Stovall helps Mansfield to defeat Melbourne, move on

MANSFIELD 27, MELBOURNE 20

MANSFIELD — Ethan Stovall struggled to catch his breath as he accepted congratulations from friends and teammates following Mansfield’s 27-20 victory over Melbourne on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

The junior quarterback accounted for all 365 yards of total offense and all four Mansfield touchdowns, but Red Tigers coach Craig Bentley praised the Red Tigers’ defense for pitching a shutout to give their team the win in the Class 3A first-round playoff game.

The Mansfield defense had to come up with one final stop even after Stovall broke free on a 44-yard touchdown run with less than a minute left. The Red Tigers’ lead remained at 27-20 when the PAT went wide with 51 seconds left.

But Mansfield’s defense held at the end, despite Melbourne gaining a couple of first downs and advancing past mid-field. After a short pass completion, the Bearkatz tried to lateral the ball but fumbled and were forced to jump on the ball. However, time ran out before they could get back

to the line of scrimmage.

Mansfield (8-3), the No. 3 seed from the 3A-1 Conference, will now travel to Osceola next week to take on the Seminoles in the second round.

Bentley talked specifically about defense at halftime as the Red Tigers held a 21-20 lead at the intermission and the unit came through in a big way in the second half. He was especially pleased with how his team adjusted to Melbourne’s multiple formations and passing game.

“We challenged those guys,” Bentley said. “We said ‘Look, we’re playing with a lead, let’s protect it.’ If we come out and make some adjustments and do what we’re supposed to do, we’re gonna win this ballgame.

“We haven’t seen a team really like them all year. Our conference is a lot of ground and pound. It took us a half to adjust and by the time we did the kids did a fantastic job.”

That’s exactly what Mansfield did, holding Melbourne to just 63 yards of total offense in the final two quarters. The Bearkatz had rolled up more than 350 in the final half.

But Stovall was the story for Mansfield offensively. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. The junior quarterback also ran for 171 on 22 carries and two scores.

Noah McSpadden rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Gabe Lawrence threw for 269 yards and a touchdown. He completed 24 of 36 passes, but also threw one interception.

Mansfield held a 21-20 halftime lead as Stovall connected with Tyler Holmes on an 8-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to tie it. The PAT gave the Tigers the lead with 3:18 left in the first half.

Stovall accounted for all three Mansfield touchdown, running for one and throwing for two. McSpadden accounted for all three Melbourne touchdowns in the first half, running for two and catching a 25-yard scoring strike from Lawrence.