MANSFIELD — For aspiring young football players growing up in Mansfield, Arlin Field serves as a beacon of hope.
If they work hard enough, the venerable stadium at the corner of West Fourth Street and Trimble Road will be their reward. They will have the opportunity to live out childhood fantasies under the glowing lights and maybe even become part of local lore.
For cousins Nick Chapman and Tre Windham, the long-held dream of playing at Arlin Field will finally be realized Friday night when Columbus Bishop Ready (12-1) plays Kirtland (13-0) in the Division VI state semifinals.
Chapman, a defensive end, and Windham, a defensive tackle, are starters for Bishop Ready with deep Richland County roots. Their mothers are two of Allen and Betty Grose’s 18 children. Their uncles include former Mansfield Senior standout Ali Grose, a two-time all-conference defensive back at Ashland University in the late 1990s.
“They will have a lot of people pulling for them Friday,” said Jason Chapman, Nick’s father and a 1994 Senior High graduate. “This is an exciting week for everyone.”
Nick Chapman lived in Mansfield through the fifth grade and attended Prospect Elementary School. He was a member of the first Mansfield Area Y youth football team that included several members of Senior High’s record-setting senior class.
“They were in the championship game and I remember Nick talking about how excited he was to get to play at Arlin Field,” Jason Chapman said. “At the time the field was still natural grass and as it turned out, they didn’t get to play on it because they didn’t want to tear the field up.”
Nick remembers it well.
“I always wanted to play at Arlin Field,” said the 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior, who also doubles as a running back in short yardage situations. “One of my goals has always been to play a game there. It’s kind of crazy that I’ll finally get to play there and it’s in a state semifinal game.”
Windham moved from Mansfield to Columbus when he was 4, but the junior visits often and has often wondered what it would be like to play at Arlin Field.
“We visit Mansfield a lot and I’ve been past the stadium, but I’ve never played there,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like from the inside.”
Chapman, Windham and the rest of the Silver Knights will have their hands full Friday. Kirtland averages 56.2 points a game and has outscored its three playoff opponents 151-28.
“As exciting as it is to come to Mansfield and play at Arlin Field, I’m just focused on the game,” Chapman said. “Kirtland has a great running game. They are undefeated for a reason.”
A win Friday would send Bishop Ready to the state championship game for the first time since beating Orrville for the Division IV crown in 1983.
“I haven’t even allowed myself to think about that,” Windham said. “Our full attention is on Kirtland and trying to stop their running game.”
While his son is more concerned with the game plan, Jason Chapman appreciates the significance of Friday’s game.
“It’s a very meaningful game,” he said. “Not only is he finally getting to play at Arlin Field, it’s in a state semifinal game. It doesn’t get much bigger than that.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
