No. 4 Mansfield Senior (10-2, 8-0) beat OCC rival No. 13 Lexington (5-6, 4-3) 30-13 in the opening round of the Division III, Region 10 football tournament, and it was a milestone night for receiver Amarr Davis who caught his 20th career touchdown pass tying the school record.
The Minutemen took a 7-0 lead on a six-yard touchdown run by Joe Caudill with 4:49 left in the first quarter. Lexington started at their own 40-yard line after a Mansfield Senior punt and on a fourth down Caudill connected with Markale Martin for a 40-yard pass to get the ball to the 14-yard line. Caudill was then able to take it in for the score on a third down QB keeper.
Running back Jamier Petty responded with a long run that set up a 10-yard touchdown run to tie up the game with 1:49 left in the quarter.
With 8:37 remaining in the half, Will Perkins hit a 22-yard field goal to put the Minutemen up 10-7. The ball was on the Mansfield Senior 34-yard line when Caudill hit Brayden Fogle for a big gain, getting the ball down to the five-yard line. The Tygers held the Minutemen to a field goal to stay in striking distance.
The Tygers scored with 2:20 left in the half with QB Duke Reese connecting with Davis for 35 yards. The drive started at their own 30-yard line but then Reese got the Tygers to the 35-yard line of the Minutemen on a big pass play. This led to Reese hitting Davis for his milestone receiving touchdown. Mansfield Senior made another push as the half was winding down, as they had the ball on Lexington’s 21-yard line following a Reese to Nate Dismuke pass play. The Minutemen defense stepped up and forced them to kick a field goal which was no good, and it was a four point game at halftime.
With 4:06 on the clock in the third quarter, Perkins hit a 27-yard field goal to make it a one point game. The Tygers got back on the board with a two-yard touchdown run by Duke Reese and it was a 21-13 lead for Mansfield Senior.
With 11 minutes left in the game Mansfield Senior missed a field goal, but then with 7:42 left, Zyion Brown got in on the scoring with a touchdown run from five yards out to put the Tygers up 28-13. The play was set up by a a Xavier Taylor interception to get the ball to Lexington’s 22-yard line, and then Reese got it down to the five-yard line on a run.
Mansfield Senior’s punt pinned Lexington to their own 7-yard line. With 3:49 left Symirr Phillips and Mo Bradley II sacked Caudill in the end zone for a safety, and that would be the final.
The Tygers had 120 yards rushing in the game, led by Petty’s 64 yards and a score. Reese threw for a touchdown to Davis and ran for another, while Brown also scored. Bradley tallied 15 tackles with two for a loss, and two sacks in the win. Xavier Taylor had a pair of picks. Ja’ontay O’Bryant had an interception for the Tygers, which was his 11th of his career.
For Lexington, Perkins hit two field goals and and extra point, while Caudill found the end zone on the ground.
Mansfield Senior faces No. 5 Rocky River (10-1, 5-0) on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The Pirates beat No. 12 Clyde in the first round 14-7.
