Two teams with good football traditions and forgettable seasons from a year ago met on Friday night, Sept. 12, at Marr Stadium with hopes of turning around their respective fortunes.
Grapevine was winless, 0-10, in 2024, and Everman wasn’t much better, recording a 1-9 mark, with its only victory coming at the hands of the Mustangs in district play.
On paper, Grapevine looked like it would avenge its loss from a season ago, but a strong defensive effort from the Bulldogs and just enough offense propelled Everman to a 12-7 victory over the Mustangs on Homecoming night in the District 3-5A Division 2 opener for both schools.
“It’s a process,” said Everman coach Michael Boone, who has several players, including quarterback Dawon Smith, who have never played a snap in a varsity game until this year. “We’ve been preaching it, but we’ve had some really tough things happen to us early in ball games. We controlled the controllables tonight.
“We were able to play within ourselves and do what we were capable of doing. I was excited for the kids to finally get to see what they’re capable of.”
The Bulldogs had made it to the post season for seven consecutive years before 2024. Everman (1-2 overall, 1-0 district) had been outscored 105-0 in its first two contests of 2025, but drew first blood.
Grapevine (1-2, 0-1) was set up to punt from midfield when the snap went over quarterback/punter Jailen Holmes’ head. Holmes scrambled and managed to get a kick off, but the ball went off the side of his foot for a minus-13 yard result.
Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Smith scampered around left end and broke several tackles on his way to a 35-yard score. The point after attempt was blocked, but the Bulldogs led 6-0 with 11:50 left before the intermission.
The Everman defense played really well, especially when they had to. Grapevine picked off an Everman pass midway through the second quarter and drove down to the Bulldogs’ three yard line.
The drive stalled and the Mustangs were content to settle for a 20-yard field goal, but Everman’s Barrington Stricklin raced in and blocked the kick to keep the score 6-0 at the 4:19 mark of the second quarter.
“This week in practice we mainly focused on the mental side of the game and just getting lined up correctly,” said Stricklin, who starts in the defensive secondary for the Bulldogs. “Today we got lined up right and you see what happened. We executed and should have held them to zero.”
The Mustangs had reached the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons before last year’s debacle. But Grapevine started this season with a one-point loss to a tough squad from Frisco Wakeland and then defeated Birdville in another close game in Week 2.
Grapevine out gained Everman 202 to 198 with all of the Bulldogs yardage coming on the ground. Smith led the way for Everman with 100 yards on 19 carries with Lebron Bowdy (10 carries-59 yards) and Daveyon Miles (11-51) contributing as well.
Everman took the second half kickoff and marched 70 yards in six plays to take a 12-0 lead with 8:58 left in the third quarter. Smith accounted for 44 of the yards, but Bowdy got the score on a 14-yard romp up the middle.
“Honestly, just staying consistent with the game plan coming into the game was the key,” said Smith. “Staying consistent and being aggressive. Once you win the line of scrimmage everything else just rolls in.”
Grapevine linebackers Tatum Evans and Luke Ghormley helped keep the Mustangs in the game, but the offense sputtered. Running back Jake Graham was the work horse for Grapevine with 119 yards on 19 carries.
Grapevine looked like it might score early in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs lost the ball on downs with 7:08 left at the Everman 19. On fourth down a flag was thrown for what looked like pass interference on the Mustangs, but after the officials huddled, the penalty was waved off giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.
A big hit on Smith forced a fumble that was recovered by Grapevine with 5:00 left in the game at the Everman 40. Graham raced 37 yards to the 3 and scored from a yard out two plays later to cut the lead to 12-7 with 4:28 left.
Everman went three and out on its next series giving the Mustangs one last chance. Grapevine took over at its own 22 with 2:00 left, but failed to get a first down as a holding penalty derailed the drive.
Everman defensive back Jarie Stafford batted away the fourth-down pass and the offense was able to run out the clock.
“We’re just a week better than we were last week,” said Boone. “We run a scheme that is tough to defend, but it’s also tough to put in because the kids have to make so many adjustments. The more they run the system the more they understand what to do.”