MANSFIELD — The meat of the schedule may be in the rearview mirror, but Mansfield Senior won’t overlook anyone during the second half of the season.
Veteran coach Chioke Bradley will make sure of it.
The Tygers came through a rugged season-opening five-game stretch with a 3-2 record. Senior High is tied with Week 6 opponent Lexington atop the Ohio Cardinal Conference standings at 2-0 and is searching for its first conference crown since 2017.
Mansfield Senior’s first five opponents have a combined record of 17-8. The Tygers’ final five opponents are 9-16.
“When we made out the schedule, we knew those first five games were going to be tough,” Bradley said after last week’s 35-14 win over New Philadelphia. “But that doesn’t mean we can look past any of our remaining opponents. Lexington is playing good football right now. We’ll have our hands full.
“Every week in the OCC is a challenge.”
Mansfield Senior (3-2, 2-0) at Lexington (3-2, 2-0): Senior High’s rebuilt defense has found its footing recently. The Tygers limited New Philadelphia to 249 total yards in last week’s 35-14 win. Linebacker Maurice Bradley II intercepted a pass, had two sacks among his 11 tackles and recovered a fumble last week. The junior leads the team with 53 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and six sacks. Defensive lineman Symirr Phillips has seven tackles for loss and five sacks, while cornerback, Ja’ontay O’Bryant and linebacker La-La Owens each have a pair of interceptions. The Tygers have made it a point to establish the ground game each of the past two weeks. Jamir Petty has a team-high 233 rushing yards and a touchdown on 57 carries. Quarterback Duke Reese has completed 39-of-81 passes for 597 yards and eight touchdowns. Record-setting receiver Amarr Davis has a team-best 25 catches for 509 yards and five touchdowns.
The Minutemen have won three straight after last week’s 42-27 victory at Wooster. Senior running back Mason Green rumbled for 114 yards and two touchdowns and was a workhorse in the fourth quarter as Lex protected the lead. Sophomore quarterback Joe Caudill completed 10-of-17 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 51 yards and a score. Markale Martin carried the ball 17 times for 93 yards and two TDs, while Seven Allen caught four passes for 89 yards and a score.
Galion (4-1, 1-1) at Ontario (5-0, 2-0): The Tigers surrendered 38 points in the second half of last week’s 62-26 loss at Shelby. Running back Gabe Ivy rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while Jacob Chambers had a 49-yard TD run. Quarterback Braxton Prosser tossed a 25-yard TD pass to Landon Campbell. Ivy ranked second in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 763 yards on 95 carries. The Galion defense surrendered 650 yards last week. Carson Frankhouse has a team-high 57 tackles, while Linkon Tyrrell has 53 tackles . Tyrrell and Campbell are tied for the MOAC lead with seven sacks apiece.
The Warriors pitched their third shutout of the season in last week’s 45-0 win at Clear Fork, limiting the Colts to 77 yards. The offense, meanwhile, piled up 446 yards as quarterback Bodpegn Miller completed 12-of-17 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 109 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Running back Chase Studer opened the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown run and ranks among MOAC leaders with 459 yards and eight TDs on 81 carries. Tight end Dylan Floyd leads the way with 19 receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Highland (4-1, 1-1) at Shelby (4-1, 2-0): The Fighting Scots bounced back from a disappointing Week 4 loss to Pleasant with a resounding 47-14 win over Marion Harding last week. Dane Nauman rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, while Sam Hernandez added 97 yards and a TD on 15 carries. Quarterback Kolton Stover ran for a first-quarter touchdown and tossed a 59-yard TD pass to Kadyn Reichenbach. Zach Church returned an interception for a TD. Nauman leads the MOAC with 913 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 104 carries. Hernandez leads the MOAC with four interceptions, while Ladon Hayes has a team-high 34 tackles.
Skyler Winters rushed for 275 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s 62-26 win over Galion. Sophomore quarterback Brayden DeVito threw for 248 yards and two TDs, a 10-yarder to Casey Lantz in the first quarter and a 10-yarder to Nic Eyster in the fourth. DeVito also caught a 60-yard TD pass from Issaiah Ramsey. DeVito has completed 78-of-117 passes for a MOAC-leading 1,498 yards and 14 touchdowns. Ramsey has 28 catches for conference-leading 579 yards and five TDs. Defensively, Cohen Sturts has a team-high 27.5 tackles while Isaiah Beck has 23.5 tackles and a team-best seven tackles for loss.