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MANSFIELD – Hilliard Davidson coach Jeremy Scally knows Arlin Field well.
“I’ve been here a lot,” he said. “I’ve sat up in the stands, and I’ve watched the Division I state semifinal games. One of my coaches is from the Mansfield area, and I grew up in Sandusky, so close enough to know the venue. It’s historic … we actually went through some of the history with our players before we got here.
“And to me — Massillon is the one that gets (attention) — this is the best high school football venue in the state of Ohio.”
It was the debut of Mansfield Senior’s new turf field and the coaching debut for Antonio Fletcher, but mistakes and penalties spoiled the Tygers’ season opener as Scally’s Wildcats won 38-7.
“It was chaotic to start,” Scally said. “We arrived at 6:03 because of late busses and Columbus traffic … but our kids handled that part well. And momentum, we were just trying to get our footing early, and once we did I feel like we played pretty well.”
Neither team could get much going offensively early on, largely in part due to their opposing defenses. It wasn’t until there were 14 seconds left in the first quarter when Hilliard Davidson opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal. Then back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter saw the Tygers go down 17-0. But with 33 seconds remaining in the half — after a big heave from Sean Tanner to Tai Pickett got them in scoring position — Ryan Au bounced out for a 3-yard scamper as the team’s lone touchdown of the night.
“It really meant a lot because when we got down there the coaches immediately pointed to me and I knew at that moment I had to score,” Au said. “We’ve been working on that all practice when we get down that close, I’m the guy.”
And the Tygers ended the…
Source link : https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2025/08/22/ohsaa-football-hilliard-davidson-wildcats-handles-mansfield-senior-tygers-in-season-opener/85675877007/
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Publish date : 2025-08-23 03:08:00
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