The Mansfield JR Tigers usually don’t care much about how they look, but their on-field style has been high-class lately. Mansfield was walking fancy with snakeskin boots after their beating Magazine in their first game. Unfortunately, the Tigers were short-changed getting a feather in their hat last week when their game against the Paris Eagles got canceled due to weather. So the 1-0 Tigers took to the road and headed to Waldron on Thursday, September 8th to see if they could fetch a fancy collar from the Bulldogs.
Photo courtesy of Raine Hecox
Mansfield received the opening kickoff and proceeded to march down the field on Waldron. The Tigers opted to go with their typical ground-and-pound rushing attack with Ethan Martin, Dawson Robinson, and Zander Walters to take command of the field early. The trio gashed and bashed Waldron’s defense driving the ball down to the five-yard line in just seven plays. Mansfield had the pedal to the floor but ran out of gas and ended up turning the ball over to Waldron after failing to capitalize on 4th down. Waldron was able to get a few solid plays off but the Tigers held strong until the end of the first quarter leaving the game knotted up with the scoreboard sitting at 0-0.
Photo courtesy of Raine Hecox
Waldron kept the ball as the second quarter started and the Tigers defense quickly latched on to the Bulldogs. Head Coach, Tim Cothran, released the chains on his linebackers as Dawson Robinson, Ethan Martin, Zander Walters, and Alex Hecox took turns blitzing Waldron’s backfield forcing the Bulldogs to run for their lives. The chaos Mansfield’s linebackers created caused Waldron to make mental mistakes which resulted in penalty flags hitting the turf against the Bulldogs. Mansfield was able to get the ball back on offense and showed Waldron that they’re not just a one-trick Tiger. Using the talented running back trio in their opening drive opened up the opportunity for Mansfield’s passing game to take off on the second drive downfield.
Photo Courtesy of Raine Hecox
Quarterback, Cooper Edwards, was still handing the ball off to his running backs but would now and then sling passes to Ethan Martin, Matthew Burton, and receiver Joseph Carter to keep the Bulldogs defense honest. The now honest Bulldogs were soon after caught off guard when Cooper Edwards lied with a fake handoff and found Joseph Carter for a big 33-yard pass completion. The completion set up Zander Walters for a five-yard dive into the end zone for a Tiger Touchdown. Matthew Burton would catch a quick pass from Cooper Edwards in the corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion to put Mansfield up 8-0. The Bulldogs would try to even things up before the half, but the Tigers linebacker corps along with defensive ends Braxton Bartlett and Matthew Burton put an end to their attempt as the half closed with Mansfield leading 8-0.
Photo courtesy of Raine Hecox
The Tigers started the second half with the same intensity as they ended the first half. Even though Waldron started the half with the ball, Mansfield’s defense forced a quick three and out on the Bulldogs offense. Just like clockwork, the Tigers were back at their rushing attack as momentum rolled up as well as the Tigers running backs ran downfield. Mansfield capitalized on the rushing games momentum as Cooper Edwards zipped a perfect pass to a wide-open Ethan Martin for a 34-yard Tiger touchdown. Edwards would again find Martin open for a pass as the Tigers tacked on the two-point conversion stretching the score to 16-0 in Mansfield’s favor.
Photo courtesy of Raine Hecox
Mansfield kept their ears pinned back on the ensuing kickoff as Dalton Knowles and Zander Walters forced a fumble on the Bulldogs return with Dawson Robinson recovering the ball for the Tigers. With a 16-0 lead, Mansfield was content with playing it safe and continued to run the ball while running the clock out at the same time. While the Tigers running backs were getting the glory, the offensive line was owning the trenches. Linemen Cadien Ore, Logan Ore, James Bausley, Levi Langford, and Weston Harrison plowed over Waldron’s defense all night and didn’t let up in the fourth quarter. Proof of that came when James Baulsey locked up with a Bulldog defensive lineman and drove him 15 yards backward before pancaking the defender. A few snaps later the Tigers lined up in victory formation and downed the ball to end the game with a 16-0 win over Waldron.
Photo courtesy of Raine Hecox
The win gives Mansfield’s JR High a 2-0 record and bragging rights over Scott County for 2022. That being said, the town of Mansfield sits in two different counties. There’ll be no rest for the Tigers as they’ll roll into Hackett next week to vie for the Sebastian County crown. The Tigers vs Hornets matchup will not only be for bragging rights between rivals, but it’ll also be the first 3A-1 conference game of the season for both programs.
