Pictured is Dawson Robinson
For the first game of the conference season, the Mansfield 7th Grade Tigers hosted the West Fork Tigers in a fierce feline battle that left West Fork walking away with cat scratch fever. With two twenty-minute halves, Mansfield was first to open the game and lay down the “paw”. Zander Walters woke everybody up with his 17-yard carry right out of the gate. Dawson Robinson played the shadow game with Walters delivering his own carry and the W/D 40 duo were at it again. The next two plays was a repeat game of Walters and Robinson taking turns collecting a total of 18-yards for Mansfield.
Setting Mansfield up in perfect paydirt position was Ethan Martin with a 4-yard run down the middle. With the Tigers now sitting on prime real estate, QB, Cooper Edwards, laid claim on the first touchdown of the night with Robinson securing the two-point conversion putting Mansfield up 8-0. As West Fork took control of the ball, the Tigers defense was sure to crush their dreams of success as Dominic Shores, Wyatt Boyd, James Bausley, Cadien Ore, and Alex Hecox locked, blocked, and stopped West Fork from going anywhere, forcing a turnover on downs giving possession of the ball back to Mansfield.
Picking up where they left off was the three offensive amigos, Walters, Robinson, and Edwards. Robinson racked up not one but two torpedo carries totaling 46 yards. But before time ran out in the first half, Walters and Edwards had to make a lasting impression with the West Fork defense as they teamed up to create a beautiful masterpiece. With Father Time creeping up on Mansfield, Edwards delivered a pass, that would make your mama cry, downfield to Walters who took it in for a 46-yard touchdown. With the conversion no good, Mansfield went into halftime up 14-0.
As the second half came alive, so did every player on the field. Pumped up and ready to seal the deal, Ore and Boyd came together like Lewis and Clark, mapping out and stopping every West Fork offensive play and laying claim to uncharted territory. Unfortunately, the West Fork Tigers managed to slip out of Mansfield’s grip and acquired their only touchdown of the game placing the scoreboard at 14-8 Mansfield. With the Mansfield “O” back in charge, Robinson moved the ball 14-yards downfield allowing Walters to do what he does best. After a 56-yard run that left a bitter taste in West Forks’ mouth, Walters earned his second TD in the match. With a failed Tiger conversion, the score upgraded to 20-8 Mansfield.
At 6:43 left on the clock, “Bulldozer” Bausley made one final stop to West Forks defense placing pigskin ownership with Mansfield. In a last attempt to showcase the Tigers skills, Shores made a non-stop run for 6-yards and all with 7 West Fork Tigers on his back. The Mansfield 7th Garde Tigers strutted away from the game with a 20-8 victory. They now hold a 1-0 record in conference play. “7th grade played great,” expressed Coach Tim Cothran. “Very proud of the improvement I feel they showed. Hopefully, we can gain momentum and continue to grow with this group.” The Tigers will be preparing to next take on the Pirates at Greenland on Thursday, October, 1.
