MANSFIELD — Motivation is a beautiful thing.
All it takes is on shred of doubt from the outside to bring a team together to accomplish something great. All it takes is one sports writer to give you a ranking you feel you are better than to ignite a fire inside that helps you reach a different gear.
That is the case for the Nos. 8 and 9 teams in the Richland 25. They have their own motivation for success and it is about to help form a successful 2024 season. Let's meet them.
8. Lexington Volleyball
Richland County hasn't seen a volleyball district championship since 2017. Before the Lexington Lady Lex made it to the 2023 championship match, it hadn't seen a representative in the title game since the Crestview Cougars made it there in 2018.
The 2024 Lexington Lady Lex is about to change all of that misfortune on the volleyball court. They are locked and loaded for a run at a district title after finishing as runners-up last season. With volleyball set to expand to seven divisions, Lexington will be the fourth largest Division IV school in the state for volleyball. Last year's Division II district champion Norwalk is Division III in 2024 so the path to a district championship is quite clear for Lady Lex.
And they have the talent that backs up the expectations. Everything starts with the Big 3 of juniors Ava Brown, Tatum Stover and Bella Temple. Brown was a second team All-Ohioan last year after recording 550 kills, 36 aces, 137 service points, 42 total blocks, 240 digs and 175 assists. She was also the Division II District 6 Player of the Year, first team All-District 6 and first team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference. She has Lady Lex coming into the season with massive expectations.
Stover was sensational as a sophomore. She earned first team All-District 6 and first team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference in volleyball when she piled up 302 kills, 56 aces, 14 blocks and 429 digs making an impact on every ball in every match.
Temple was the engine that made everything go last season. She earned first team All-District 6 and second team All-OCC when she handed out an incredible 749 assists giving her more than 1,000 for her career in just two years. She also added 124 kills, 60 aces, 39 blocks and 260 digs.
Lex also brings back Kylie Thornton who joins Brown and Temple as a trio of 6-footers that makes them tough to defend at the net. And with a group of role players who thrive in their assignments, Lady Lex volleyball should be the cream of the crop in Richland County volleyball.
Lex went 19-6 last season. Their losses came to OCC champion Wooster twice, a 3-2 match against Mount Vernon, state power Gilmour Academy, Tiffin Columbian and Norwalk in the district title match. Lex beefed up their schedule even more adding Big Walnut and Tri-Valley to an already loaded OCC schedule and nonconference matches with Gilmour Academy and Columbian.
It's going to be an exciting year for Lady Lex.
9. Mansfield Senior Football
It may surprise some people to see the Tygers ranked in the Top 10, but in all honesty, they may be a little low. Yes, they lose 17 seniors including most of their skill guys and a solid group of offensive linemen. Yes, they lost their quarterback and a record-setting wide receiver. Yes, they lost 12 players who will suit up to play football at the collegiate level.
So, yes, the Tygers lost a lot from last year's Ohio Cardinal Conference championship season, but there is one thing they bring back that set them apart from any other football program in Richland County and even the state, head coach Chioke Bradley.
Bradley is a winning machine. No matter who leaves, no matter how many seniors graduate, no matter how many kids he sends to college on scholarship, he always churns out great football teams year after year and 2024 will be no different.
He will have a nice bit of talent to work with, too, headlined by his nephew MJ Bradley, who earned first team All-Ohio honors as a linebacker when he piled up 140 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions. The defense has its leader on the field and on the sidelines as Coach Bradley will again be the defensive coordinator along with his head coaching duties.
He also has Symirr Phillips returning to the defensive line after he had an All-Ohio season as a junior with 80 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. With he and Bradley defending the end zone, it is going to be tough for opponents to get anything going with those two constantly in the backfield.
The Tygers also have Nate Dismuke returning after a standout junior season. He had 39 tackles, two for a loss, and three interceptions on defense and caught 31 passes for 642 yards and nine touchdowns on offense. Dismuke will be used in a plethora or ways offensively likely seeing time at running back, receiver and he may even throw a pass or two after leading the Tygers to a win over Canfield last year in his only start at QB.
Isaiah Darson is a superstar in the making and will enter his senior year in a similar role as Dismuke and Ny Petty has had an impressive summer showing off his abilities at the Tygers' 7-on-7 tournament in mid July. The Tygers also have two solid options at quarterback in juniors Jordan Ferguson and Braylon Patterson. While they learn the ropes, the Tygers will lean on the run game and their athletes on the outside to help the quarterbacks progress.
The offensive line will see some new faces, but they will bring back a familiar one in Jaden Jones who has been a starter since Day 1. He will be tasked with breaking in a new batch of offensive linemen, but the Tygers are going to be very talented in the position group.
Go ahead and underestimate the Tygers. You will be making a big mistake.
jfurr@gannett.com
740-244-9934
X: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland 25: No. 8 Lexington volleyball, No. 9 Mansfield Senior football motivated in 2024
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