The Mendenhall Tigers showed heart and resilience Friday night, storming back from a deficit with 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but their comeback bid fell short as the Forest Bearcats held on for a 37–26 win.
Despite a tough first half, the Tigers refused to quit, closing the game with momentum and confidence for the weeks ahead.
The night began on a frustrating note for Mendenhall as Forest’s offense got rolling early. The Bearcats found the end zone on their opening possession with a rushing touchdown, adding a two-point conversion to take an 8–0 lead midway through the first quarter. The Tiger offense struggled to find rhythm against Forest’s aggressive front, and the first quarter ended with Mendenhall trailing by 8.
The second quarter brought more adversity. Forest connected on a deep passing touchdown to go up 15–0, but Mendenhall quickly answered with one of the night’s highlights — a thrilling kick return for a touchdown by Jaiwon Williams that brought the Tiger crowd to life. The two-point try failed, but Mendenhall was back in it at 15–6.
Momentum, however, swung back to Forest late in the half. Two quick touchdowns — one through the air and another on a fumble return — gave the Bearcats a commanding 29–6 lead at the break.
The Bearcats added another rushing touchdown and two-point conversion in the third quarter, stretching their lead to 37–6. But while the game seemed out of reach, the Tigers refused to fold.
Quarterback Kaiden Sparks and receiver Henry Funchess began to find success moving the ball in the final period. Mendenhall’s offense ignited in the fourth quarter, showing the kind of playmaking ability that has kept the Tigers competitive all season.
Mendenhall’s comeback started with a perfectly timed pass for a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 37–14. Moments later, the Tigers struck again through the air to make it 37–20, though the two-point attempt failed.
Funchess capped off the rally with a rushing touchdown late in the fourth to bring the score to 37–26. The Tiger defense stood strong the rest of the way, but the clock ran out before the offense could mount another drive.
Despite the loss, the Tigers had several bright spots on both sides of the ball at the end of the game.
The Mendenhall defense tightened up after halftime, limiting Forest to just eight second-half points and forcing multiple punts. While the Tigers offense had some success with tempo.
The loss drops Mendenhall to 3–3 on the season, but the fight the Tigers showed in the fourth quarter was a clear sign of their potential. After two straight setbacks, the Tigers will look to regroup when they return home to face Morton this Friday night for Homecoming.
The Tigers may have come up short on the scoreboard, but their late-game surge showed a glimpse of what this team is capable of when it finds its rhythm. If Mendenhall can carry that fourth-quarter energy into next week, the tables will turn for this talented squad.
