On a rain soaked field in Bismarck, the Mansfield junior high football team ran roughshod over the hometown Lions. The 2025 season opener for both teams ended in a convincing 40-6 win for the visiting Tigers.
Mansfield wasted little time getting on the board. A two play sequence with chunk yards by freshman running backs Issac Carson and Colton Moore put Mansfield ahead for good. Carson went 12 yards on a pitch to the right side on play one. Moore busted a dive on play two for a 35-yard up the gut gasher into the endzone. Following Layton Pyles’ two-point conversion, Mansfield was sitting 8-0 early.
Bismarck would answer on the ensuing drive with a quarterback sweep out of the spread shotgun formation. The 20 yard scamper needed a pair of missed tackles but nonetheless found the end zone. The Lion two-point try failed leaving the home team scoreless for the rest of the night.
Mansfield quarterback, Elijah Burton, had himself a game. The eighth grader scored two offensive touchdowns, a two-point try and had an interception playing defense.
Burton’s first score fooled everyone including the announcer by leading Moore into the line with a hard fake. The shifty quarterback pulled the ball at the last second and rounded the left end undetected for the 4-yard touchdown to start the second period. He also converted on the two-point try with a quarterback power to push Mansfield up 16-6 with 6:47 in the second quarter.
With 9.9 seconds to go in the first half, Burton does it again. This time the option left went for 53 yards and the score. Bruising fullback Colton Moore rammed the interior for the followup conversion placing Mansfield in complete command.
In between Burton’s two touchdowns, the two way player, now on defense, picked off an ill-advised Lion pass to the flats. Burton broke on the wobbler to return the ball in the opposite direction. The 22 yard pick set up a Mansfield score with 1:30 to play in the second quarter.
What turned out to be Mansfield’s third score came exactly one play after the Burton INT. Right halfback, Layton Pyles took the pitch going to his left. Cutting under the edge defender, the freshman halfback cut back towards the middle. Pyles then steamrolled the oncoming safety and broke free for a 45 yard touchdown run. Moore tacked on the successful try with another run up the gut.
Carson continued his good night with another burst of speed in the third period. The shifty halfback saw a seam working back to his right on a well executed counter. This one went 25 yards for the touchdown. A Burton QB run set the final tally at 40-6.
Mansfield’s final score was set up by a fumble recovery of a mishandled shotgun exchange by the Lions. Ninth grade defensive tackle Timothy Norton pounced on the football at the Lion’s 23 yardline to put Mansfield in scoring position.
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