It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers last Friday as a quick start fueled Mount Pleasant to victory staving off a late Pirate surge. The fans were kept on the edge of their seats in this one with the Tigers outscoring Pine Tree 28-7 in the first half only to see that lead shrink to one possession late in the game.

Pine Tree had a chance to open the scoring on their first drive but missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. The Tigers took the ensuing possession and marched down the field highlighted by a Keller Thompson screen pass to Edward Wilder for 68 yards. Thompson capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to put the Tigers up 7-0 midway through the first quarter. Pine Tree would answer stringing together a 16-play drive that resulted in a touchdown to knot the score at 7-7 with most of the second quarter left to play.

The Tiger offense would kick it into high gear in the second quarter scoring 21 unanswered points. Mount Pleasant would start their second drive at midfield sparked by a nice return by Devon Smith. The 50-yard drive would result in Thompson’s second touchdown run on the night with a two-yard scamper to put the Tiger back on top 14-7. On the following kickoff, Christmas would come early for the Tigers as the ball ricocheted off a Pine Tree player and into the endzone. The Pirate runner would recover the ball and get tackled at the 1-yard line. On their third play, the Pine Tree quarterback rolled out and heaved the ball only to be intercepted by Anthony Jeffery, setting up the Tigers at the Pirate 9-yard line. Wilder would score on the very next play, spinning off defenders and into the endzone to make the score 21-7. Mount Pleasant’s defense would force a quick three and out on the next Pine Tree possession and Thompson and the Tigers would put the ball in the endzone again on an incredible pass and catch from Thompson to Johnny Smith. The Tigers would take a commanding lead into the locker room at 28-7.

Stuck in a corner and needing to chop its way out, Pine Tree began the second half with an onside kick recovery that caught the Tigers off guard. The Pirates would take advantage of the positive field position cashing in a touchdown run to cut the deficit to 28-14 just minutes into the third quarter. Mount Pleasant would respond, however, putting together another long drive. The theme of the night would stay the same with Thompson notching his third rushing touchdown on a 2-yard run to keep the Tigers on pace at 35-14. Pine Tree would not go away countering with another strike on a 27-yard touchdown pass at the start of the fourth quarter to stay within striking distance at 35-21 and setting up a nerve-wracking finish.

Mount Pleasant would not help itself out as a fumble set up Pine Tree on the Tigers’ 35-yard line. A long pass on the next play put Pine Tree down at the Tiger 3-yard line and the Pirates would put the ball in for the touchdown a couple plays later making the score 35-28 midway through the final quarter. The Tigers would work the clock on their next possession eventually punting the ball and pinning the Pirates back at their 6-yard line with just a few minutes left in the game. A series of positive plays would place Pine Tree all the way down to the Tiger 9-yard line before a fourth down pass fell just out of the reach of an open Pirate receiver in the endzone to give the ball back to the Tigers. Mount Pleasant was able to run the clock out from there and seal the victory.

Thompson scored four of the five Tiger touchdowns on the night (3 rushing, 1 passing) finishing 7 for 11 for 109 yards in the air and taking 8 rushes for 46 yards. Tyson Minter also ran the ball well with 12 attempts for 73 yards and one fumble. Wilder ran 10 times for 31 yards and recorded the other Tiger score along with 2 receptions for 63 yards. Miller McCrumby brought down 2 passes for 20 yards. The Tiger defense was led by Braylon Jones’ 13 tackles and Nic Chappell’s 10 tackles. Trey Emory and Jacolby Russell added 8 tackles each. Ervin Mickens and Chappell also brought down the quarterback for one sack apiece.

The win puts the Tigers in a tie for third place with Nacogdoches, who Mount Pleasant owns the tiebreak over. One more win and Mount Pleasant will be in the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. A loss would put the Tigers in several tiebreak scenarios that more than likely would not be in their favor. If the Tigers do win, their playoff opponent looks to be A&M Consolidated if everything plays out as expected. Mount Pleasant will host Jacksonville this Friday in their season finale at Sam Parker Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM with Senior Night festivities set to begin at 6:45 PM. Tickets can be purchased online at www.mpisd.net/athletic-tickets.

By Drew Barkley
Photos by Michelle Calderon and Ky Gil