MANSFIELD — Brock Hill was new to Mansfield Senior and feeling a little nervous.

It was the fall of 2020 and Hill, who transferred to Senior High from Ontario, was at one of his first full workouts with his new teammates.

“The first time we were able to have people come to our practices, Shorty was there and talking to me like he had always known me — and I had never met him before that. It was kind of cool,” Hill said after throwing for a touchdown and running for another in Friday’s emotional 18-12 win over Norwalk in the season opener at Arlin Field.

“Every time when we were on defense and I was on the sideline last year, he would talk to me. I’m going to miss that.”

Hill certainly isn’t the only one who is going to miss those often unnoticed moments with James ‘Shorty’ Gordon after his sudden death last week.

“Everybody who knew Shorty loved him,” said senior and Charlotte recruit Aveon Grose, who had five catches for 39 yards in Friday’s win. “He was a friend to everyone he met.

“We dedicated this whole week to him and we came out and got the win for him. It feels great.”

Gordon’s role with the football program was hard to define because he did whatever was asked of him. He would meet the opposing team’s busses when they arrived at Arlin Field and escort the coaches and players to the visitor’s locker room.

If a player needed a pat on the back, Shorty was there to do it. If head coach Chioke Bradley or another member of his coaching staff needed something done, they knew who to turn to.

The news of Gordon’s death last Monday was especially tough on Bradley, a Senior High graduate and the program’s veteran head coach. Bradley posted a video on social media platforms of a game from his senior season in 1993.

Bradley returned an interception for a touchdown to seal a Homecoming victory over Barberton and Gordon was the first person to greet him in the end zone.

“It was definitely a tough week, a tough week for me and a tough week for our coaches. I can’t really explain …,” Bradley said, his voice beginning to crack. “It was tough.”

Both teams took a knee while fans bowed their heads for a moment of silence in Gordon’s memory before kickoff. Bradley lingered on his knee and wiped away tears as the Tyger marching band belted out the first notes of the national anthem.

When play finally got under way, Mansfield Senior recovered three Norwalk fumbles in the first quarter. Senior High’s first score came when Hill lofted a pass for Myles Bradley in the end zone. The ball was tipped by a Norwalk defender before Bradley came down with a 22 yard tip-drill touchdown.

Bradley couldn’t help but think his old friend was looking down on the Tygers.

“It was great to feel his spirit all night long. He put his hands on us when we needed him the most,” Bradley said. “There were definitely some things that were a little screwy tonight. Shorty was definitely with us tonight and he willed us to victory.

“RIP Shorty.”