There are a lot of football players who love the offensive spotlight and who can blame them? To bask in the cheers of fans for scoring touchdowns, making wild one-handed catches, and pulling off ankle breaking jukes is something to soak up. But on the other side of the ball, there is a group of dogface gremlins that love nothing more than to shut off those spotlight moments for their opponent’s offense and instead, make them stare at the stars. These smashmouth heavy hitters were born for what the sport of football calls defense. For defensive players, the name of the game is to induce pain, and as wild as it may sound, they enjoy every single second of dishing it out…..especially in Tiger country.
The 2023 Mansfield Tigers defense was one that most opponents tried to steer clear from. The Tigers led the 3A-1 in points allowed by only allowing 117 points in regular season play and 202 points overall in their 14 game season. Mansfield kept eight of their 2023 opponents to one score or less while only allowing an impressive 15.5 point average per game for the whole year. That defensive stat put the Tigers as the best defense in the 3A-1 and third-best in the entire state (Hoxie-10.9, Glen Rose-13.1). While sorting through a recap of last season’s defensive stats, one could wonder if the Tigers defense can be just as stingy this season. In short, absolutely. While Mansfield will have to replace graduated defensive lineman, Turner Wright, and corners Peyton Martin and Tyler Turnipseed, they will still return eight starters on defense in 2024. Five of those eight were in the top ten in the 3A-1 for tackles combining for 331 takedowns last season.
Mansfield’s entire linebacker corps from the 2023 season will again suit up for 2024 and that could be a problem for their opponents. Senior outside linebackers, Jeremy Strozier and Samuel Burton, were a dangerous duo last season, but after a full offseason of training to be stronger and faster, their threat to opposing offenses is likely to rise significantly. With both already having a keen ability to sniff out the run plays and zeroed-in hands to intercept passes, Strozier and Burton will have the perimeters under lock and key. All-Conference middle linebacker, Zander Walters, was a downright bully to the Tigers opponents in 2023. Walters’ headhunter mentality created some loud pops last season and he’s only gotten better since then. Built like a cinder block, Walters has spent the offseason polishing up on his linebacker techniques to become even more of a force to be reckoned with. Walters and Strozier finished the 2023 season as the second and third-ranked tacklers in the 3A-1 with Walters having 87 total tackles and Strozier rolling up 86 takedowns. Senior Trey Powell will likely also be put in the mix as he was last season to utilize his blinding speed to blitz while Junior Alex Hecox will resume his 2023 role as a solid option to rotate the starters out for breathers. From top to bottom, the linebacker corps for Mansfield’s defense should be enough to detour a lot of points again this season in both the pass and run game of their opponents.
Pressure in a backfield creates chaos for offensive game plans. All of the X’s & O’s of a big play tend to fall apart when a defensive lineman is up in the ball carrier’s face. Mansfield will return defensive linemen Dakota Deer, Ethan Martin, and the ever-effective rotation of the Ore brothers (Logan and Cadien) in 2024. Senior, Dakota Deer, is so well renowned for his ability to breeze past an offensive line and make vicious hits in the backfield that the phrase “Fear the Deer” should be printed on a T-shirt. With his 53 tackles in 2023, Dakota Deer will likely draw a lot of attention from offensive linemen this season, but his fellow defensive linemen cannot be overlooked. Juniors Ethan Martin, Logan Ore, and Cadien Ore were the perfect mix of size, strength, and uncanny speed in 2023. As scary as it may sound, those players have been working hard to boost those attributes up even higher over the offseason. With having their first full offseason in Head Coach Whit Overton’s strength and conditioning regimen under their belts, the Tigers defensive line has only gotten bigger, faster, and stronger. Utilizing additional players such as James Bausley and Matthew Burton to rotate in key possessions will definitely beef up the Tigers already great defensive wall. Tack on having two excellent linemen coaches, Keith Stovall and Trevon Moore, to polish off the line’s tricks of the trade, and you all of a sudden have an elite group of players who could walk on and start for any team in the 3A.
Mansfield’s defensive back squad took the hardest hit after the 2023 season by losing starters Peyton Martin and Tyler Turnipseed. While losing the pair of All-Conference players will leave a void, the Tigers still have a talented pool of athletes to fill in the open field. Safeties Daniel Burton and Andrew Burton will be returning in the starting positions which should be a big factor in the pass defense department. Andrew Burton finished the 2023 season fifth in tackles in the 3A-1 with 58 tackles while his older brother, Daniel, was able to snag interceptions and force opponents to send their pass attempts in the other direction. Seniors, Trey Powell and Leland Powell, will both likely spend plenty of time in the secondary also. Trey Powell’s immaculate speed is unmatched and closes passing windows quickly while Leland Powell has a nose for the ball and steel trap hands which can lead to multiple interceptions for the Tigers. Junior, Cooper Edwards, is the Tigers wildcard in the defensive backfield. Edwards has a high IQ of the game and loves making heavy hits which makes him very dangerous at any position the coaches want to put him at. Defensive backs, Chandler Wisman and Rylan Nichols, have made an impression on their teammates and coaches and could wind up coming out of nowhere to shock opponents in the open field.
While the stats of being the number one defense in the 3A-1, number three defense in the state, and having five tacklers in the top ten of the 3A-1 all are nice for the 2023 season, they mean nothing right now as the Tigers start with a clean slate in 2024. Whereas the Tigers were an unknown force in 2023, the defensive cat has been let out of the bag and everyone in the 3A knows what Mansfield is capable of going into 2024. Mansfield’s first test of the 2024 season will be against the Bismarck Lions who take pride in their high-octane offense. The Lions racked up a total of 507 points in 2023 which is impressive for any program. The Lions will return their starting quarterback who passed for 1,956 yards and a pair of running backs who combined for 1,264 yards in 2023. Just as with the Tigers though, those numbers mean nothing for Bismarck’s offense as every team in the state starts their season with all zeros on their stat sheets. The question of “can” the Mansfield Tigers defense be just as good as last season can be answered with a resounding yes. But the real question of “will” the Tigers be as good or even better than last season will only be known if you purchase your ticket, have a seat in the stands, and see for yourself.
Photos courtesy of Joey Bolin and Jeannie Keomoungkhoune
