Pictured is #19 Drew Elmore
After Thursday nights triumph over the Paris Eagles, the Mansfield Jr High Tigers were given a much-needed boost to their confidence which is exactly what the doctor ordered. The Tigers entered the game with three season losses against Hackett, Waldron, and Lavaca already in the books and they had tolerated enough. Mansfield was determined to win. Defending their home turf, the Tigers overpowered the Eagles 24-6.
All 24 Tiger points were achieved in the first half of the game with Paris finally putting numbers on the board in the fourth quarter. Tyler Turnipseed started the game with an explosive kick return setting the Tigers up with momentum on their side. After a completed pass from Fisher Willsey to Drew Elmore for 12 yards and two rushes down the middle of the Eagles defense made by Caleb Collier, Mansfield was set up perfectly to deliver greatness. Willsey completed a first-rate spiral pass to Logan Cravey for the Tigers first touchdown of the night. Add in a Collier charge for the two-point conversion and Mansfield was in control 8-0.
With minutes left before halftime and successfully able to hold the Eagles to a zero count, the Tigers were feeling footloose and fancy-free. Mansfield decided to keep the touchdown two-step moving right along with Turnipseed bagging another Tiger touchdown and Tyler Woolbright locking down the extra two points bringing the score to 16-0 Mansfield. Not yet ready to call it a day, Cravey swooped in and picked off a Paris pass taking it 49 yards for a touchdown. Along with the extra two points, the Tigers entered halftime up 24-0.
After a lone Eagles touchdown in the fourth quarter, the game came to a close. Mansfield finished the match with 110 passing yards and 36 rushing yards and have upgraded their season play record to 1-3. With a total of 77 points on the season and six games left to play, the Tigers are looking to triple that number by the end of October. Next up on September 26, Mansfield will travel to West Fork in an attempt to determine who the “Big Cats” really are. Games start at 5:30 p.m.
