Mervo took its first lead in the final minute of the third quarter against rival Dunbar on Saturday — a precious two-point advantage — and time and again asked its defense to not only hold firm, but make special plays.
The last of them squeezed into the tense final 12 minutes of play came from cornerback Tywan Baker.
Dunbar had a fourth-and-9 on Mervo’s 20-yard line with 12 seconds to play when Poets quarterback Caleb Tarver rolled to his right and threw to the end zone. Baker got a bit higher than wide receiver Khamari Tucker, snagging the pass and racing 100 yards for a pick-six as the final seconds ran off the clock.
In claiming the thrilling and doggedly resilient 20-12 win at Morgan State University’s Hughes Stadium, featuring six turnovers from the standout defensive performance, the No. 12 Mustangs ended Dunbar’s 46-game winning steak in Baltimore City play.
Mervo (6-1) improved to 5-0 in Baltimore City, ending its four-game skid against Dunbar. The Poets (5-1) dropped to 4-1 in the league.
An intense, highly emotional game ended on an epic play. The jubilation from the Mustangs was overwhelming to many.
“First thing, I just go to thank the Lord, for real,” Baker said. “We faced a lot of adversity, but we came together and beat them. We finally beat them.”
It didn’t come easy.
The Poets got a 4-yard touchdown run from Donteze Branch on the game’s opening possession and then made it 12-0 when Tarver found Tucker for an 11-yard touchdown reception with 4:32 to play in the second quarter.
But the Mustangs’ offense got on track on its next possession. When wide receiver Curtis Leighton brought in a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jaylin Solomon less than two minutes later — with Solomon then finding Brandon Jefferson for a 2-point conversion — the Poets’ lead was 12-8 at the half.
The game was mired by several penalties. In the final minute of the first half, after another personal foul was called, the referees met with the coaches and gave them both a couple of minutes to huddle with their respective teams in a bid to settle the game’s tone.
While both teams’ defenses and more costly penalties continued to derail scoring drives in the second half, the Mustangs finally broke through after Tyrell Ford’s fumble recovery gave them the ball on the Poets’ 32 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
After an offsides call on the Poets made it first-and-5 on the 27, Mervo running back Kaden Foster rumbled all 27 yards for the go-ahead score that made it 14-12.
Big plays from the Mervo defense followed. Khadea McDonald deflected a fourth-down pass from Tarver to end one Poets drive.
On Dunbar’s next possession, McDonald recovered a fumble to give the Mervo offense the ball at the Poets’ 28 with 7:09 to play. The Mustangs would drive to the 10 before the Poets’ defense proved firm, with a shared sack by Savion Williams and Eugene Cummings the big play in forcing the Mustangs to turn it over on downs.
And then it was Mervo cornerback Cleveland Deshields’ turn to step up with an interception that gave the Mustangs the ball back on their 25 with 2:43 to play.
On fourth-and-15 at the 20, punter Charles Minnis got off a quality boot that wasn’t returned, giving the Poets the ball on their 39 with 1:47 to play.
A 26-yard pass over the middle from Tarver to Johnson on fourth down gave the Poets the ball on Mervo’s 35 with 57 seconds left, and then a pass interference call set up a first down at the Mustangs’ 20 with 43 seconds left.
After Brian Guerrero batted down a pass from Tarver to make it fourth-and-9 at the 20 with 12 seconds left, Baker had the final say.
The Mustangs, who won Class 4A/3A state titles in 2021 and 2023 and were the runner-up last season, have always prided themselves on their defense. With a largely new group of defenders this season, coach Patrick Nixon said that it took some time before they were all locked in.
That was certainly the case Saturday, with the defense forcing the six Dunbar turnovers.
“I tell them my confidence always comes from preparation and I think we had a great week of preparation. So a little surprised, but not surprised we played as well as we did,” Nixon said. “I’m just so proud of the team collectively, but also a lot of individuals stepped up and made some huge plays. We stayed together and we did it.”
Now and finally, the Mustangs are in the driver’s seat to bring home a Baltimore City title that has been owned by Dunbar for quite some time. Over the past few years, the teams have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the league. Recently, the regular-season meeting has been played at Morgan State because of all the interest.
This time, it was the Mustangs’ day.
“Our guys grew up today,” Nixon said. “We talked about playing four quarters and not getting too high and not getting too low. There was a lot of emotion on both sides throughout the game and it was a real challenge to get these guys to keep their heads. They were able to do it and I’m just really proud.”
The Poets, who went into the game yielding only eight points all season, had their share of good moments. They just couldn’t match Mervo’s big plays.
“At the end of the day, you have to give Mervo credit. They made more plays than we did and they came out victorious,” Dunbar first-year coach Courtney Bridget said. “That’s what can happen when you play a big game like this, a rivalry against an opponent like this. So hats off to them, they won the football game.”
Both teams return to action with home games on Friday. Dunbar hosts Digital Harbor at 4 p.m. and Mervo takes on Forest Park at 6.
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