The Mansfield Tigers boasted one of the most experienced lines on both sides of the ball in 2022. Mansfield was blessed with players who have spent their entire careers as starting linemen and that was a key factor in the Tigers 2022 success. Behind the wall of “Well Seasoned Beef” built by the likes of seniors John Broadaway, Kindel Noblitt, Braxton Byers, Austin Quinalty, and Caleb Collier, Mansfield was able to make their first State Playoff appearance since 2019. Those players are gone now though, and a younger group is stepping in. They say experience beats youth every time. Although that can be true on most occasions, people tend to forget that there’s only one way to obtain experience and that’s by getting on the field and earning it.
Mansfield will start their 2023 season loaded to the brim with talented athletes on offense. But after losing all but one of their starting offensive linemen from last season, the question mark of moving the ball downfield consistently cannot be overlooked. True, Mansfield’s line will be undersized and inexperienced, but it’s not the size of the Tiger in the fight, it’s the fight in the Tiger that matters. Turner Wright will be the sole returner and only senior for the Tigers line in 2023. Of course, every wall needs a solid foundation and if you could pick one player to single handily hold up a freshly bricked wall, Wright would be the right choice. Wright was thrown into the fire as a starting offensive lineman for Mansfield’s senior high in the tenth grade and has obtained a wealth of knowledge and experience ever since then. Wright will not only be the leader of the group in both knowledge of the position and skills, but he’ll be leading younger versions of himself this season as well as the Tigers list of seven sophomore linemen also vying for starting positions on the line.
Although the experience and leadership role will fall heavily on Wright, he’ll have some good help to handle the full weight of the line. Junior, Dakota Deer, has stepped up big time in the weight room and on the practice field this offseason to become a force to be reckoned with. Deer has spent most of his football career as a defensive nightmare for Mansfield’s opponents and has chosen to move across to the other side of the ball to assist in this time of need for the Tigers offense. Deer hasn’t played offense since junior high and will not bring much experience, but what he lacks in the experience department he makes up for tenfold with aggression and determination.
Then there are the senior high rookies of the line. These greenhorns were the epitome of immovable force in little league and junior high, but as everyone knows, once you hit senior high the game goes to a whole new level. These aren’t just ordinary sophomores though. James “Critter” Bausley has started each game he’s been in since the second grade and has only bulked up in size and strength since then. Bausley has mostly played center in his offensive line career with a dangerous left and right hook at his disposal in the trenches. Those hook punches come from brothers and twins, Logan and Cadien Ore. The “Brothers of Destruction” have pummeled their way to the level of most of their upcoming opponents through sheer speed and strength. But the Tigers were still a few linemen short before the four horsemen of volunteers stepped up. Sophomores Ethan Martin, Pacen Strozier, Matt “Bear” Burton, and Zander Walters were all key in last season’s 8-2 record for the junior high team, but in positions other than linemen. Although they aren’t your typical linemen nor have the experience to lean on, these four definitely have the capability of producing results on the field this fall.
With all of the skilled players on Mansfield’s offense this season, protection will be key. A running back can’t hit the hole if there’s no hole present. A quarterback can’t complete a pass from his back. The Tigers and their coaching staff know this which is why they are making the linemen a priority in their practices. Coach Whit Overton has given veteran lineman coach, Keith Stovall, additional tools and personnel to assist in getting the Tigers linemen ready to go this fall. The players themselves are working on their footwork and their firing off, they’re watching film, and the group as a whole is even taking quizzes over their plays before practices.
Of course, Mansfield’s linemen will continue to hear “you’re too small”, “you don’t have depth”, and “you don’t have the experience needed” from the naysayers, which is fine by them. The Tigers linemen know the void they must fill and that it is a massive task. But are they eager to prove that they’re up for the challenge? With Wright and Deer anchoring the offensive line and a hungry slew of underclassmen eager to jump in the trenches, Mansfield just might make up for their lack of size, depth, and experience at the lineman position this season. In fact, they’re counting on it!
