Pictured is Isaac Cothran
The Mansfield Sr High Tigers are making a comeback! Head Coach, Keith Dake seems to think it has to do with a certain outfit. “I think its partly due to my lucky shirt and tie. So yes, I will continue to wear it as long as we keep winning. I’m even debating not washing it!” Last night all four Mansfield teams hosted the Greenland Pirates and after both Jr High teams as well as the Sr High Lady Tigers secured wins, the Tigers were determined more than ever to make it a four-game sweep.
Mission accomplished. After four intense quarters, the Tigers sent the Pirates sailing with a 58-52 loss. Layton Howard led his team with 22 points followed by Ethan Stovall with 15 and Codi Chick with 13. “Coming out of a bad loss to Elkins and continually getting decimated by the flu, I was genuinely concerned about how we may respond to such adversity. But our guys stepped up and responded the way good teams are supposed to respond, and that’s with a hard-fought victory.”
“Most of the game was spent within one point of each other, battling through all four quarters. Games such as these are when depth is so important. So missing varsity players, Jaicy Griffin and Jojo Bailey, was a huge hit. But we had numerous guys step up and fill those roles flawlessly. As the regular season comes to a close, we couldn’t have picked a better time to start gaining momentum.”
The win upgrades Mansfield to 8-11 in total season play and 4-7 in conference. “This moves the boys Sr High team into a top 4 seed and we continue to climb the rankings. We have a four-game night again this Friday, February 7 against the (1-9) West Fork Tigers. Make sure and come out to support the teams this Friday night!”
Photos by Raine Hecox