MANSFIELD, Ohio – The crosstown rivalry between Madison and Mansfield Senior goes deeper than football and was demonstrated Sunday evening at the Mid-Ohio Conference Center. Marice Clarett’s attendance was an extra point.
The two teams – along with their marching bands, fans, and other supporters – gathered for the Richland County Children Services Spaghetti Bowl dinner, marking the second year for the charitable event.
The evening was filled with food, friendly banter, battling bands, and special guest speaker Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett – all with one central goal in mind: Raising money for two local charities.
The Tygers are playing for the United Way of Richland County, while the Rams are playing for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
Greg Kahl, family team meeting facilitator with Richland County Children Services, explained how the money raised will be distributed.
“Sixty percent of the proceeds will go to the winning foundation, and then 40 percent will go to the losing team,” he said. “So there’s a tremendous philanthropic piece built into this event in that it benefits the community and just creates excitement around this rivalry.”
Last year, Madison edged out Mansfield Senior 21-14 in a game that went down to the wire, while the bowl itself netted $3,125 for the charities.
Before taking part in a pasta dinner, catered by Gionino’s Pizzeria, the audience listened as Clarett spoke about the importance of making good decisions and of self-awareness.
“You think that football is going to last forever, but that’s not the truth of the matter,” he said. “And if you’re not prepared, at some point, life will come at you fast.
“You can be Mr. Everybody today, and when you can’t serve your football team or you don’t have an athletic ability to offer, life comes down to the skills you develop – and that’s one thing I really want to get across to them.”
Now 31 years old, Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns in his freshman season, breaking the OSU freshman record despite missing three games because of injuries. He also marked the game-winning touchdown in double-overtime that sent OSU over Miami in 2002’s national championship.
Following that season, he made a series of bad decisions that ended with him facing a 3½- year prison sentence for robbery and concealed weapons charges.
Since his release in 2010, Clarett, who is now a businessman, has worked to restore his reputation and is making a career being an inspirational speaker.
“There’s a lot of good disciplines you learn from the game of football and athletics in general that you apply to your day-to-day living,” Clarett said. “When I was in prison, I figured out how to apply some of the things I learned from sports to my life right now.”
He added that “young guys” can never have too much encouragement.
To book Clarett, Kahl said Richland County Children Services submitted an application to Clarett’s foundation, shedding light on Mansfield and the event.
“We thought he had a great, positive message about redemption,” Kahl said. “We all go through struggles in life – even if it’s not on the football field.”
Mansfield Senior (7-2) coach Chioke Bradley said his players were excited to hear Clarett speak.
“[I told them to] pay attention and take it all in – ‘there may be something that you can take away and leave with and apply to your everyday life,’” Bradley said of informing his team about who would be speaking at the event. “If one or two kids get it, than it was a success.”
He also said he appreciates that the Tygers are able to be a part of the rivalry and the event.
“The football game was one thing, but being a part of this event, giving back to two wonderful charities, and making sure that it fuels the steam heading into Friday, it’s second-hand to nothing,” Bradley said. “I look forward to being a part of it as we continue on.”
Madison (5-4) coach Jamie Masi echoed Bradley.
“This is just one of many things we do to celebrate the rivalry. It’s got a ton of tradition, and it’s an extremely even rivalry when you look at wins and losses – even in recent years,” Masi said.
“It’s a really neat event they’re putting on tonight: No. 1, it’s for charity; and No.2, it’s a chance to get the kids out and start the week off thinking about the big game on Friday.”
Throughout the week, Masi said he thinks he and his coaching staff will have a chance to hear feedback from his players about Clarett’s message, leading to discussions about good-decision making.
To prepare for Friday night, the Rams have to do everything, Masi said.
“And we’ve got to do it right,” he said. “They’re a very good football team. They’re sound, and I think they’re well-coached, extremely fast and physical, so we’re going to have to win in every phase of the game.”
Likewise, Bradley said his Tygers will have to come out ready to play.
“We’ve got to have a great week of practice, and our preparation has to be on point,” he said. “Kids have to be focused, and we can’t have any letdowns. And on Friday, we have to come out and play hard, physical Tyger football.”
Kahl, whose son was rooting for Senior and daughter was wearing a Madison jersey, said he couldn’t make a prediction for Friday’s game but did offer a little insight.
“I think both teams have tremendous offensive threats and strong defense, so I think it’s going to just come down to who has more will on Friday night,” he said.
The Spaghetti Bowl dinner was sponsored by STARTEK, OhioHealth, Spitzer Motors of Mansfield, Sam’s Club, and Dolce’s Tree Service. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was WMFD’s Brian Scowronski.
The showdown between the Rams and Tygers starts at 7 p.m. Friday at Arlin Field.
