It is common for a program to go a little flat after a big game. The Mansfield Tigers had a huge game just last week against the Booneville Bearcats where they defeated the defending 2023 State Champions for the first time in 44 years. The game was extremely physically and mentally draining for the team so it wouldn’t be unexpected for Mansfield to go to Northwest Arkansas to face the Greenland Pirates a little bit drained. Word had it that this could be a trap game for the Tigers if they didn’t bring their “A” game, but the trap must’ve been poorly set as Mansfield brought their A, B, C, D, and the rest of the alphabet to the Pirates stadium to blast Greenland with a 66-20 final score.
Greenland’s offense is notorious for their high-flying air raid offense which is a style that has caught the Tigers by the heel this season, so naturally, the Pirates wanted to start the game with the ball on offense. But on the second play of the first quarter, Greenland’s quarterback slung a laser to the wrong color jersey as freshman, Jeremiah Burton, read the Pirates play like a book and took the interception 38 yards for a Tiger touchdown. Trey Powell slid his way into the endzone for a two-point conversion giving Mansfield an 8-0 lead with less than a minute taken off the clock. Greenland did a little better offensively on their next series, but the Tigers were able to shut the Pirate’s drive down and force a turnover on downs. Mansfield’s offense finally got a chance to step foot on the field with nine minutes left in the quarter to match the points their defense had already put up. It only took five plays to do so as Daniel Burton busted loose for a 36-yard Tiger touchdown. Quarterback, Jeremy Strozier, pushed past the goal line for a two-point conversion which gave Mansfield a 16-0 score with a full half-quarter to go. The Tigers’ defense again pinned Greenland back on their next series, but instead of going for it, the Pirates elected to punt the ball…or did they?
The Pirates attempted a fake punt, but Mansfield was ready for it and stuffed the attempt to earn another turnover on downs at the 24-yard line. With a short field in front of them, the Tigers went into the endzone yet again with a four-play drive that was capped off by a 14-yard Tiger touchdown run by Trey Powell. Mansfield didn’t make the two-point conversion, but the route looked to be chugging full steam ahead with the Tigers up 22-0 with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Greenland took the ensuing kickoff for a 64-yard house call bringing the Tiger’s runaway game to a screeching halt. Trey Powell blocked the Pirate’s extra point kick setting the score at 22-6 in the Tiger’s favor. With a total of 28 combined points and 3:43 still to go in the first quarter, the game looked like it could reach 100 points. The Greenland Pirates got the ball right back by recovering an onside kick leaving the shot of an early Pirates comeback a reality. Greenland had the Tiger’s defense pinned back in Pirate territory, but a handful of penalties and incomplete passes pulled the plank out from under Greenland’s feet. Mansfield’s offense took over the game from there. Still, with 1:55 left in the first quarter, Trey Powell again found a seem and turned on some “Powell-iful” speed to go 48 yards for a Tiger touchdown. Daniel Burton tacked on the two-point conversion to stretch Mansfield’s lead to 30-6. The Tigers sank Greenland’s offensive plans to get the ball again with just a second left on the clock. Seconds left in the opening quarter was all Trey Powell needed as he broke loose again to go 57 yards before finally being taken down at the one-yard line as time expired in the first quarter.
The second quarter started with the ball in Mansfield’s possession at the one-yard line. The call was simple for that situation as Jeremy Strozier got behind his offensive line to walk his way into the endzone for a Tiger touchdown. Jeremiah Burton worked his way past the goal to add on a two-point conversion pushing the Tiger’s lead to 38-6 at the beginning of the second quarter. Even with the passing game being the kryptonite for Mansfield’s defense, they seemed to power their way and continue to pressure the Greenland offense forcing more three-and-outs against the Pirates. By doing so, the Tiger’s offense was given free reigns of the field and continued to do what they do best. Score. Mansfield hop-scotched their way down into the endzone again with a Jeremy Strozier one-yard Tiger touchdown after just eight offensive snaps. The two-point attempt was no good, but the Tigers bumped the score up to a 44-6 Mansfield lead. Fans could’ve guessed what would happen next at that point and they would’ve been right as the Tiger’s defense chose to not bend or break to force Greenland to punt. One offensive play later, the Tigers aired the ball out with a Jeremy Strozier to Leland Powell pass for a 51-yard Tiger touchdown. The two-point conversion was good as the scoreboard light bulbs burnt up to a 51-6 Mansfield lead with 4:59 left in the first half. Mansfield kicked the ball to Greenland, but the Pirates bobbled the catch, then wobbled the ball on the ground, which allowed Alex Hecox to gobble up the recovery at the five-yard line. Even without the defense touching the field, the Tigers were set up with great field position and only ran one play to score as Jeremiah Burton jumped in from five yards out for another Tiger touchdown. With the two-point conversion being good, the score sat at 60-6 with 4:33 left in the half. Mansfield would again score at the 1:38 mark as Daniel Burton exploded up the middle of Greenland’s defense for an 84-yard touchdown. As the half ended, the score stood at 66-6.
The second half saw nothing but second-stringers playing for the Tigers as the mercy rule officially went into effect. With merely a 20-man roster, the Tigers put players in positions they’ve never been in and gave the ball to just about anyone who could carry it. Players like Dalton Knowles, Pacen Strozier, Chandler Whisman, Leland Powell, and Cooper Edwards all had carries in the second half. Even with minimal experience, each of them carried the ball well and earned yards with each carry. The defense subbed out also as the full roster wound up having the opportunity to step foot on the field in the game. Greenland left their starters out for the remainder of the game and was able to put up a couple of scores, but the game was well too far out of reach for a miracle comeback as the Tigers rolled to a 66-20 victory.
The blowout victory over Greenland proved that Mansfield could play a big game one week and follow it up without skipping a beat. The Tigers now sit with a 7-2 overall record and an undefeated 6-0 conference record. While all of that sounds good, the Tiger’s preseason goals have not been met yet. Their goal of becoming the 3A-1 Conference Champions had been partially met with their win over the Pirates, but there’s still one conference game to go. As of now, the Tigers are guaranteed a share of the 3A-1 Conference Championship, but a win over West Fork on November 8th will give Mansfield their first outright 3A-1 Conference Championship for the first time since 2010. Mansfield has also locked up a 1Seed in the State Playoffs, but again, that isn’t the final goal. The Tiger’s final goal is to be the 3A-1 Conference Champions and the Arkansas 3A State Champions. Mansfield’s players and coaching staff believe that that goal is the only one that is acceptable, and the entire state is starting to see that the Tigers achieving their preseason goal has a very high possibility.
