MANSFIELD — Even without one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country, the Mansfield Senior passing scrimmage lived up to its marquee billing.
Senior High welcomed some of the premier programs in Ohio to Arlin Field for its annual seven-on-seven tournament on a sun-soaked Tuesday.
Two-time defending Division IV state champ Cleveland Glenville and three-time Division I runner-up Springfield were among the teams to make their way to north central Ohio for the annual event.
Findlay — and Georgia-bound quarterback Ryan Montgomery — was a late scratch, but there were still plenty of high-profile recruits in attendance.
“Any time we can bring this type of talent to Richland County it’s always a blessing,” said Mansfield Senior coach Chioke Bradley, who is in his 15th season in charge of his alma mater. “It’s also wonderful for our kids to see this type of speed and this type of athleticism. It prepares you for later in the season.
“Glenville is a two-time state champion. Springfield is a perennial state qualifier. Any time you can compete against those type of programs you can’t help but to get better.”
In addition to Senior High, Glenville and Springfield, other teams in the eight-team event included Division I Canton GlenOak, Division II Big Walnut and Walnut Ridge, Division III Columbus Eastmoor Academy and Division VI Crestview.
“The speed and the physicality and the size, that’s what we want. We just want to be able to compete,” Crestview coach Steve Haverdill said. “A lot of time if you play teams that are not at this level, you can get away with bad technique. Here if you don’t have great technique, you get exposed.
“That’s why we want to get in here with teams like this.”
Video highlights, interviews
Mansfield Senior reached the Division III regional semifinals last year before falling to eventual state champ Toledo Central Catholic.
The Tygers lost a wealth of talent to graduation and will be breaking in a new quarterback this fall. Juniors Braylon Patterson and Jordan Ferguson both saw action Tuesday.
“This is different for them,” Bradley said. “We’re proud of those guys and their progression. We’ve got to keep rallying around them.”
Mansfield Senior’s always-stingy defense will be asked to shoulder the load while the offense finds its footing, That suits senior and first-team All-Ohio linebacker M.J. Bradley just fine.
“We always rely on our defense,” MJ Bradley said. “We have to keep getting better.”
Mansfield Senior reached the semifinals Tuesday before falling to Big Walnut. Springfield knocked off Glenville in the other semifinal before eliminating Big Walnut in the championship to defend its title from last year.
“We’re learning to play football at a high level,” Chioke Bradley said. “We have to be able to compete at a high level.”