The Lexington Minutemen lost Friday's home conference game against Mansfield Senior Tygers by a score of 37-10.
Mansfield Tygers wasted no time in establishing their dominance on the field. Duke Reese immediately led his squad with a 30-yard touchdown scramble, putting his team on the scoreboard. Mansfield Senior took an early 7-0 lead over Lexington after kicking the extra point in. Reese was unstoppable as he scrambled for a 13-yard touchdown and another good extra point extending Tygers' lead to 14-0 with 9 minutes and 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
Continuing the Tygers' relentless offense, at 3 minutes and 46 seconds left in the quarter, Mansfield Senior quarterback Jamir Petty broke free for a 28-yard rushing score pushing the lead to 21-0.
Minutemen Joe Caudill connected to Brayden Fogle for a spectacular 65-yard passing touchdown. The successful extra point narrowed the lead to 21-7 with only 15 seconds remaining in the first quarter, giving Lexington some hope as they entered the second.
Lexington was able to score several points as the game headed to the second quarter. Will Perkins nailed a 26-yard field goal, decreasing Mansfield's lead to 21-10 with less than 6 minutes left in the quarter. But the Tygers' were determined in their pursuit of victory — Reese found jersey #14 Nate Dismuke for a 25-yard receiving touchdown and with an extra point conversion, Mansfield regained a commanding lead of 28-10 going into halftime.
The third quarter witnessed an impressive defensive play by Lexington as #16 Daylan McGinty sacked Caudill for safety, earning two crucial points for Lexington. Despite this defensive effort, Mansfield maintained a 30-10 lead as the third quarter came to a close.
The Tygers continued to exert their dominance on the field in the last quarter. Reese connected with Ja'ontay O'bryant for a 14-yard pass touchdown, extending their lead to 37-10 with 11 minutes and 3 seconds remaining.
Lexington tried to stage a late-game comeback, but O'bryant intercepted Caudill's throw in the end zone, ending any chance of a comeback for the Minutemen. The Mansfield Tygers won the closely contested football game with a final score of 37-10 in their favor.
