The Mansfield Tigers non-conference football schedule is set up in a staircase order of a 2A opponent, a 3A opponent, and then a 4A opponent. Each step shows the Tigers and coaching staff roughly where they stand before conference play starts. Understandably, the Tigers were favored to beat their 2A opponent, the Magazine Rattlers. But on Friday, September 1st, Mansfield took on their 3A nonconference opponent in what had a big game feel. The Paris Eagles came to town after taking down the 4A Waldron Bulldogs a week earlier. Paris is no stranger to big games nor making it to postseason play each season so the status of the Tigers program would surely be tested. Mansfield must’ve studied day and night for the Paris test though as the Tigers passed the exam with a 47-9 final score.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
Paris started the game by kicking the ball off to the Tigers. Daniel Burton received the kick and took the ball to the 40-yard line giving Mansfield’s offense a favorable starting point. It only took Mansfield one play for the Tiger’s offense to put points on the board as Tyler Turnipseed took a handoff up the gut and darted 60 yards for a Tiger touchdown. Unfortunately, Mansfield’s extra point kick was blocked leaving the score at a 6-0 Tiger lead. The Tiger’s defense kept the Eagle’s high-flying offense grounded with heavy pressure courtesy of Mansfield’s defensive line. Mansfield’s defense doubled down on a Paris punt forcing the Eagles to make a bad snap and then swarmed the punter for a turnover on downs. With the ball on the Tiger’s 32-yard line, Mansfield wasted little time scoring as the Tigers got in the endzone again in five plays with an Andrew Burton 21-yard end around for a Tiger touchdown. Tyler Turnipseed punched in a two-point conversion run to set the score at 14-0 Mansfield. Mansfield would again stuff the Eagles offense before sending their third different Tiger into the endzone as Daniel Burton dipped and dove his way 81 yards to score. A Mansfield extra point kick by Ethan Martin extended the Tigers lead to 21-0. With three different players scoring for Mansfield, the Tigers wanted more so they scored again with player four as Samuel Burton streaked for a 26-yard Tiger touchdown. Ethan Martin split the uprights to close out the first quarter with Mansfield leading Paris 28-0.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
Refusing to be shut out, Paris landed a field goal after a solid drive to put up three points on the scoreboard. The Eagles followed up their points by forcing Mansfield to punt for the first time in the game. Now with the Tigers feeling some pressure, Paris went for a big pass play. Big mistake. Defensive back Tyler Turnipseed out soared the Eagle’s receiver and intercepted the ball to give the Tiger’s onslaught offense the ball back. The Eagle’s defense would again bow up forcing Mansfield to punt as a slight stalemate between the teams began to creep in. Tyler Turnipseed wouldn’t let his previous interception go without points though and when the Tigers offense hit the field again, Turnipseed turned on the speed and went 53 yards to score. Mansfield missed the extra point kick but still held a whopping 34-3 lead over the Eagles. To close out the half, Mansfield dished the ball to Daniel Burton who sent the Tigers into halftime with a 21-yard score. An Ethan Martin extra point kick left Mansfield leaving the field with a lopsided 41-3 lead over Paris.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
For the second week in a row, Mansfield would start off the second half with the first string on the sidelines and their more than talented subs on the field. The Tigers slipped on Paris’s first drive of the third quarter as the Eagles soared downfield and crossed the goal line from two yards out. Paris muffed the snap on their extra-point attempt which closed the score to 41-9. That was as close as the Eagles would get though as the Tigers shut down every attempt of an Eagles touchdown from there. The Tigers sent their fifth player into the endzone as they ran Brayden Mays on the same play four straight times until the senior punched it in for Mansfield’s final touchdown of the game. With the extra point splitting the uprights, Mansfield secured their victory over Paris with a 47-9 final.
Photo courtesy of Joey Bolin
Mansfield has started off their 2023 season with a 2-0 non-conference record and have done so in a very convincing fashion. The Tigers, who were known for their stiff defense in 2022, have added some scoring power by out-scoring both Magazine and Paris with a combined score of 103-9. If there was an early statement to be made to the 3A-1 conference, Mansfield has made that statement extremely clear. No one needs to take the Tigers lightly. Mansfield will have a week to rest and regroup before taking on their Scott County foes, the Waldron Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were edged out by Paris in Week0 and lost a heartbreaker against 4A opponent Lamar. But records mean nothing when it comes to the Battle of Highway 71. The only thing that matters is the final score of the heated rivalry. Mansfield will travel to Waldron to take on the Bulldogs in what is sure to be a hostile environment in the Pound on Friday, September 15th. So clear your calendars and start digging your foxhole now because all-out war is coming to Scott County in what will likely be a gridiron battle of the ages.
