Game MPSSAA Class 4A/3A Football States of round Round 3

On December 4, the Sherwood Warriors faced off against the Mervo Mustangs in the 4A/3A MPSSAA state championships, with the Mustangs claiming the state title in a 40-20 victory. The game kicked off with the Warriors electing to receive the ball first in this tight championship matchup. Sherwood focused early on running plays on the first drive, but was forced to punt after the Mervo defense held. Quarterback #5 Jaylen Solomon rushed outside the pocket and searched to find a man downfield, barely avoiding the Gladiators' pressure. The Mustangs put the first points on the board after a 25-yard touchdown to #81 Dennis Perry. The Mustangs went for two and quickly succeeded. Sherwood would be forced to punt for a second time with the first quarter ending 7-0, back in Mustang possession. Mervo opened the second quarter by moving up to Sherwood’s 4-yard line and adding to the lead with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Solomon, putting the score to 14-0 with 7:49 remaining. Sherwood needed to match the energy the Mustangs were giving, but couldn’t do so, going 3-and-out for the third time straight, punting once more. Solomon’s rushing speed was the X-factor 7 minutes into the quarter, where Sherwood allowed too many openings for Solomon's rushing ability to shine. More fuel was added to the fire, with Mervo going up 22-0 with a minute left in the half, scored by #1 Tywon Baker on an 11-yard post route receiving touchdown. The first half ended with a 22-0 dominant Mervo lead. The second half kicked off with turnover madness, where Sherwood stripped the ball out of Mervo’s running back #3 Kaden Foster, recovering the ball and gaining possession. It only took seconds for Mervo to pick off Sherwood from #22 Tyler Ford, but Sherwood was able to bring out Mervo’s punting unit for the first time of the game. Minutes later, Mervo recovered a stripped ball on Sherwood, picked up by #9 Brian Guerrero. With 6:01 left in the half, Solomon recorded a hat-trick of rushing touchdowns with a 4-yard rushing score, bringing the deficit to 28-0. Sherwood was starting to show signs of life, moving up to the Mervo 19-yard line and recording its first touchdown of the game, a 19-yard passing touchdown to #5 Tommy Hanrahan. Sherwood cut the lead down to 28-6. With 7 seconds left in the quarter, Solomon was picked off a screen pass by Sherwood defender #24 Jayden Sellman. A 50-yard return was stopped at Mervos' 3-yard line. A fumble almost handed Mervo the ball once again, but the Sherwood offense recovered. The third quarter ended 28-6 with Sherwood in possession. At the start of the fourth quarter, a one-handed catch from #0 Jefferson Serkem allowed the Gladiators their second touchdown of the game. The 2-point attempt was no good, and the score was shortened to 28-12. Momentum started to shift towards Sherwood after Solomon lost the ball on a scramble, giving Sherwood the ball back in hopes of a comeback. Sherwood moved the ball downfield to Mervo’s 2-yard line for a 41-yard gain. The lead turned into a one-score game as Sherwood cut the lead from a two-yard rushing touchdown and completed the two-point attempt. The score turned 28-20 with a one-possession game. Solomon set the standard straight, breaking multiple tackles and scoring a 32-yard rushing touchdown to prevent any comeback hopes for the gladiators. The lead grew up to 14 with a 34-20 score. Sherwood gained possession of the ball again and was forced to run a play on 4th and 1. The gladiators were just short ruled by the chain team and gave Mervo the ball at Sherwood’s 30-yard line. Mervo set the dagger into the game, scoring a 22-yard rushing touchdown and bringing the score to 40-20. Time remaining hit 0 as the Mervo Mustangs finished the game as state champions, coming victorious at 40-20.