Ministry of Defense: Tygers open with impressive win over Norwalk

MANSFIELD — The wait was worth it for Mansfield Senior’s Cyrus Ellerbe.

A senior receiver and defensive back, Ellerbe returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the Tygers opened the season with an impressive 21-10 win over highly-regarded Norwalk at Arlin Field.

Ellerbe moved to Mansfield from South Carolina last fall, but was unable to suit up for Senior High because of a paperwork snafu.

“It was real frustrating because I was going through a lot at that time,” Ellerbe said. “I came to practice every day even though I had to sit out. It turned out for the best and now I can play.”

The Tygers were clinging to a 14-10 lead when Ellerbe stepped in front of a Garrett Chapin pass and raced untouched down the near sideline.

“I was just playing my coverage and I saw the ball come my way,” Ellerbe said. “I broke on the ball and used my speed.”

Ellerbe’s pick-six put an exclamation point on an overwhelming defensive effort by the Senior High. The Truckers, who beat Mansfield Senior 42-21 in last year’s opener and won a regional championship last fall, managed 263 yards of total offense and were penalized 13 times for 144 yards.

“We knew coming into this thing that we needed to stop the run if we wanted to win this football game,” Senior High coach Chioke Bradley said. “I think we did a pretty good job off that tonight.

“It’s tough to block those guys because they are relentless.”

Norwalk took the opening kickoff and marched from its own 23 to the Mansfield Senior 7 before settling for a 23 yard Garrison Smith field goal. The Truckers converted three long third down conversions on the drive.

Mansfield Senior responded with a three-play, 55-yard drive capped by quarterback Cam Todd’s 53-yard scoring strike to tight end Clay Caudill.

“I just ran the corner route and came open,” Caudill said. “We’ve been working on it a lot in practice.”

Norwalk went three-and-out on its next possession before the Tygers put together a 10-play, 58-yard drive. Amajeon Robertson capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter for a 14-3 Mansfield Senior lead.

The score would remain 14-3 until late in the second quarter when Norwalk defensive back Jake Sommers picked off a Todd pass and raced 81 yards for a touchdown with 53 seconds left in the first half. The Tygers led 14-10 at the break.

Norwalk recovered an onside kick to start the second half, but Senior High’s defense took control. The Truckers managed just 13 yards in the third quarter.

“We were just hungry and we’ve all got something to prove,” defensive lineman Ty’Lheir Grose said. “We didn’t feel like they were going to be able to block us because of our quickness.”

Mansfield Senior finished with 257 yards of total offense. Todd completed 13 of 18 passes for 164 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Angelo Grose caught seven passes for 54 yards.

Evan Stumpf led Norwalk with 112 rushing yards on 28 carries. Chapin completed 12 of 21 passes for 161 yards, but was picked off twice.

“The whole defense has responded well,” Senior High defensive coordinator Sean Adams said. “They know their positions and they are playing fast.”