Mansfield Summit scores in the fourth, ramps up defense to stop Arlington Seguin

Mansfield Summit made the most of big plays on both sides of the ball in Thursday night’s District 5-5A Division 2 opener with Arlington Seguin, including four forced turnovers and a key fourth-quarter touchdown from Joseph Williams in a thrilling 35-27 victory at Newsom Stadium.

Summit (2-2 overall, 1-0 in 5-5A Div 2) led throughout, but only held on to a 28-27 advantage going into the final quarter after a pair of third-quarter scores by Seguin (1-3, 0-1).

The Cougars got within a point of the lead on a 44-yard touchdown pass by Shawn Evans, with Jamel Johnson hauling in a 2-point pass. Johnson is a 4-star Texas commit and No. 7 in the Star Telegram Top 100. He’s also the No. 14 ranked Class of 2023 safety in the country, according to the 247Sports composite.

Johnson started the third quarter scoring on a 43-yard interception return while later adding a fumble recovery.

Seguin then looked to have a shot at a tying touchdown early in the fourth quarter with a drive inside the Summit 40, but the series ended on a fumble recovered by Summit’s Jaden Williams.

Joseph Williams, who rolled up 219 total yards and three scores, then put up a 33-yard touchdown run five plays later for a 35-27 lead with 10 minutes remaining.

The Jaguars’ defense then stepped up to ensure Seguin got no closer, stopping both of the Cougars’ final drives in the fourth quarter. Solid running from Summit’s Amare Burgess (103 yards rushing, two scores) and Jordan Hubbard then helped Summit run out the clock.

Summit’s defense helped spark both first-quarter touchdowns, picking up turnovers to start both scoring drives in Seguin territory and an early 14-0 lead. An interception by Derrick Jinanwa led to a 31-yard touchdown pass by Williams, while a fumble recovery was capped by a 4-yard run by Burgess.

The Cougars cut the lead to 14-7 late in the opening quarter on a 3-yard run by Naszae Otieno, with Seguin pulling to within 14-13 on a 57-yard scoring catch by Johnson from 3-star Washington commit Diesel Gordon (No. 27 in the S-T Top 100). A failed 2-point run by Seguin kept Summit in front, with the Jaguars picking up a two more touchdowns in the second quarter for a 28-13 halftime lead.