MANSFIELD — Chioke Bradley knew his experienced offense would score plenty of points, but Mansfield Senior’s veteran coach wasn’t sure what his rebuilt defense would look like.
The picture is beginning to come into focus
The Tygers rumble into Friday’s Ohio Cardinal Conference showdown against Ashland with one of the OCC’s top scoring defenses. Senior High has allowed 17.3 points per game in three OCC games and limited Lexington to 10 points and 37 rushing yards last week.
“I thought our defense did an exceptional job,” Bradley said after the 37-10 win. “We came out and played tough football, winning at the line of scrimmage up front.”
Mansfield Senior has forced 10 turnovers in three OCC games. The Tygers allowed just 2.9 rushing yards per carry in wins over West Holmes, New Philadelphia and Lex.
“We’re getting better on the defensive side of the ball,” Bradley said.
Ashland (4-2, 2-1) at Mansfield Senior (4-2, 3-0): The Arrows are still in contention for the Ohio Cardinal Conference title after last week’s 35-7 win over Madison. Quarterback Nathan Bernhard completed all eight of his passing attempts for 209 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score against the Rams. Receivers Gabe Baith and Michael Franz combined for 194 yards and three TDs. The defense, meanwhile, limited Madison to 142 yards of offense.
The Tygers roughed up Lexington 37-10 as quarterback Duke Reese rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and threw for 95 yards and two scores. Ja’ontay O’Bryant and Nate Dismuke each had a touchdown catch while record-setting receiver Amarr Davis had a pair of catches. Davis has a team-high 27 receptions for 519 yards and five TDs on the year. Maurice Bradley II had 14 tackles against the Minutemen and leads the team with 67 stops and 11.5 tackles for loss. Symirr Phillips has a team-high 7.5 sacks.
Lexington (3-3, 2-1) at West Holmes (4-2, 2-1): The Minutemen will try to rebound from last week’s 37-10 loss to Ohio Cardinal Conference-leading Mansfield Senior. Lexington quarterback Joe Caudill completed 15-of-29 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown against the Tygers, but Lex couldn’t get anything going on the ground. The Minutemen rushed for just 37 yards on 30 attempts. Caudill led the way with 36 yards on 18 carries, while Markale Martin managed19 yards on eight attempts. Receiver Brayden Fogle had a big day, catching eight passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Keagan West and Mason Green each had seven tackles in the loss.
The Knights stayed in OCC contention with a thrilling 43-40 win over Wooster. Dual-threat quarterback Morgan Smith had a career day, rushing for 290 yards and four touchdowns. The junior rushed for all 74 yards on what proved to be West Holmes’ game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Yale-bound receiver Kyle Maltarich rushed for a touchdown and caught a TD pass from Smith. West Holmes’ much-maligned defense came up with a couple key stops in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Pleasant (4-2, 2-1) at Ontario (6-0, 3-0): The resurgent Spartans — Pleasant was 1-9 last fall — held on for a 30-22 win over Clear Fork last week as quarterback Owen Lowry threw for 208 yards and four touchdowns. For the season, Lowry has completed 96-of-158 passes for 1,281 yards and 12 TDs and rushed for 374 yards and eight scores on 74 carries. Aiden Smith has a team-high 28 catches for 433 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Conner Smith leads the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 92 tackles.
The Warriors improved to 6-0 for the first time since going unbeaten during the regular season in 2001 with last week’s 59-35 shootout win over Galion. Quarterback Bodpegn Miller completed 15-of-21 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 95 yards and two TDs. For the season, Miller has completed 84-of-122 passes for 1,334 yards and 12 touchdowns. Running back Chase Studer ranks among MOAC leaders with 574 yards and 10 touchdowns on 102 carries. Tight end Dylan Floyd has a team-high 24 receptions for 326 yards and three TDs. Quin Frankhouse has 13 receptions for 383 yards and three scores. Braylon Wilson leads the defense with 41 tackles, while Chase Stoffer has 40 stops.