On Tuesday, May 7, the Mansfield Booster Club set up and delivered an impeccable Mansfield Tiger Sports Banquet. With the high school cafeteria overflowing with Tiger athletes and their families, the night was definitely one for the books. Master of Ceremonies for the event was Travis Pettus who delivered a very entertaining commentary.
It was a spot on season for the Mansfield Tigers Cross Country team. The team collected several trophies throughout the regular season, won conference runner-up trophies in both the junior girls and junior boys divisions, and were fourth in both high school races. The Lady Tigers finished ninth in the women’s division at the state meet while the Mansfield men were 14th.
This year the Lady Tigers volleyball team had a very successful season. The seventh-grade team won all but one match and the junior high squad went to the conference finals. The senior high team included eight seniors, who with their help, placed third in the Mena Tournament, won the Harrison Tournament, finished third in conference play, played until the second round of Districts, and was the third seed at State. The senior team finished with a 16-11 overall season record.
Mansfield’s golf team consisted of one player this 2018 season. Junior Maggie Strunk shot an All-District round at the conference tournament and after qualifying for State, shot a personal best and finished 17th overall among the class 3A golfers. For the third consecutive year, the 7th grade Red Tigers completed a winning season while the junior high team continued to grow despite the many challenges they faced. The senior high Tigers had one of the most successful seasons in years going 8-4 overall and taking it to the first round of State.
The Lady Tigers were a relatively young basketball team. They had only two seniors and two juniors on their 13 girl roster for the 2018-2019 season. Although the season didn’t end quite as expected, the Lady Tigers kept pushing forward always giving everything they had. The 2018-19 Senior Boys basketball season was a step in the right direction. The Tigers produced the highest scoring output for the senior boys’ basketball team that it has seen in the past 3 years.
“Although it didn’t reach the lofty heights that Mansfield track and field has been accustomed to over the last two decades, the 2019 season can still be described as a success,” says Coach Mackey. “A plethora of plaques, medals, and ribbons were distributed among the 95 total Tiger athletes that participated in track from the seventh through twelfth grades. The junior girls were district runner-up, the junior boys and senior girls were fourth at district, and the senior boys came in seventh at the conference meet.”
The Tigers baseball season was a soggy one. After all was said and done, the boys’ schedule had been reduced to just 15 games. The Tigers ended their season with a record of 5-10. The Senior High Cheer squad had an exceptional season. Over the summer, the girls attended a B2 cheer camp in Branson where they brought home several awards. Mansfield’s 2019 cheer squad also competed in State where they placed 7th out of 20 teams. The female and male Freshman Rising Star Awards went to Faith Rainwater and Ethan Pettus.
Dr. Jim Best, the Mansfield High School Principal since the 2013-2014 school year will be retiring. Dr. Best first came to Mansfield in 2011. He served as the federal curriculum coordinator for two terms before being asked six seasons ago to move into the role of high school principal. Since that time he has become one of the school’s biggest sports fans. The Tigers will also be losing Coach Bryan McKay as their head baseball and head golf coach. The Mansfield community thanks both of these men for their many years of service given to athletics and education.
The T. Franklin Boyd Booster Club Tiger of the Year Award is given each year to the outstanding male and female senior athlete. It is an award that considers athletic ability, academic aptitude, and player integrity. It is voted on by Booster Club officers, a Mansfield administrator, Tiger coaches, and selected teachers. This year that award went to Caroline Nicodemus and Hunter Willsey.
