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Early mistakes end Mansfield Timberview's run

ROUND ROCK — A disappointing start against Spring Dekaney in the Class 5A Division II state semifinals led to a disappointing end to Mansfield Timberview’s surprising playoff run.

Turnovers and short field positions fueled Dekaney to three scores in its first 10 plays on the way to a 56-19 victory at Reeves Complex.

Dekaney (12-3) led 21-0 after 6½ minutes with only 93 yards of total offense, and senior running back Trey Williams finished with six touchdowns and rushed for 227 yards.

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Timberview (12-3), which scored a string of playoff upsets to advance a school-record five rounds, fumbled on its second play to set up a 32-yard drive capped by Williams’ 13-yard touchdown run.

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Dekaney followed that with a 41-yard touchdown pass from D’Juan Hines to Austin Garrett, and a 9-yard scoring run by Williams that capped a 20-yard drive.

With its offense struggling against a swarming Dekaney defense, Timberview trailed 42-0 at halftime and finished with five fumbles, losing three.

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“We made too many mistakes against too good a team,” Timberview coach Mark Walker said. “We weren’t prepared, and that’s my fault. It’s been an emotional time. We want to take pride in who we are and what we do. Not playing like we can early was upsetting and disappointing.”

Timberview sparked some hope for a rally, scoring on its first two second-half possessions — the first coming after an onside kick.

Senior quarterback Charles Taylor capped drives with 24- and 14-yard scoring runs.

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But Timberview’s strength has been the running balance of Taylor and running back Josh Smith. Taylor threw an unusually high 25 passes, completing only 10, and Smith rushed for just 10 yards on nine carries.

Dekaney, in Spring ISD near Houston, is making its first playoff appearance behind Williams, a 5-7, 175-pound speedster who is being recruited by Texas A&M, Texas Christian University and Oklahoma State.

To help qualify for the playoffs, Timberview needed a 22-point fourth-quarter rally in a district victory over Duncanville just days after the stunning death of 29-year-old assistant coach Cody McCarty from an apparent heart attack. Timberview had a memorable postseason run with wins against Colleyville Heritage, Flower Mound Marcus and Abilene.

“We achieved a lot more than anyone expected,” said Taylor, who has signed to play baseball at UT-Arlington. “We talked a lot about getting far in the playoffs, but I don’t know if we really expected that we’d do it.”