The Everett High football team made some costly mistakes and Mansfield High took full advantage, handing the Crimson Tide a 45-14 defeat in the season opener Friday night at Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Everett High football fans no doubt were expecting a hard-fought battle to the finish when quarterback Carlos Rodriguez connected with Yariel Ortiz for their second of two touchdowns with 3:36 left to play in the first half, making it a three-point (17-14) game.
However, the visiting Hornets scored on their next possession and then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and turned it into a quick touchdown to take a 31-14 lead at the half.
The Hornets kept the pressure on the Everett defense with two touchdowns early in the second half to extend their lead. In a battle of two Top-20 ranked teams, Mansfield seized the momentum and didn’t take its foot off the accelerator.
Everett head coach Justin Flores knew the Hornets would be a tough test but felt the late first-half sequence was a difference maker.
“It was a humbling experience for us as a team,” said Flores. “That game was 17-14 with about three minutes left in the first half, and Mansfield did a good job to blow it open. We had some critical turnovers at critical times on special teams that led to 14 direct points. And then they came out in the second half and scored right away, so that was a 21-point swing. We ran only eight plays in the second half, so they did a good job hanging on to the football. They’re a good team and a good program.”
The duo of Rodriguez and Ortiz provided the highlights for Everett. Rodriguez fired two accurate passes to Ortiz, who showed his speed after both catches to reach the end zone.
Mansfield quarterback Tommy Vallett, a 6-foot-3-inch junior, was impressive, throwing touchdown passes of 40 and 28 yards.