ARLINGTON — A dominant start to the season for the Mineral Wells football team saw its first true challenge on Thursday night at Choctaw Stadium, where the Rams needed a penalty on an onside kick with under a minute to play to seal a 34-28 win over Quinlan Ford.

The Panthers, who scored with 43 seconds to play to close to within six points, recovered the ensuing onside kick but were flagged for illegal touching,  allowing Mineral Wells to kneel out the clock with just a single snap.

Thursday’s win moved the Rams to 4-0 on the season, their best start since going 5-0 to start the 2018 campaign.