MANSFIELD — The offense piled up 406 yards, while the defense pitched a second-half shutout and limited prolific Ashland quarterback Grant Denbow to 6 of 17 passing.
But the damage already had been done.
Mansfield Senior sleep-walked through the first half before staging a furious second-half comeback only to come up short in a 30-25 Ohio Cardinal Conference loss to Ashland on a rainy Homecoming night at Arlin Field.
Senior High (3-3, 2-1) had its three-game winning streak and nine-game OCC winning streak snapped despite outgaining the Arrows (3-3, 2-1) 406-156 and dominating time of possession. The Tygers were undone by two costly turnovers and 12 penalties.
“With a young team, in big games your inexperience flaws start to come out,” Mansfield Senior coach Chioke Bradley said. “We have got to learn to play 48 minutes.
“I don’t know what team that was in the first half, but the second was the Tyger team that I know and coach every day.”
Mansfield Senior trailed 14-13 early in the second quarter after a 2 yard Brandon Swindall run, but came unglued during the final seven minutes of the first half. First, running back Tyquan Vickers was tackled in the end zone for a safety giving the Arrows a 16-13 lead. Ashland returned the ensuing free kick to the Senior High 40 yard line. Four plays later, junior Lonzo Dampier scampered into the end zone from 29 yards out for a 23-13 lead. The Arrows would take advantage of another short field and grabbed a 30-13 lead when Dampier scored on a 24 yard run.
“We felt we could run the ball a little bit more than we have been,” Ashland coach Scott Valentine said. “We got into a couple different formations we thought might give them a different alignment than what they are used to. I think that benefitted us in the first half.”
Field Position: Ashland’s four first-half scoring drives came from 30, 32, 40 and 41 yards. The Tygers, meanwhile, spent a majority of the first two quarters with their backs pinned against their own goal line.
“Our defense gave us short field and we had to take advantage of it,” Valentine said. “That is something we haven’t done a lot earlier in the year. We were able to do it tonight.”
The Tygers were undone by poor special teams play. Senior High’s kickoff coverage team gave up returns of 51 and 52 yards. The Tygers had a 12 yard punt that resulted in another short field for the Arrows.
“We talk all the time about all three phases, offense, defense and special teams,” Bradley said. “Our special teams have been our nemesis all season.”
The Good: After the sluggish start, Mansfield Senior’s defense was stout in the second half. The Tygers limited the Arrows to 26 yards after the break. Asante’ Wilder picked off a pass and Senior High held Denbow, who came in leading the area with 1,479 yards passing yards, to 54 yards through the air.
“We talk all the time about being disciplined, doing what the coaches tell them to do,” Bradley said. “Those guys came out in the second half and did exactly what we told them to.
“In the first half we had a couple guys here and there who were doing their own thing defensively.”
Like the defense, Senior High’s offense came to life in the second half. Ricky Minor scored on a 20 yard run late in the third quarter to make it 30-19 and Mitch Nixon’s 1 yard keeper with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter cut Ashland’s lead to 30-25.
“I thought we did a great job in the second half on both sides of the ball,” Bradley said.
Emerging sophomore Brian Benson rushed for 169 yards on 27 carries, but was limited in the second half by cramps.
The Bad: Both of Mansfield Senior’s turnovers were costly. Nixon fumbled late in the first quarter after taking a big hit, giving the Arrows the ball at the Senior High 40 yard line. Ashland cashed in when Denbow found a wide open Trey Smith for a 25 yard touchdown after a blown Mansfield Senior coverage.
The second turnover came early in the third quarter when Benson was stripped of the ball deep in Ashland territory while fighting for extra yards. The ball bounded into the end zone where Ashland’s Ethan Klein recovered.
“It’s early in the half, but the way they came out offensively (the turnover) was big,” Valentine said. “When we had to we got the stop.”
The Ugly: Mansfield Senior’s 12 penalties resulted in 92 free yards for the Arrows. Four of the flags gave Ashland first downs. A pass interference penalty on fourth and 13 gave the Arrows a first down with about two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Ashland was able to run out the clock to secure the win.
“Our inexperienced Friday night guys have got to understand that … those type of things at the end of games can kill you,” Bradley said. “Especially a tight game against a pretty good football club like the Arrows.”
