The football version of the Battle of Scott County was over in the first half. Mansfield shook off a shaky few minutes in the first to put the whammy 46-6 on the Waldron Bulldogs on the road on September 5.
The Tigers ran all over the Bulldogs basically putting the senior high football game out of reach after the first 24 minutes of game clock. Mansfield posted the final margin in the opening two quarters to put the AAA Mercy Rule into effect as the third quarter cranked up.
Senior Tiger Andrew Burton was 5 yards shy of tying Garrett Sutton’s school record for rushing yards in a single game. Sutton set his mark of 286 yards in 2009 against Hackett with 17 carries. Burton totaled 281 yards on only 13 attempts in just three quarters of play against Waldron. The All-State fullback sat out the fourth quarter as the clock proceeded to run uninterrupted.
“It’s always good to beat the Bulldogs,” said Mansfield’s head football coach Whit Overton after the game as he addressed his players on the field. “Now, it’s on to revenge tour two against Lamar.” The coach was quick to put aside the Waldron win which moved them 2-0 to start the season. He was ready to put this one behind him as a chance to avenge last year’s 12-13 loss to the Lamar Warriors was next on the schedule.
Burton was “big man” on the Waldron campus for much of the night. He had touchdown runs of 48, 32 and 83 yards to break the earlier close contest. Those big strikes contributed to his first half rushing total of 235 yards. He would gain only 46 more yards on the night as Mansfield used the entire third quarter with the running clock to get to the Waldron 2 yard line. They would not score as the MHS second offense came in to finish the drive now in the fourth quarter. The opportunity failed as Waldron’s first defense stiffened up.
Burton’s first score came on the Tigers’ second play from scrimmage with 9:13 to go in the first period. Waldron would answer quickly with a 75 yard catch and run by Bulldog senior receiver Jake Roberson. WHS junior quarterback, Eli Kluthe, aired out the long distance delivery. The home team score closed the gap to 8-6. That would be as close as the game would get. Mansfield would put up the next 38 points unanswered.
Mansfield QB Jubal Parks scored on a 5 yard power play at the 11:56 mark of the second stanza. Burton would take on that 2-point try. To make it 16-6. Parks would throw for another score with 0:54 to go in the first half. The sophomore signal caller hit senior Cooper Edwards across the middle for a 10 yard strike.
Jeremiah Burton, Andrew’s tenth grade brother, would not let Edwards' touchdown catch be the last Tiger score before the first half time ran out. The opportunistic second level defender tracked down an off-target Bulldog pass for a 52 yard interception return. With 0:06 showing on the game clock, Mansfield was lining up for another 2-point try. Parks hit senior receiver Joseph Carter for the extra point deuce placing the score at 46-6 going into the halftime locker room.
Andrew Burton had a 2-point conversion. Jeremiah Burton had a pair of successful 2-point tries. Third brother Silas Burton also had a 2-point running conversion. Silas also had a near interception of his own in the second quarter.
Total offense for the Tigers was listed at 501 yards. The team cleaned up the turnover troubles it had last week when they lost 4 fumbles versus Bismarck in a drama-rich 34-28 overtime victory. Mansfield fumbled only once against Waldron. Bulldog defensive lineman Dakota Taff bounced on the stripped carry as the Tigers were threatening with their second possession.
One night earlier, Mansfield’s junior high football team had nearly as easy a time with the junior Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium. The MHS junior varsity broke big plays for a 48-18 final.
Isaac Carson spearheaded the Tiger charge with an 85 yard kick off return to start the second half. The Tiger speedster used all of 12 seconds to circumvent the Bulldog kicking unit to find paydirt. The freshman halfback also had a 25 yard option run in the opening period to tie the score 6-6 before a Tiger 2-point pass play gave them the lead 8-6. He also had a 16 yard wheel route touchdown reception from Elijah Burton just before half.
Special teams factored into the Mansfield junior high win. Freshman Layton Pyles returned a punt 35 yards for another score. This one came with 3:23 in the second stanza.
Pyles also had a 52 yard pass reception that temporarily went for six points. Unfortunately, the score was nullified by a Tiger penalty. Colton Moore ended up cashing in on that earlier possession as Mansfield moved down the field to the 4 yard line before his dive to the middle crossed the goal line.
Elijah Burton raced down the left side for a 67 yard quarterback score with 0:17 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Pyles took a counter handoff around left end for the 2-points to give Mansfield a 48-12 advantage.
Waldron would score on a reverse in the fourth to get the score closer at its final 48-18 tally.
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