Non-Conference Play In 3A-1 Gives Tigers A Look, But No Guarantees

For many high school football fans, a team’s non-conference success or lack thereof is a telltale sign for their season hopes. The Mansfield Tigers breezed through their non-conference schedule with a 3-0 record for the second straight year. Not only did the Tiger’s defeat Magazine (2A), Paris (3A), and Waldron (4A) but they did so in a dominant fashion by outsourcing their non-conference opponents 151-15. That’s a great start to the Tigers season, but it’s no guarantee of conference success as Mansfield prepares to go through the treacherous 3A-1. 

Mansfield sits atop the conference with Lavaca as the only two 3A-1 teams to go undefeated in non-conference play. But if you look at the other 3A-1 teams’ non-conference schedules, you’ll see that there’s more to it than just the W’s & L’s. The term “strength of schedule” is always a factor to figure in and the 3A-1 was a bag of mixed nuts in that category with their non-conference play. Take the defending 3A State Champion Charleston Tigers for example. Charleston went without a win in their 2023 non-conference run but, if you look at their schedule, those losses came to three premier 4A programs in Elkins, Ozark, and Nashville. Last season’s State Runner-Ups, the Booneville Bearcats, went 1-2 in non-conference play but faced Ozark and Harding Academy from the 4A while even taking on Camden Fairview from the 5A. Basically, the two teams favored to win the 3A-1 faced some pretty stiff competition prior to the start of conference play.  

Going north to northwest Arkansas, the 3A-1 has Greenland and West Fork who tend to be upset makers each year. Greenland has been an ever-growing threat to the whole conference over the years. The Pirates 2023 non-conference schedule wasn’t easy by any means as they went 1-2, but they showed plenty of fight against three 4A schools along the way. Greenland was dunked by Lincoln 47-12, got better in a narrow 56-52 loss to Green Forest, and then earned their first victory with a 14-7 victory over Berryville. West Fork almost flipped the same script as Greenland by facing two of the same teams but with different results. The Tigers rolled past Green Forest with a 20-7 win but fell to Berryville 16-13. West Fork ended their non-conference run with a 34-21 loss to the Paris Eagles (3A). Both teams’ non-conference schedules provided tough tests while also showing that they could present a heavy threat to fellow 3A-1 teams in 2023.

Although Mansfield plays Waldron as their Scott County rivals, the Tigers have a pair of Sebastian County rivals that always give them fits. The Hackett Hornets and Lavaca Golden Arrows have traded wins and losses with Mansfield for years and will likely give the Tigers all they can handle again in 2023. Hackett went 2-1 in non-conference play by throttling a 3A-4 powerhouse, Centerpoint, 53-6 before crossing the border into Oklahoma where they fell against Pocola 42-26 but bounced back against Panama with a 26-16 win. Lavaca took a different route as the Golden Arrows whipped a pair of 2A teams in Magazine and Mt Ida while also defeating Horatio (3A). Although Lavaca’s non-conference schedule was the only one in the 3A-1 that didn’t have a 4A team, the Golden Arrows still proved a big offensive point by outscoring their opponents 127-34. Mansfield will have to travel to both Hackett and Lavaca this season which will surely be a coin flip games against these high-powered offenses in hostile environments. 

The last 3A-1 team to keep an eye on is Cedarville. The Pirates have made it a routine to be a thorn in Mansfield’s side over the past decade. Cedarville played the same card as Mansfield by taking on a 2A, 3A, and 4A team, but the Pirates had different results on their side. Cedarville went 0-3 against Perryville (3A), Green Forest (4A), and lost the ever-important Treasure Chest to Mountainburg (2A). Don’t blink on the Pirates though as they can pull one out of the bag at any point in time. Cedarville is in a rebuilding process with a new coach and a very young team which means once it all clicks, they could shock a few teams in the 3A-1.  

Looking through the non-conference schedules of their 3A-1 foes, Mansfield has an idea of what to expect, but nothing is guaranteed. With a new coach and the rebuilding of the program in progress, there are still plenty of questions that will be answered in conference play. The Tigers boast one of the most impressive defenses in the entire state and their offense is slowly making progress. That has led them to the 3-0 record and as they continue to grow as a team, they will only improve. With all of the state’s focus placed on the shoulders of Booneville and Charleston as well as the brutal 3A-1 schedule facing the Tigers, it could be easy to overlook Mansfield as a true contender. All of that is just noise for the team though. The Tigers are focused on the here and now. Non-conference schedules, past scores, and chances to win future games are something for fans to look at, not the players. The Tigers will take on each team with the sole focus of “we’re going to win” and will hold that mindset into every game until the final tick of the scoreboard clock.