Rivalry games tend to always create some buzz. Most of the time the buzz is created by an intense action packed sports event between two teams. There was definitely a buzz on Friday, November 4th but that buzz’s intensity came from sirens early in the evening as high winds, heavy rain, hail, and even tornados struck the town of Mansfield. Once the storms passed and everyone was safely accounted for, the original purpose for the buzz fired back up with just three words. Mansfield versus Hackett.
As both teams took to the field, you could hear some old-timers in the stands say “now this is football weather”. This was not going to be a clean surf and turf layout, no siree bob. This game would be a muddy slip-and-slide pig sty with the ol’ pigskin. Mansfield took the opening kickoff and the game was underway. The Tigers started off looking strong behind running backs Tyler Woolbright and Fisher Willsey. Mansfield drove 26 yards downfield behind the dynamic duo before the offense began spinning their tires as Hackett’s defense bowed up to force a Tiger punt. The Tigers defense was eagerly waiting their opportunity to light up the Hornets offense and did just that. With the high winds preventing Hackett from passing the ball early on in the game, defensive linemen Kindel Noblitt, Braxton Byers, Trey Vaughan, and Samuel Burton pinned their ears back and feasted on the Hornets backfield. Hackett would try to convert a fourth down to get some momentum going in their direction, but the Tigers defense is ranked second in the conference for a reason and quickly forced a turnover on downs. With the rain pouring down and neither teams offense able to gain any traction, the first quarter came to a close with a score of 0-0.
The dismal conditions in the first quarter proved to everyone that this would not be the high flying shootout that Mansfield and Hackett usually displays, rather it would be a game of field position and some all-out gutsy plays. The Tigers offense was still stuck in the mud as the second quarter began and Mansfield would be forced to punt again. Fortunately for the Tigers, Peyton Martin was able to big boot a 63 yard punt that pinned Hackett back at the one-yard line. Field possession? Check. It just took two plays for the Tigers defense to capitalize on Hackett’s offense as Trey Vaughan tacked a Hornets running back in the end zone for a safety and the first points of the game. All-out gutsy plays? There’s another check. After the safety, the Hornets were forced to kick the ball back to Mansfield and none other than the ever-dangerous Andrew Burton finally got his hands on the ball. Burton ran faster than the wind gusts on the field for a 52-yard Tiger Touchdown. Unfortunately, though, the touchdown was called back on a penalty setting the Tigers back at the twenty-five-yard line. The setback deflated Mansfield’s momentum as the Tigers couldn’t punch the ball in and went three and out on the possession. Hackett took over and went 53 yards on 12 plays before the clock ran out in the half. The score at halftime stood at a whopping 2-0 Mansfield lead.
Halftime was shortened to five minutes due to the weather delay so adjustments by both coaching staffs and players had to be made on the fly. Hackett would get the chance to show their changes to the game plan as they received the kickoff in the second half. It didn’t take long for the Hornets to get back in the game as they took their opening drive 60 yards in nine plays to score a touchdown. With the wind still howling, the Hornets went for a two-point conversion but failed as they met a wall of red jerseys instead of points. With the Hornets having a 6-2 lead and momentum, Mansfield began to make mistakes that cost them penalty yards as the game seemed to slip away. That’s when some light of some senior leadership appeared as Tyler Woolbright took the work load on his own shoulders and pounded his way in for a Tiger touchdown. The Tigers would also go for the two-point conversion due to the conditions but failed to convert giving them a slim 8-6 lead over Hackett to end the third quarter.
It all came down to the fourth and final quarter of the game. Both teams had weathered the storm and put their all on the line up to that point and the scoreboard was proof of that. So what team would make the big play to shift everything their way? Mansfield’s defensive safety Tyler Turnipseed answered that question as he picked off a Hackett pass on the Hornets first drive of the final quarter. Just in case some couldn’t hear Turnipseed’s big play answer, Tyler Woolbright took the ball 41 yards downfield on the Tigers first offensive play to put Mansfield in scoring position at the three-yard line. The Tigers couldn’t capitalize on the ensuing plays though and turned the ball over on downs. Now it was up to the defense and they didn’t disappoint. Mansfield put the Hornets in a fourth-down situation and senior Drew Elmore mopped up the mud with a huge quarterback sack giving the Tigers one more shot at a touchdown. With a two-point lead, the Tigers put running back Fisher Willsey at quarterback and leaned hard on their senior heavy offensive line. Behind linemen John Broadaway, Braxton Byers, Reegan Emery, Austin Quinalty, and junior Turner Wright, Willsey ran a quarterback draw and followed his blockers into the end zone for a Tiger touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good but the touchdown put the game out of reach for Hackett to come back as the Tigers stormed to a 16-6 victory.
The victory gives Mansfield a 7-3 overall record and concludes their conference play with a record of 4-3. But wait, there’s more. The Tigers are also heading to the State Playoffs for the first time in two years as a #4 Seed. Not too bad for a team picked to finish dead last in the 3A-1 in the preseason polls. As good as all of that may seem, the Tigers are not still satisfied. They started the season wanting to prove a point and making the State Playoffs is merely the beginning of what they want to prove to everyone. This program wants to make it clear to the football world that Mansfield Tiger football can never be counted out nor underestimated. The next step in that goal will be a road trip for Round1 of the State Playoffs. The Tigers will travel to central Arkansas on Friday, November 11th to take on the Fordyce Redbugs.
