Bridgeport linebacker Tatum Blaylock closes in on Mineral Wells running back Jordan Johnson in the Bulls’ 49-28 loss Friday. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER

Bridgeport dropped its first District 3-4AII contest Friday at home after being outscored 28-7 in the second half against Mineral Wells.

The Bulls (1-4, 0-1) knotted up 21-21 at halftime with the Rams after several first half mistakes by the visitors, converting turnovers and penalties into points on the board. But after Mineral Wells figured out how to cut down on its mistakes in the back half of the contest, the Rams posted a runaway second half.

“It’s just frustrating. We just need to make plays when plays need to be made,” Bridgeport coach Aaron Cupp said. “Our defense gave us some chances and we weren’t able to punch it in. We were just inefficient, and that’s something that we’ve struggled with when we get down to the red zone.”

Mineral Wells’ offense came out hot and gave the Rams a quick lead on Javon Johnson’s 54-yard touchdown pass to Trent Yowell two minutes into the game. The Bulls punted away after their ensuing drive went cold, but a muffed punt by the Rams set Bridgeport up to tie, with Trace Marlett rushing in from the 2 to knot up the game.

Midway through the second and trailing by seven, the Bulls built a drive off of Mineral Wells penalties to find the end zone again. The Rams committed three consecutive penalties to move the Bulls into the red zone, which Bridgeport tight end Mason Bentley was able to capitalize on.

After Dylan Hunter’s intended pass was tipped by a defender in the end zone, Bentley was able to reel it in while falling to his knees to once again draw even with Mineral Wells.

The Rams showed off their multiple offense down the stretch of the second quarter, using an unconventional run game to march down the field. Mineral Wells capped off its 86-yard drive with some backfield trickery, setting up a wide open end zone shot by Jackson Hicks from the 22 where he found Jaidun Fisher wide open.

“Anytime someone’s unconventional, you’re going to have a hard time replicating that in practice,” Cupp said. “We can give a look and work off of scout cards, but our guys aren’t going to know it like [Mineral Wells] does. And they’ve got a great coaching staff that was able to game plan well for us and execute in the spots where they needed to.”

Before the first half expired, Bridgeport made another statement drive to lock up with the Rams. Bridgeport receiver Dane Handley hauled in a 45-yard pass from Hunter, securing the ball off of his defenders fingertips and landing at the Rams’ 14. Marlett ran in from the 8 a few plays later to go into halftime at a stalemate.

“I feel like we’ve yet to put together two full halves of football. You look at that first half and it’s awesome, tied 21-21 and we’re right there in it,” Cupp said. “But then we come out and turn it over on the opening kick. Stuff like that we just have to figure out how to tighten up to put together a complete game.”

After recovering the fumble on the second half kick, the Rams got to work fast. Hicks scored a 17-yard rushing touchdown on the Rams’ first drive, then Fisher added to it after a Bridgeport three-and-out with his 48-yard receiving touchdown.

Bridgeport failed to score on the ensuing drive after starting from the Mineral Wells’ 11, resulting in another touchdown for the visitors on Prestyn Ramirez’s 6-yard quarterback keeper.

Mineral Wells and Bridgeport traded scores in the fourth quarter, with Marlett grabbing a 20-yard receiving touchdown from Hunter and Ramirez running in from the 1 for the Rams.

Bridgeport travels to Graham Oct. 17. The Steers (4-2, 1-0) notched their first District 3-4AII win against Burkburnett Friday, 37-14.

“There’s no more time to lose,” Cupp said. “We have to tackle better, we have to block better and we have to protect the football. It’s really those three things that are really getting us at times.”

Key takeaways

Opponent mistakes can alter the game, but only for so long

Mineral Wells’ biggest weakness Friday was its inability to limit penalties, especially in the first half. The free yards given away to the Bulls erased much of the good work the Rams were putting on the field, especially in the second quarter.

On Bridgeport’s first drive of the second quarter, the Rams were tagged with penalties on three consecutive plays, setting up the Bulls inside the red zone and culminating in a Bridgeport touchdown to knot up the game at 14-14.

However, once Mineral Wells found a way to reel in the mistakes, the team became a wrecking crew. The first and second half were night and day different after the Rams cut down on the penalties, and it slowed down a Bridgeport team that was capitalizing on those free opportunities.

Bridgeport’s receiving corps showed up

The Bulls weren’t exclusively dealt good fortune by Mineral Wells in the first half — they straight up made their own plenty of times. Bridgeport receivers Dane Handley, Cooper Byers and tight end Mason Bentley all had their hands in making that happen.

Bentley first showed up in the second quarter on his touchdown grab. Quarterback Dylan Hunter attempted a pass to Trace Marlett in the end zone, resulting in a tipped ball by Mineral Wells and Bentley waiting in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard score.

Byers followed that up with another good hands performance on a diving 29-yard catch later in the second quarter to move the Bulls inside the red zone. To round out the trifecta, Handley did his best impression of Bentley and then some.

On a sideline bomb by Hunter, Handley’s one-on-one defender tipped away the ball, but the Bridgeport receiver was able to haul it in on his way to the ground for a 45-yard reception. The catch set up Marlett’s second rushing touchdown a minute later to tie the Rams at 21-21 before the first half expired.

Bulls will need district upsets going forward

After dropping the district contest to Mineral Wells, Bridgeport will need to string together some stunning wins over the next four weeks.

In the Bulls’ six-team league, two district wins is a safe assumption to qualify for playoffs. Bridgeport faces Graham, Eagle Mountain, Burkburnett and Brock to round out the 2025 campaign.

Bridgeport will need to perfect an underdog performance against Graham or Eagle Mountain in the coming weeks and then take care of business against Burkburnett. The Bulls will also have to hope that Mineral Wells and Burkburnett lose out in District 3-4AII for a shot at the postseason.

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