Mansfield Senior defense shines bright in playoff football win over Defiance
MANSFIELD — Ricky Mills made his way through the postgame handshake line as quickly as he possibly could.
He sprinted toward the victory bell in the west corner of historical Arlin Field and started ringing it before any of his teammates were within even 50 yards of him. It wasn't the only bell he rung during Mansfield Senior's 16-0 win over Defiance in a Division III Region 10 quarterfinal Friday night.
Mills led a spirited Tygers defense that held Defiance to just 174 yards of total offense as the senior went absolutely crazy on the defensive side of the ball with eight tackles and 3.5 sacks.
"Coach Adams and Coach Bradley put together a great game plan on defense and we just had guys put in the right spots to make plays," Mills said. "I was put in positions to make plays, and I did that because of them. Our speed and our effort were on 110% tonight."
No. 5 seed Mansfield Senior advanced to play No. 1 seed Parma Heights Holy Name (9-2) in a Division III Region 10 semifinal Friday night at a site to be determined.
It was the second consecutive playoff shutout for the Tygers (10-2) and the first time they posted back-to-back shutouts since Weeks 2 and 3 of the 2019 season. In all, the Tygers finished with six sacks and eight tackles for loss and put together two of the best goal-line stands of the season and possibly in program history.
With time short in the second quarter, Defiance (7-5) decided to go for a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, and the Tygers defense stood strong and forced a turnover on downs.
"The coaches put together a great game plan for us, and then when we were on the 1- and the 2-yard lines, we just knew we had to go get it and play Tyger defense," Mills said. "We knew they were going to try and run inside for a quick score, so we just went straight at them and stopped them."
But it was what the offense did when it got the ball back that flipped the game on its head.
Already leading 7-0 after Duke Reese connected with Amarr Daivs on a 12-yard pass play with 8:08 left in the second quarter, the Tygers wanted to turn that goal line stand into something even bigger and they had 4:44 left to do it. They proceeded to drive 99 yards, including a 17-yard quarterback keeper by Reese to start the drive when the Tygers offensive line basically carried Reese that far by pushing the pile downfield.
They capped the drive with a 5-yard pass from Reese to Elias Owens with just 17 seconds left to play in the first half. It was a huge score because the Tygers got the ball to start the second half and led 14-0.
"We went 99 yards with no penalties," Mansfield Senior coach Chioke Bradley said. "It was wonderful to watch our guys go out and play Tyger football and to see JO (offensive coordinator Jacob Owens) do a great job of calling plays and getting our offense into successful opportunities.
"That 99 drive set the tone for the rest of the evening and took the life out of those guys. It made them do some things they don't like to do, like throw the football. They aren't built for that."
It was the longest drive in Mansfield Senior football history.
With 3:32 left in the third quarter, the Tygers defense came up huge again when Symirr Phillips made a strip sack that sent the ball squirting out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Tygers the deciding 16-0 lead.
"From watching the tape, we knew we were faster than them up front defensively and knew we could attack their offensive line," Bradley said. "Coach Adams and our defensive staff did a great job of giving them several different looks. We lock in on the weekends and do a good job of directing the other team's offense. If we see a weakness, we are going to go after it."
But to preserve the shutout, Mansfield Senior needed one more special performance out of the defense.
After a 77-yard pass play on which Keontez Bradley chased down a Bulldog to stop a touchdown and give his defense a chance, the Bulldogs had the ball first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. The Bulldogs ran a play for a 4-yard loss to close out the third quarter and switch the field to start the fourth.
Things didn't go well on that side of the field either. After a sack, a penalty, and two more sacks, the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs at the Tygers 30-yard line, going 28 yards in reverse after the long pass play.
"We say it all the time — Tyger defense is the flagship of Richland County football," Bradley said. "I don't think you can drive anywhere else to see a better defense than what we have here. What a thing of beauty. I don't know how many sacks Ricky Mills had tonight but he was a machine, and how about Keontez Bradley tracking that kid down and tackling him on the 1 just to give our defense a chance to live to fight another day?
"It just exemplifies what Tyger defense is all about. We play for each other, we live for each other, we band together and we fight to the end."
The Tygers didn't turn that into points, but it took the wind out of Defiance's sails and basically put the game on ice. Mansfield Senior held Defiance to just 23 rushing yards on 31 carries, less than a yard per carry. They were just as good in the pass game, allowing just 151 yards on 7-of-12 passing, and Amarr Davis came up with two more interceptions to give him four games with two picks this season, nine total, and four takeaways in the playoffs.
"It is simple — I just stay deep and make a play on the ball," Davis said. "We knew they run a lot of play action, and after halftime we just dropped back and were in better positions. The defensive line did their thing and the linebackers did their thing and it helps the secondary do theirs."
His second pick came a series after he gave up the long pass play that nearly ruined the shutout. But like a true Tyger, he shook it off and moved on to make a big play later to seal the game in the fourth quarter with his second interception. He credited his teammates for helping him bounce back.
"The team," Davis said. "Every one of my teammates told me not to worry about it and that we would make it up, and that is exactly what we did. In practice, we were told they would come in here and try to bully us, but after we get up 14 points they were going to get pass happy, and that is what we want."
Bradley, a former cornerback for the Tygers in the '90s and at Bowling Green State University, knows the position well and knows big pass plays happen, but he credited Davis for turning things around.
"He got beat on the fade, and that is OK," Bradley said. "That happens. It is part of the position when you play corner. You will win some and lose some, and he has won way more than he has lost. The kid is going to be an All-Ohioan. He has to be one of the tops in the state with interceptions. Nine interceptions, wow. Four in the playoffs. That is wonderful."
Offensively the Tygers ran for 192 yards on 34 carries as the offensive line dominated from start to finish. Isaiah Darson had 95 yards while Davis added 35, Zyion Brown 26 and Mills 20. Reese finished 10-for-19 passing with 78 yards and two TDs and an interception. Davis had 47 yards on five catches with a TD.
Mekhi Bradley led the team in tackles with 10, including a sack, while Aaron Thornton had seven tackles, Keontez Bradley added six with a tackle for loss, Phillips had five tackles with a sack and Leo Hess left his imprint on the game with five tackles and a half a sack.
Mills and the rest of his senior teammates ended their careers at Arlin Field with a second straight shutout.
"It is a great feeling," Mills said. "I hope one day the coaches will replay these last two games to future Tyger football players to show them the standard. It is great to go out of Arlin Field with another shutout."
Chioke Bradley views Mills as a huge weapon on the defensive line despite being a running back and linebacker by trade and size.
"We get him lined up on different offensive linemen who we think he can have a lot of success against," Bradley said. "Ricky does the rest with his God-given abilities."
If the Tygers can play defense like they did Friday night, who knows how far they can end up going in the playoffs?
"We honestly just blacked out and gave everything we had to get to the quarterback," Mills said. "We just played Tyger defense. We can go as far as we want to go. We have to believe in ourselves, believe in coaches and come back tomorrow ready to win the day."
jfurr@gannett.com
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Twitter: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Senior Tyger defense spirited in win over Defiance Bulldogs
