The Mansfield 5th and 6th Grade Tigers faced off against the undefeated Magazine Rattlers on Saturday, November 9th in a clash of titans for the WCFL Championship. The Tigers, who’s only regular-season loss came to the Rattlers, were out for redemption from the first snap. Mansfield’s determination was unwavering as they gave it everything they had and left every ounce of effort on the field. In the end, the Tigers fell victim to Magazine in an 18-8 loss and wound up as the 2019 WCFL Runner Up.
Although the Championship loss left a black eye for the 5th and 6th Grade squad, the Tigers improved by leaps and bounds in the 2019 season. With a regular-season record of 5-1 and an overall record of 6-2, the Tigers ran rampant on the WCFL League. Mansfield’s power run offense averaged 28 points a game as they racked up 230 total points in 2019. With lightning speed, running back Dawson Robinson lead the team in rushing and touchdowns this season. Robinson was a key player, but he wasn’t the only one racking up points.
If opponents tried to shut Robinson down, the Tigers used a full stable of runners to make them pay. Cooper Edwards, Dominic Shores, Ethan Martin, Cordell Stone, and Keyton Oliver balanced the offensive game out as they ate up yards and touchdowns throughout the season as well. The only way to get yards is with the help of the BEEF up front. Weston Harrison, Levi Langford, Noah Cole, James Bausley, Alex Hecox, and Junior Cash created holes big enough for a Mac Truck to drive through.
Defensively, Mansfield stood out as one of the best. Mansfield’s defense had a bend but never break mentality as they only allowed 90 points on the season The Tigers made sure that if an opponent gained yards on them, they would think twice before trying it again. Mansfields D-Line was the definition of Armageddon for any opponents backfield. Head hunters Hecox, Bausley, and Cash thrived on embarrassing opponents “would be” blockers and on bringing the pain to quarterbacks and running backs. If an opponent wanted to pass or go outside due to the pressure, they wouldn’t get far. Shores, Edwards, Oliver, Robinson, Stone, Martin and a whole host of Tigers would be in their faces in an instant. A notable point of the Mansfield defensive is that they created a turnover in every single game this season.
Leadership is the biggest ingredient of any program being successful. First-year Head Coach Steven Moore made quite an impression on both players and fans alike this year. Moores’ coaching method wasn’t complex at all. Steven didn’t baby the players but he didn’t eat them alive if they messed up. He simply and effectively coached them as any higher level coaches would do. Moore also put together an impressive assistant coach roster that consisted of David Moore, Chris Williams, Jason Edwards, and Jeremy Whittaker.
Although Manfield’s 5th and 6th Grade didn’t win the WCFL Championship, the Tigers will be adding some hardware to the Mansfield Middle School trophy case. The crew will add the 2019 WCFL Runner Up trophy as well as the Mackey/Campbell Rivalry Trophy in which they brought back to “The Jungle” when they beat Hackett 44-20. With a large 6th Grade group moving up next season, the Tigers will not be left empty-handed next year due to multiple talented 5th Graders who contributed heavily to this season’s success. Each and every player on the 2019 5th and 6th Grade team worked hard every practice and fought even harder every game to be able to look everyone in the eye and honestly say “We Earned It!”
