who returned the kick to the Mineola 41-yard line. The Red Raiders pounded the ball up the middle and scored on a Deaton carry from five yards out.

After the score, the Red Raiders executed a textbook on-side kick, taking possession at the Mineola 45-yard line. Winnsboro scored from 38 yards out on a pitch to the halfback who then handed the ball off to Deaton. With 6:48 left in the half the score was tied 14-14.

A calling card run by Trevion Sneed put the Jackets back on top on the next play from scrimmage. Sneed took a direct snap and ran an option right, selecting just the right moment to accelerate through the defense. His 75-yard scoring run was a typical Sneed run, as his last cut before entering the end zone caused two defenders to collide. 

Winnsboro came right back, driving 40 yards to score after another excellent kick return by Allen. Coming off the right defensive edge, Yellowjacket Dalton Rogers blocked the extra point attempt, and at the half the score stood Mineola 21, Winnsboro 20. 

Two factors determined the outcome of the game. In the second half, the Winnsboro defense shut down Mineola. The Yellowjackets were able to manage only 91 second-half yards, punting once and turning the ball over on downs twice. 

With the Red Raider defense hemming the Jackets in, Winnsboro began to use Deaton as a decoy and got significant production from their other rushers. The Red Raiders totaled 184 yards of offense in the second half, scoring twice in four possessions. 

Mineola had a huge chance to change the game early in the second half when Winnsboro lost a fumble (the only fumble in the game) at midfield. On a fourth-and-10 from the Winnsboro 42-yard line, the Jackets ran a halfback pass. Rogers lofted a long pass to Castleberry at the goal line which was just tipped away by a Raider defensive back. The opportunity was lost. 

Winnsboro regained momentum and scored quickly on their next series, taking their first lead of the night. The Jackets made great use of a strong Rogers kickoff return and embarked on their only significant drive of the second half. They moved 56 yards in 11 plays with Sneed as the workhorse.  The score and a successful two-point conversion put the Yellowjackets back up, 29-26. 

As the fourth quarter began the Red Raiders were moving again having just converted a fourth-and-5 from their own 41-yard line. Two plays later they scored on another misdirection play and made the score 33-29. 

Just when the near-capacity crowd thought this game couldn’t get any better, it did. Both defenses stood up. Mineola was forced to punt deep in their own territory, and the Yellowjackets forced the Red Raiders to turn the ball back over on downs. 

Mineola had the ball at mid-field with time running down. The Jackets moved the ball down to the 27-yard line but stalled. The fourth down power play over the right side was not enough and the ball went back to Winnsboro. 

Mineola still had time, they just needed the ball. A momentous clash of lines ensued, as the defense struggled to stop the Raiders short of the line to gain. A measurement for first down was necessary. After four plays directly into the teeth of the Mineola defense, the Red Raiders made the first down by inches. They then killed the clock.