When you back a dog into a corner, it becomes very dangerous. A Tiger is dangerous at all times, but back one into a corner and you can imagine the slaughter that lies ahead. The Mansfield SR Tigers were cornered after losing three straight conference games. A close win over Lavaca last week gave them some breathing room, but they would still have to win out to finish the regular season with a winning record and a shot at the Playoffs. The first of their must-win games was against the always-tough Cedarville Pirates at Cedarville.
The Tigers and Pirates always put on a show and this one would be no different as Mansfield kicked the ball off to Cedarville to start the game. Cedarville used their heavy-hitting rushing attack to drive 27 yards on the Tigers defense before Mansfield forced them to turn the ball over on downs. Mansfield’s offense set foot on the field for the first time in the game and played the ol’ game of “anything you can do I can do better”. The Tigers put the ball in the hands of senior runningbacks Tyler Woolbright and Fisher Willsey who took turns plundering the Pirates defense for nine plays before Woolbright crossed the goal line for a Tiger touchdown. Jeremy Strozier kicked through the extra point giving Mansfield an early 7-0 lead. Mansfield’s defense then showed their colors behind Samuel Burton, Trey Vaughan, and Dakota Deer who each made tackles for loss which created another Cedarville turnover on fourth down to close out the first quarter.
Mansfield’s offense again ran behind the pads of Tyler Woolbright and Fisher Willsey to start off the second quarter and pounded their way downfield on Cedarville. Then Mansfield threw a wrench in the Cedarville defenses machine as quarterback Cole Kendle zipped a pass to Daniel Burton for a 12-yard Tiger touchdown. Jeremy Strozier split the uprights again for the extra point and Mansfield took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. This is a Mansfield versus Cedarville game though so everyone knew Cedarville wouldn’t just lay down and quit. The Pirates came right back planking the Mansfield defense with a cannon shot pass downfield for a big Cedarville touchdown. Instead of settling for an extra point kick, Cedarville went for the two-point conversion and was successful in the attempt setting the score at 14-8. Both defenses would battle it out for the remainder of the half as the teams headed into halftime evenly matched with the Tigers narrowly holding onto a 14-8 lead.
The Tigers would start off the second half with the ball and wasted little time jumping aboard the Pirates ship. Fisher Wllsey took a handoff from Cole Kindle on the opening play of the second half and stream rolled 28 yards downfield for a Mansfield first down. Three plays later Willsey would leap into the endzone from two yards out for another Tiger Touchdown. Jeremy Strozier added the extra point kick and the Tigers soared to a 21-8 lead in the third quarter. Mansfield’s defense as a whole created a red wave that continued to smash against Cedaville’s offensive ship and forced another turnover on downs. Two plays later, Fisher Willsey again screamed downfield, this time for a 43-yard touchdown. Jeremy Strozier’s kick was good again putting the Tigers up 28-8. Just like clockwork, the Tigers defense stranded Cedarville’s offense but this time the Pirates punted the ball. Now Mansfield’s offense set sail on a short field and Cole Kindle slung a pass to Peyton Martin who got down to the one-yard line. A Fisher Willsey one-yard touchdown run gave Mansfield command over the Pirates ship with a 34-8 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was a mirrored image of what the whole game was up to that point. Mansfield’s defense remained dominant behind players such as Dakota Deer, Kindel Noblitt, Caleb Collier, Samuel Burton, Trey Vaughan, Daniel Burton, Drew Elmore, Jeremy Strozier, Greyson Baggett, Tyler Turnipseed, and Andrew Burton. Even players like Austin Quninalty, Toby Towe, Trey Powell, and Tommy Phang who rotated in on defense stood strong as fresh bodies were rotated in regularly on defense setting Cedarville up for another three and out. The final Tiger touchdown of the night came from who else other than Fisher Willsey who surfed his way 42 yards for the score. Although Cedarville would score a touchdown of their own, it was Mansfield who sailed off into the sunset with a 41-14 victory.
The Tigers big win over Cedarville sets a lot of things into motion for the program. First off, Mansfield now sits with a 5-3 overall record and more importantly, a 3-3 conference record. Their conference record sets the Tigers up for a Playoff appearance for the first time in two seasons. Seeding in the Playoffs is very vital though. Mansfield stands with Lavaca at 3-3 in conference play right now but owns the head-to-head tie-breaker. But wait, there is one more item on the Tigers to-do list, and that item is named the Hackett Hornets. Mansfield will play their Sebastian County rivals at home for their final regular season game on Friday, November 4th. The Hornets have held the Tiger’s number for the past two years as Mansfield has lost both shootouts against Hackett. A victory over Hackett would be a huge boost for Mansfield by giving the Tigers the rivalry bragging rights, a winning overall and conference record, while also solidifying their place in the State Playoffs for the first time since 2019.
