The Charleston Tigers are a premier program in the state of Arkansas. Considered a serious contender going into the 2025 season, Charleston cut through their nonconference schedule like a samurai sword through warm butter. Outscoring their first three opponents 150-41, the Tigers looked unstoppable. When play conference started, Charleston continued their dominance by blowing out West Fork 45-8. But the first real test came on Friday, October 3rd, when Charleston traveled south to Mansfield for a tiger tussle that the Tigers had circled since last year.
Manfield had played Charleston in a 1-1 split over the past two seasons, with both games being at Charleston. This game would be the tie breaker and, even more importantly, a game loaded with conference and state implications. Charleston and Mansfield entered the game with two distinct styles of offense. The Tigers ran a high-octane spread offense that can score quickly and often, while Mansfield played a ground-and-pound, physical game that wears teams down. Although the offenses were polar opposites, their defenses were all about delivering pain. Both teams were ranked one and two in the 3A-1 in points allowed, which meant that their matchup would be one that wouldn’t make it easy for either team to score. So how could fans decipher which team was better? Well, for starters, watch it play out.
Charleston started off the game returning the opening kickoff, but the catch was muffed, which gave Mansfield the ball and an early taste of momentum. Charleston’s defense stepped onto the field with full intent to show Mansfield what physical football really is. The Tigers did well in that area, too, as they only allowed Mansfield a yard or two here and there as players like Lukas Burleson, Finn Schmalz, and Deegan Todd found a way to slow down Mansfield’s power run game. But those yards began to add up, and Mansfield eventually crossed into the endzone at the 9:20 mark of the first quarter. Mansfield converted the two-point conversion to take an early 8-0 lead in the game.
Once Charleston’s offense got onto the field, every Manfield fan held their breath. This Charleston team averaged 48 points per game leading up to the matchup, so it was well known how quickly the Tigers could score. Charleston started on the 32-yard line and went to work. Mansfield was called for a defensive holding penalty on the first play, and Garred Smithson darted for 15 yards on the second snap to cross midfield. Carter Little completed back-to-back passes on hitch routes to quickly put Charleston at the 27-yard line. Little then kept the ball himself to get down to the 20-yard line as the endzone was getting closer and closer for Charleston.
In just a few plays, the Tigers found themselves at the 2-yard line with the goal line in reach. But right when everything was looking bright, Mansfield’s defense turned off the light switch on Charleston with an interception. With 4:47 left in the first quarter, Mansfield began to methodically make their way downfield and eventually got into the endzone again. Charleston found themselves on the outside looking in at the end of the opening quarter as they stared a 16-0 score in Mansfield’s favor.
A game consists of four quarters, and with Charleston’s offense, 16 points is a mere drop in the bucket. Now with the early game jitters behind them and a brand-new quarter in front, Charleston went on the hunt. Carter Little hit Deegan Todd with a short pass to pull Mansfield’s defense outside which allowed Garred Smithson to run the ball up the middle on the next play for a 13-yard gain. Smithson then gained 11 yards on a run before breaking out with a 29-yard catch from Carter Little. The catch set Charleston at the 9-yard line, and Carter Little strolled into the endzone on the next play. The Tigers went for a two-point conversion but failed on the attempt to set the score at 16-6 with 10:09 remaining in the second quarter.
Charleston’s defense learned from its first-quarter mistakes and began shutting down Mansfield’s ground game. The Tigers were the first team this season to force Mansfield into a punting situation, but the punt wasn’t a punt; it was a fake. Even though fake punts might work on some teams, they don’t on Charleston, as Matteo Gaona sniffed out the trick play to cause a turnover on downs. Now with great field position at the 33-yard line, Charleston had a chance to put Manfield on the ropes. Carter Little zipped a pass to Maddix Terry and then handed the ball off to Garred Smithson to get the Tigers down to the 5-yard line. Little called his own number from 5 yards out to get into the endzone on the fifth play of the drive. The extra point kick was good, which closed the scoring gap to 16-13. Charleston took the lead drive as Carter Little found a wide-open Deegan Todd for a 27-yard touchdown. The extra point was good as Charleston took a 20-16 lead over Mansfield going into halftime.
Mansfield scored 16 unanswered points in the first quarter while Charleston put up 20 unanswered points in the second quarter, which made it seem like the team with the ball on the final possession would be the game’s winner. When the teams came out of the locker rooms after halftime, it was Charleston who had the lead and all of the momentum. Mansfield started the second half with the ball and wasted no time scoring with a 45-yard run to retake the lead. With the two-point conversion added on, Charleston saw themselves down 22-20. The Tigers’ steaming hot offense was cooled down on their first possession of the second half as Mansfield forced them to punt.
The punt set Mansfield at the 10-yard line, which was good for Charleston, but what wasn’t good was Mansfield driving 90 yards in eight plays for another touchdown. Another two-point conversion put Charleston down 32-20 with 3:54 left in the third quarter. That would be the score at the end of the third quarter as Mansfield flipped the momentum heading into the fourth and final quarter of play. Neither team’s offense showed up for most of the fourth quarter as the back-and-forth battle continued between the defenses. Charleston got into the endzone with a 7-yard pass from Carter Little to Deegan Todd, but the score happened with just 1:04 left in the game as Mansfield settled into victory formation on the ensuing possession to beat Charleston with a 32-27 final score.
The loss was a tough one, no doubt. But this Charleston team is a far cry from being done with football for the season. Sure, a close loss can get under a team’s skin, but it also tends to give them a focused chip on their shoulder. Turnovers can be fixed, plays can be adjusted, and Charleston Tiger football can and will win many more games in 2025. Expect Charleston to rebound like never before and set their sights on the next team up. That next up program will be the Hackett Hornets on Friday, October 10th, in Hackett.
