MANSFIELD — Marquis Sykes knew Kaylen Brooks would make an impact, but Mansfield Senior’s veteran coach had no idea it would be this sudden — or significant.

The Tygers won their first five games for the first time since the 2013-14 season thanks in no small part to Brooks, a highly-regarded freshman shooting guard. Senior High is now 5-1 and Brooks is averaging 16.5 points a game while shooting 38 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

“I knew he would be a difference-maker, but did I expect him to average 16 points a game this early in his career? No. I wasn’t expecting 16 points a game,” said Sykes, who picked up career win No. 100 earlier this month. “He’s highly-skilled for his age and he tries to out-work everybody.”

The son of former Senior High guard and current junior varsity coach John Brooks, Kaylen is on pace to demolish Sean Tucker’s freshman scoring record of 113 points. Brooks has scored 99 points in six games.

“I’m so grateful to be a part of this,” the younger Brooks said after scoring a career-high 26 points in an 85-69 win over crosstown rival Madison. “It’s a great program and we have a great coach.

“I just thank God that He put me in the situation that He put me in.”

The 6-foot Brooks has started all six of Senior High’s games. He meshed seamlessly with senior Kyevi Roane and junior Rashad Reed Jr., the two returning starters from last season. The trio have played together on the Ohio Rebels AAU team, coached by John Brooks.

“We’ve been playing together since I was 5 years old,” the budding freshman said. “Our chemistry couldn’t be better.”

A senior and four-year letterman, Roane isn’t surprised to see Brooks make an immediate impact.

“To be honest, I kind of expected this,” said Roane, who scored 90 points as a freshman and is close to becoming the eighth member of Senior High’s exclusive 1,000-point club. “I’ve been playing with him for a long time. We’ve always had a connection and I know how much work he puts in over the summer.

“Nothing that he has done so far has surprised me.”

While his long-range marksmanship has garnered most of the attention in the early-going, Brooks is more than a 3-point specialist. He has shown the ability to create his own shot off the dribble — a skill not lost on Sykes.

“He’s a great shooter, as everybody can see, but we don’t have to just run plays for him to get him open,” said Sykes, who scored 1,151 points during his storied Senior High career. “He’s a creator who can finish at the rim. He’s got a nice mid-range game and floater.

“He may be just a freshman, but we’re leaning on him.”

With Brooks, Roane (16.7 ppg) and Reed (13.8 ppg) leading the charge, Senior High is expected to contend for its first Ohio Cardinal Conference championship since 2019. The Tygers already have road OCC wins at New Philadelphia, Madison and Ashland. The only loss was Friday night’s road encounter at Lexington.

So what is the ceiling for this team?

“Having all the weapons that we’ve got, it’s a lot for teams to handle. It’s going to be a problem,” Brooks said. “As long as we put the work in and stay humble, the sky is the limit.”