Football Preview: Mansfield Tigers vs. Lake Ridge Eagles
The Mansfield Tigers will face off against the Lake Ridge Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mansfield will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Last Friday, Mansfield slipped by Boswell 41-40. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 66th, while the Pioneers are ranked 482nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mansfield's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braxton Van Cleave, who threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. Jacobe Hayes was Van Cleave's top target, picking up 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Lake Ridge came up short against North Forney last Friday, falling 49-24. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Although Lake Ridge took the loss, they still got scores from Noel Butler, Tre Murphy, and Murphy.
Lake Ridge's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Markeis Smith and Cameron Wilson.
Mansfield's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. As for Lake Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Mansfield skirted past Lake Ridge 35-33 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Lake Ridge's Marcus Hayes, who rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Mansfield to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
