Clearfield • Senior quarterback Jaxon Mansfield left it all out on the field in Clearfield’s season finale Wednesday night.
He completed 17 of 30 passes for 253 yards as the Falcons closed out the season with a 17-10 win over Bountiful. He also rushed 12 times for 59 yards.
Mansfield did most of his damage in the third quarter, when he ran 26 yards for a touchdown and hit Noah Hardy from 5 yards out for a touchdown on consecutive drives.
“We decided to get after it,” Mansfield said. “Our line went faster.”
The two touchdowns in the third quarter more than made up for a first-half performance that only produced a 25-yard field goal on the final play before intermission for the game’s only first-half scoring.
Bountiful tied the game at 3-3 on a 30-yard field goal after the Falcons turned over the ball on downs at their own 30 on the first possession of the second half.
But Mansfield responded. He guided the Braves 80 yards in seven plays, ending in his 26-yard run. The drive was keyed by a 30-yard run by Ethan Jones.
“I pulled it,” Mansfield said about his decision to keep the ball on his touchdown run. “I had to beat one guy.”
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>Clearfield senior quarterback Jaxon Mansfield completed 17 of 30 passes for 253 yards to close the Falcons’ season. He added 59 yards, including a 26-yard TD run in the third quarter, on the ground.
Bountiful tried to rally with a score of its own, but an interception by Orion Santiago ended the Braves’ threat.
Mansfield drove the Falcons 50 yards in three plays for the second touchdown, with the drive ending on Mansfield’s touchdown pass.
“They came out in something we didn’t expect,” he said about the touchdown pass.
Mansfield avoided some pressure, stepped up and raced to the right before finding Noah Hardy in the end zone.
Bountiful’s Tavin Dougher scored on a 47-yard touchdown pass to pull the Braves back to within 17-10.
Following a Clearfield punt, the Braves needed to go 86 yards in 47 seconds to tie the game. However, Bountiful senior quarterback Jaxon Woods threw an interception on fourth down to end the threat.
“I wanted — we wanted — to get this win for coach [Andre] Dyson,” Mansfield said. “He has been here three years.”
Despite being on the outside looking in at the playoffs, Mansfield said the win will lay the foundation for future success.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Going 4-5, we slipped up a couple of times, but this is really big.”