Saturday, October 19th was the day both Hackett and Mansfield Little League Football programs had waited for all season. It was Rivalry Game Day and the stakes couldn’t be any higher for these games. Mansfield had lost both Rivalry Trophies last season to Hackett and the Tigers were going to do everything they could to get them back in the jungle. The programs were also vying for the top two WCFL playoff seeds. And most of all, it was Mansfield vs Hackett…..enough said.
Mansfields 3rd and 4th Grade team starting things off on the gridiron. It didn’t take long for the Tiger offense to get on the board as Colton “00 Buckshot” Nelson caught the outside edge of the Hornet defense going untouched for 63-yards in the first score of the night. Colton Moore tacked on the 2 point conversion and just like that the game was 8-0 Tigers. Just three minutes later in the first quarter, Mansfields Hunter Whittaker found a gap in the Hornet hive and took the ball 63-yards to the house. Another Moore 2 point conversion had the Tigers up 16-0.
After shutting down the Hackett offense, Whittaker yet again broke free this time for a 36-yard touchdown. The Tigers weren’t able to convert the extra points so they were left with a score of 22-0. Colton Moore recovered a fumble on Hacketts next possession and shortly after pounded his way into the end zone. It was Nelson who sealed the Hornets fate when he made the biggest run of the game busting out for a 71-yard touchdown. Hackett managed to pull some trickery with a double pass which opened them up for a big running touchdown late in the game, but it was the Tigers who came out on top 38-6.
With the victory, the 3rd and 4th Grade Tigers completed their regular-season games undefeated at 6-0. Mansfield also gained possession of the Sebastian County Rivalry Trophy. They now hold the #1 Seed in the WCFL Playoffs and will have a bye week for the first round. The Tigers will then host the winner of the #3 JC Westside and #6 Lavaca game at Tiger Stadium on November 2nd.
The Tigers 5th and 6th Grade team knew they were going to face an evenly matched team in Hackett who were statistically dead even with them. But what was written on paper versus what was done on the field was a completely different story. Mansfield stepped up to the challenge and decimated the Hornets with a final score of 44-20. Mansfield Running back Dawson Robinson stole the show scoring three times in just the first half with runs of 60, 43, and 53 yards.
The Tiger defense pounced on anyone in yellow creating chaos in the Hackett backfield. Alex “Ax-Man” Hecox and James “Critter” Bausley had the Hornets quarterback on edge all night as the duo each came up with two hard-hitting sacks and two fumble recoveries. Jr Cash and Dominic Shores were warriors of the edges as they didn’t let a soul pass to the outside of them all night.
The Hornets weren’t able to power their way through the Tiger D, so they turned to the passing game. Cooper Edwards picked off a short pass by Hackett and screamed downfield for a defensive Tiger touchdown. Dawson Robinson would add one more offensive touchdown to the game to give the Tigers the “dub-ya”.
The 5th and 6th Grade Tigers finished their regular season with a 5-1 record. The team was rewarded with the Mackey/Campbell Trophy to show off at Mansfield Middle School for the entire next year. Mansfield will be the #2 Seed in the WCFL Playoffs and will welcome the winner of the #4 Greenland and #5 Lavaca game to Tiger Stadium on November 2nd.
