With his first football season under his belt as the Head Coach for the Mansfield Tigers, Coach Tim Cothran has given the program a refreshing face-lift. Mansfield recently ended their football season with a 7-4 total season record, a 4-3 conference record, and made it to the first round of the State Playoffs. The Tigers concluded with a total of 3764 yards, 55 touchdowns, 24 sacks, 399 points, and numerous other memorable plays. But its not always the stats that define a team. Sometimes, it’s also their leader.
One Tiger parent had this to say about Coach Cothran. “Tim is a breath of fresh air for our kids and our community. He is the perfect combination when it comes to coaching. On one hand, Coach Cothran is firm and holds the kids accountable for their behaviors and on the other hand, he is supportive, patiently guiding these kids down the right path in life. He shows up to every practice and game from Little League up and wears many hats while holding an overflowing plate. But what really seals the deal about Coach Cothran, is that you will never hear this man complain. Instead, he continues to bend over backward for everyone around him and does it with a smile on his face.”
Coach Cothran is not only building a program but he is also building upstanding citizens to unleash on the world. “It’s hard to say goodbye to your seniors. Always.,” expressed Cothran. “But this special group of young men, I have watched grow up since the 6th grade when they won the Little League Championship. Their picture is still in the trophy case at the middle school. Rarely does a school our size get to enjoy such a large senior class, but we did this year.”
“Couple that with the fact that my own son is in this group makes it especially hard. We didn’t finish the season the way we wanted, but only one team gets to complete that goal. We played great and exciting football. We had lots of fun. Too many memories to recall, so many that will last a lifetime. Whether it was the big bombs, the punishing hits, or the highlight reel catches, they are all burned in our memories for a lifetime. It is hard to say goodbye.”
“Our goal for the future is to keep making the playoffs and to keep pushing our expectations higher until we are a championship-caliber team. Playing with heart and purpose has to become the norm. If we will play with desire, everything else takes care of itself. We have some good kids moving forward and I still expect that Tiger football will be exciting and fun to watch. We have got to honor this year’s seniors by raising the bar and not accepting anything but success.”
