MANSFIELD — The way Mansfield Senior football coach Chioke Bradley and Shelby’s Robert Mahaney see it, any competition is good competition.
Both Bradley and Mahaney watched from the super-heated turf at Arlin Field on a steamy Wednesday afternoon as the Tygers and Whippets took part in the second 179th Herc Challenge, presented by the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing.
The event started with a two-mile run on the streets surrounding Senior High’s iconic stadium and included a series of sit-ups, push-ups, burpees, bleacher runs and tire flips before finishing with a pair of 100-yard sprints.
Shelby’s Andre Hill was the first player across the finish line. The rising sophomore completed the course in 19 minutes, 8 seconds.
“Whenever you can put your kids in a competitive situation, it’s a win,” Bradley said. “I’m excited for our kids and I’m excited for the Shelby football program. I just wish there were more schools here.
“This is something every school in the area should be taking part in. It’s an opportunity to compete and it’s an opportunity to get better while supporting the Air National Guard,” Bradley said.
The challenge was the brainchild of Technical Sgt. Nick Alexander, a recruiter for the Air National Guard. Alexander approached Bradley with the idea last year.
“I work every Tuesday at Mansfield Senior, just being involved with the kids,” Alexander said. “I started working out with the football team a couple nights a week last year. So I talked to coach Bradley about coming up with a challenge for the whole team.
“Last year, it was just Mansfield Senior and it was a huge success, so we thought we would open it up to more area school. I would definitely love to grow the event and get as many teams as possible involved.”
Mahaney, who took over for Erik Will at Shelby after piloting Mapleton the past six seasons, was glad to bring the Whippets onboard.
“In the summer it’s all about competing and whatever we can do to find ways to compete,” Mahaney said. “Something like this requires a lot of mental toughness and will benefit us later on.
“When I took over, Sgt. Alexander reached out to me and I thought it was a great opportunity to compete with local schools and support the mission of the Air National Guard. It was a no-brainer for us,” Mahaney said.
As for the competition, Hill re-entered the stadium after the two-mile run in first place and held off Mansfield Senior’s Cameron Taylor.
“It helps us a lot, competing with everybody else,” Hill said. “Mansfield Senior is a hard-working team.”
A rising senior, Taylor closed the gap on Hill inside the stadium after struggling with the two-mile run.
“The hills killed me. It was challenging,” Taylor said. “I wanted to win, but it felt so good to challenge the man beside you when he is challenging you, too. When you pass someone, it feels so good.”
At the end of the day, the challenge was about coming together as a team, Bradley said.
“The hidden gem in all of this is it is a great chance for your team to bond,” Bradley said. “You can’t put a price tag on team bonding and leadership.”
