The MHS football teams will match up against fellow MISD high school Lake Ridge at Newsom Stadium on Thursday for JV and in the annual Pink Out Varsity game on Friday as the teams lean on their strengths to secure more wins.
“If we are consistently blocking well and taking care of the ball on offense, and tackling and creating turnovers on defense, I have great confidence in team 83’s ability to win,” Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Greg George said. “I love the competitiveness this team has. There is no quit in them at all.”
Coach George further expressed his faith in this year’s varsity team.
“They have grit,” he said. “There is a chance for them to win each and every week because of the mentality they possess as a team.”
He said the team focuses little on previous match ups, and instead adapts to the performance of their opponent every night.
“The focus of our game plan each week is to take advantage of what their defense gives us and to take away what they are good at on offense,” George said.
Mansfield recently snapped a three-game losing streak after they defeated Boswell last week by a score of 31-12. Coach George said the team performed well, but also had some difficulties.
“Our team played great defense all 4 quarters, gaining 2 turnovers and 1 touchdown,” he said. “We struggled to be consistent on offense in the first half, but came out in the second half and played very well.”
Coach George said many players stepped up as leaders, which he felt was crucial for success in this young varsity team.
“Seeing some leaders step up this week has been good and very much needed,” he said. “Good leadership, consistency in blocking, tackling and taking care of the ball and eliminating mental errors are key to continued success on the scoreboard.”
This increase in leadership was significant, as the team struggled with a lack of experience and consistency early in the season.
“Early on, it was overcoming inexperience at the varsity level,” George said. “Being more consistent in the little things will make the big things like winning on the scoreboard easier, blocking and tackling on a consistently high level and not turning the ball over on offense and gaining turnovers on defense.”
Early difficulties were not limited to just on-field inconsistency however, as overall drive has been lacking in some parts of the curriculum.
“Our greatest struggle has been with motivation,” JV B team offensive lineman Ryker Sacky said. “We tend to be less energetic and more negative toward certain parts of the football curriculum that we should be optimistic about. For example, people are less optimistic about lifting weights than last year.”
Although last week’s match up against Boswell did signal growth in the team, Mansfield plays them every year and tends to find success. The upcoming battle with Lake Ridge is likely to be more of a test.
“To be fair, Boswell is not exactly our toughest opponent,” Ryker said. “Lake Ridge will be more of a challenge, however we have made many improvements over the off-season and summer to prepare.”
Ryker said he shares the view of Coach George that the team will find success against Lake Ridge this Friday, while restating it will be more difficult. He also brought up last year’s JV match for reference to the schools’ similar performances.
“I believe Mansfield will be able to beat Lake Ridge, although it will be a tight game,” Ryker said. “Last year the score went down to the wire and we ended up with a 28-26 win.”
Coach George reaffirmed the team’s commitment to making playoffs this year.
“Making the playoffs is an expectation for us, not a goal,” George said. “Our goal is to be playing during Thanksgiving.”