It may have taken a while for Tyquan Vickers and the Mansfield Senior offense to find its footing on the natural grass at Wooster’s Follis Field, but the Tygers looked right at home during the second half on a crisp Friday night.
A powerfully-built 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore, Vickers rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns and Senior High scored 31 second-half points in a 45-21 win over the Generals.
The Tygers improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. Wooster slipped to 2-6, 2-3.
Before Friday, Mansfield Senior’s only other game on natural grass this season came in Week 3 at Marion Harding.
“It was hard to cut back on this grass, but I felt like I could get it done,” said Vickers, who has rushed for 1,279 yards and 12 touchdowns on 162 carries this fall. “I’m not used to it at all. We tried to practice on grass and make it muddy in practice so we could get used to it.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Vickers broke free for a 37 yard touchdown to give the Tygers a 7-0 lead. Wooster responded when quarterback Cam Daugherty found 6-foot-3 wideout Marquise Blair in the back of the end zone to make it 7-7 with 3:27 to play in the first half.
The Tygers answered about two minutes later when Vickers scored from 12 yards out.
“Once again, my offensive line was opening huge holes for me,” Vickers said. “I was trying to hit it hard and down hill.”
Mansfield Senior’s Mitch Nixon recovered an onside kick to start the second half, but the Tygers were penalized on the play for interference because the ball never hit the ground before the sure-handed Nixon reeled it in.
Wooster assumed possession on the Mansfield Senior 40 yard lined and tied the score at 14-14 four plays later when running back Martavious Dyson darted into the end zone from 8 yards out.
“For all of that to happen tonight, that actually motivated our kids,” Senior High coach Chioke Bradley said. “I saw our kids … pin their ears back. I didn’t really have to say much at halftime. Those guys were fired up.
“I like the fact that our kids were resilient and came out and fought through those adverse situation and just made some plays.”
The Tygers took control after that, scoring 21 unanswered points. Malon Samuel started the scoring spree with an 11 yard TD run midway through the third quarter. Vickers added a 7-yard scoring dash late in the third and Chek Washington hauled in a 6 yard scoring strike from Jalen Reese in the fourth quarter. By the time the dust settled, Senior High held a comfortable 35-14 advantage with 8:48 to play in the fourth quarter.
“What you saw in the second half was a bunch of motivated Tyger football players,” Bradley said.
The Generals used a trick play to cut Senior High’s lead to 35-21 with eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-5 Daugherty lined up at wideout with Blair taking the snap in the wildcat formation. Blair ran to his right, then lofted a pass into the end zone for Daugherty, who outjumped 5-foot-7 Senior High cornerback Asante’ Wilder for a 7 yard touchdown.
The Tygers put the game away on their next possession, marching 72 yards on seven plays. The drive was helped along by a personal foul on the Generals. Fullback Travon Harris capped the drive with an 8-yard rumble through the heart of the Wooster defense. The drive included a 15 yard pass from Reese to Wilder, giving the Tygers’ senior quarterback 5,000 career passing yards.
Hutch Blackstone finished the scoring for the Tygers, booting a season-long 35 yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining. It was the seventh straight game Blackstone has kicked a field goal.
Mansfield Senior’s stout defense limited the Generals to 193 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers. Daugherty completed just 5 of 12 passes for 33 yards.
Dyston led Wooster with 96 rushing yards on 18 carries. Blair had two carries for 58 yards.
“Our defense has been doing a great job since Week 1,” Bradley said. “They come out week in and week out and always make their presence known.”
Reese completed 16 of 25 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. Washington had six catches for 118 yards and a score.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @mnjconrad.
