MADISON TOWNSHIP — For a long time momentum was dressed in Mansfield Senior orange in the City Series.
But Old Mo is a horse of a different color these days. Now it’s donning Madison green.
Coach Kobi Johnson’s squad upended Mansfield Sr. 19-6 on Friday night at Ram Field for a third straight victory over its arch-rival. That decision also clinched a 5-5 overall record, the first time Madison has finished .500 since the 2015 season.
Quarterback Carson Cook ran for one touchdown and fired two TD passes to Daniel Norris to lead the Rams.
Cook and Norris connected for a 15-yard TD pass with 3:41 remaining in the first half. It was the only score as Madison took a 6-0 margin into intermission.
Cook plunged 1 yard for a touchdown with 5:27 showing in the third quarter to make it 12-0. Cook and Norris hooked up for the final time on a 13-yard strike with 9:14 remaining in the game to push the bulge to 19-0.
Senior High averted the shutout when David Phillips III tossed a 51-yard scoring pass to Juewell Butler with 54 seconds remaining.
Madison controlled the line of scrimmage with its double-barrel running game. Demarrion Lloyd gained 92 yards on 15 carries, while Aiden Proctor added 82 yards on 12 attempts. Cook completed 11-of-18 passes for 84 yards with Camden Moysi catching five aerials for 50 yards.
Mansfield Senior found the majority of its success in the air. Phillips was 11-of-29 passing for 167 yards. Butler collected five catches for 96 yards.
The Rams carved a statistical advantage in first downs (18-12), rushing yards (191-52) and total yards (278-219).
Overall, the Tygers still own a 33-25-3 edge in the rivalry. Senior High finished the season 1-9, 1-6.
The Rams were 3-4 in Ohio Cardinal Conference action and have an outside shot at reaching the postseason. Their fate won’t be officially determined until the Ohio High School Athletic Association releases the playoff pairings on Sunday.