MANSFIELD — Antonio Fletcher endured a tough start in his head coaching debut on Friday night at Arlin Field.
Mansfield Senior’s new football boss saw his team drop a 38-7 verdict to Hilliard Davison in the high school football opener for both schools.
The first quarter was a harbinger of things to come, with every snap for both teams taken in Tyger territory.
Still, the Senior High defense hung tough until junior Avery Browning booted a 22-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first period for a 3-0 edge. Howeever, that sequence seemed to ignite the Wildcats.
After stopping a Senior High advance deep in its own territory, Davidson responded with a 6-play, 73-yard march capped by Dayne Schmidt’s 19-yard TD bolt to goose the margin to 10-0 with 6:31 showing in the half.
Next came a 7-play, 54-yard drive, with senior Josh DiBlasio finishing it on a 3-yard touchdown blast for a 17-0 margin at the 2:00 mark.
The Tygers showed some spunk though, responding just before the half on Ryan Au’s 2-yard run to slice the gap to 17-7 at intermission. The big play to set up the score was a 56-yard pass from Sean Tanner to Tai Pickett.
(Photos by Brittany Schock. Story continues below)
But Schmidt helped Davidson recapture the momentum for good in the second half, roaring to touchdown runs of 20 and 35 yards to blow the game open and give the Wildcats a 31-7 advantage midway through the third period.
DiBlasio’s 10-yard scoring dash with 1:59 left in the frame expanded the bulge to 38-7 and triggered a running clock heading to the fourth quarter.
Stats
Hilliard Davidson dominated the statistics, too. The Wildcats recorded 17 first downs to 5 for Senior High, and ripped off 233 yards rushing to just 41 for the hosts.
The visitors owned the total yardage battle by a 316-139 edge. Neither team committed a turnover.
Schmidt rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns, while DiBlasio added 60 yards and a pair of scores.
For the Tygers, 125-pound senior Ajahi Evans collected 49 yards on 12 carries, while Tanner threw for 90 yards and ran for 14 more. Pickett caught 2 passes for 73 yards.
Notebook
The Tygers have begun their 127th high school football season. After Friday night’s loss, Senior High is now 615-524-51 in 1,190 games.
The Wildcats were coming off an 8-5 season, while Senior High absorbed a 1-9 campaign last fall.
Mansfield Senior is on the road at Tiffin Columbian on Friday night.
The Wildcats play at Canal Winchester next week.