WOOSTER — Mansfield Senior is surfing a winning streak, and the wave has the Tygers on the cusp of an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship.
Senior quarterback Duke Reese threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another score as coach Choke Bradley’s team won its fifth straight game by thumping Wooster 35-7 on Friday night at Follis Field.
The Tygers (6-2 overall, 5-0 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference) can clinch at least a share of the conference crown with a victory next week at Mount Vernon.
Mansfield Senior authored a dominant second-half performance that led to a statistical advantage across the board.
The rejuvenated Tygers’ running game ground out 225 yards rushing, with three players each chipping in more than 60 yards.
Senior Ziyon Brown led the way with 69 yards and a touchdown on six attempts. Reese had 67 yards and a TD on 12 carries and Jamir Petty added 62 yards on 14 runs.
Reese completed 11-of-19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Nate Dismuke topped the receivers with five receptions for 81 yards and a score.
Senior High had more first downs (17 to 12), yards rushing (225 to 39), passing yards (128 to 108) and total yards (353 to 147) than the hosts.
Julian Franklin’s 89 yards rushing were a bright spot for Wooster, which suffered four turnovers.
Mansfield Senior grabbed an early edge after marching 82 yards on 14 plays, but stalled out at the Generals’ 3-yard line. So, Senior High settled for a Quinten DeBolt 20-yard field goal and a 3-0 edge with 4:02 showing in the first quarter.
Wooster (2-6, 1-5) moved ahead on its ensuing possession when Franklin scored from the 5-yard line. That capped a six-play, 60-yard thrust and gave the Generals a 7-3 advantage at the 2:17 mark of the first period.
The Tygers regained the lead when Reese tossed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Dismuke. DeBolt’s PAT made it 10-7 with 1:32 left in the half.
In the third quarter, the two teams swapped fumbles inside the Wooster 10, but Senior High created some space with a 9-play, 67-yard march that Reese finished with an 18-yard dash. The ensuing PAT pushed the Tygers on top 17-7 with 3:32 remaining in the third period.
Then the wheels came off for the Generals.
On their next play from scrimmage, Wooster was pinned at its own 8 when a snap went through the end zone for a safety.
Mansfield Senior took advantage after the free kick, and DeBolt busted a 38-yard field goal for a 22-7 margin with 1:04 to play in the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth period, Senior High swarmed Wooster on a 4th-and-11 and took over on the Generals’ 18-yard line.
Three plays later Bradley’s bunch rang the bell again when Elias Owens caught a 2-yard scoring pass from Reese for a 29-7 bulge at the 11:01 mark.
On the Tygers’ next possession, Brown cut loose for a 48-yard touchdown dash, but the conversion pass failed leaving the gap at 35-7 with 5:07 blinking on the scoreboard.
Wooster has lost four straight and travels to Ashland on Friday.