Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

Except when both Red River and Mansfield have been prone to slow starts in games this season, perhaps the start takes on added meaning this week.

The Bulldogs (1-4) kick off District 3-2A play with a trip to Mansfield (2-3), which is Red River’s fourth straight road game and fifth in six games away from home.

“We do teach our kids that there are three different seasons – pre-district, district and the playoffs,” said Red River coach Byron Keller. “We’re moving into our second season this week, and our district is wide open this year.”

Mansfield dug itself out of two separate 18-point holes in a 52-44 double overtime win against North Caddo this past week, which is the second double overtime game Mansfield has played in this season (lost to Minden in the first one).

Mansfield games have experienced wild momentum swings with the Wolverines trailing by double digits early in three of its five games. Even in its 50-14 win against Green Oaks, Mansfield was down after an early Giants’ touchdown.

Oddly enough, Mansfield’s biggest loss of the season (64-32 to Northwood) was its best start as the Wolverines built a two-touchdown advantage early.

Red River traded blows with Class 5A Pineville this week, answering both of Pineville’s early touchdowns to trail 14-12 in the second quarter of 32-20 Pineville win.

But the Bulldogs have fallen behind early in its other losses to Catholic-Pointe Coupee, White Castle, and Oak Grove.

“Being able to answer with a quick scores was big for us early against Pineville,” Keller said. “The kids had a shift in momentum after the opening Pineville score, and it’s important that we hung with them.

“Pineville returned a fumble for a touchdown and got the momentum back. But our kids are fighting until the very end, and when we clean up the minor mistakes, we will be able to finish games.”

The game features two of the area’s most explosive running backs in Red River’s Warren Bowman and Mansfield’s Terrell Pegues.

Bowman scored touchdowns in three different ways (rushing, receiving and kick return) this past week against Pineville has emerged as Red River’s primary offensive weapon.

Pegues has totaled nine offensive touchdowns and scored via the run, the catch and the pass.

Keller said his bunch has to match the physicality of a Mansfield squad that likes to fire off the ball.

Across the district, typical power Many (0-5) is still looking for its first win while usually middling Lakeside (5-0) is undefeated in coach John Ware’s first season at the helm.

It’s a true five-team scramble with Winnfield (2-3) being a wildcard as well.