Thanksgiving Day is a day of thankfulness for all of the family, food, and blessings that the good Lord has given us each year. While we should be thankful for these things on a daily basis, Thanksgiving is a day that we can plan ahead to have everyone together. People are presented with a bounty of pies, turkey, pies, casserole, pies, rolls, pies, and practice. Practice? Where does practice come into play? They say an army runs on its stomach and with the Tigers quarterfinal battle against Bismarck coming tomorrow night, they’ll need to be fed well. But they’ll also need some extra practice, some Thanksgiving practice.
Before 2023, practicing on Thanksgiving for the Mansfield football program consisted of doing curls with a fork or running routes for seconds at the desert table. But this year marks the third consecutive season that the Tigers have been blessed to wake up early and hit the field. Pajama bottoms and hoodies took the place of girdles and jerseys while the players laughed around during stretches. But when the whistle blew, everyone knew it was time to get serious. With the practice being open to the public, parents and fans gathered to watch from the bleachers as Mansfield polished up on their Friday game plan.
What’s a Thanksgiving anything without food though? Down by the concession stand stood a handful of parents and volunteers were whipping up some fried eggs, bacon, and other breakfast foods for a post-practice feast. The smell circled the field, teasing the players with every snap. There was a catch though. Thursday practices are deemed “perfect practice” by the coaching staff. So to get their hands on the delectable, mouthwatering food sooner, the Tigers would have to live up to the perfect practice title. Hungry teenage boys will go to the ends of the earth for a good hot meal and they proceeded to make the perfect practice finish quickly with minimal flaws.
Once the players called it up and headed to the wet endzone to eat, the coaches showed their focus remained solely on tomorrow nights game. Skipping out on breakfast, the Tigers coaching staff began grabbing paint cans and proceeded to paint the field. Even with all of the film sessions, playbook studying, and preparation for the big game that led up to this Thanksgiving practice, the coaches still were working on making everything perfect for their players down to each blade of grass.
Acts 2:26 states, “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”. On this Thanksgiving Day, everyone pitched in and did their part. Coaches worked the practice and field, the players practiced hard, and fans came out to feed and support their Tigers. They all ate together with glad and sincere hearts giving thanks for all of the blessings the good Lord has given them this season. The Mansfield football program as a whole has become more than just a game; it has become a beacon of success thanks to the coaches, players, and volunteers who have put in the work to put the program in the light. For that, the entire Mansfield community is forever grateful. Now, go get yourself some pie !!!
