Stinging loss

MANSFIELD -- Nine months have passed since Thanksgiving Day and the members of the Mansfield football team are still at a loss for words about exactly what happened against rival Foxboro.

The Hornets, then-ranked second in Eastern Mass., entered with a spotless 10-0 record and a high-octane offense that averaged 32.5 points per game. Only one of its games had been decided by less than double digits (a Week 9 win over North Attleboro, 20-14).

A share of the Hockomock title already locked up for a fourth straight season, the Hornets still needed a victory to punch their ticket to the postseason where they would have been the favorite to capture the Division 2 Super Bowl.

It didn't happen. Mansfield crumbled on its home turf and Foxboro emerged with a 16-6 triumph that fueled the Warriors' own run to a Super Bowl crown.

"You can't help but think about that game the whole offseason," said senior captain Will Gasson. "At this point, though, it's just added motivation when we come out here."

These Hornets believe in the whole one-game-at-a-time mentality that has seemingly been brainwashed into every modern athlete. But the senior members of the Hornets would be lying if they said the goal this season wasn't to win the Hockomock League title and get back the playoffs. No one on this team wants another 10-1 regular season unless that's enough to get Mansfield to the postseason.

"What you have to remember is that when these seniors were eighth-graders and freshmen, they watched our football team go to Super Bowl and win twice," said Mansfield 20th-year head coach Mike Redding. "There's a strong desire to get back there with these guys. They've won the Hockomock League title each of the past two seasons, but haven't gotten to the playoffs.

"Losing on Thanksgiving Day last year was certainly a negative and we've lived with a lot of 'What ifs' for the past year. But I think you need to put it behind you at some point. Right now, it can only be a source of motivation for us."

What cushioned the agony of defeat ever-so slightly was the knowledge that the Hornets would return a 33-member senior class this fall (Redding believes it might be the most returning seniors in program history), along with a core of starters on both sides of the ball.

With a chance at redemption, comes expectations.

"We've won the Hockomock title four years in a row and I think people expect us to do that," said senior Mike Abany, one of four captains along with Gasson, Mark Gilson, and David Westhaver.

"We know what's expected of us, but we try not to worry about it. This is a new year, we have to do our own thing."

The Hornets wouldn't mind doing a few of the things that made last year's team so successful. Offensively, there's enough firepower back to continue lighting up the scoreboard, including quarterback Gilson, who boasts a 19-2 record entering his third season as a starter. He passed for 1,191 yards and 14 touchdowns last fall and, while Gilson graduated his favorite target in older brother, Tom, he will have have plenty of eager hands in a receiving corps that includes Westhaver and Dan Romanko. Senior tight end Bill Goodale and his 6-foot-4, 255-pound frame adds a nice target off the line.

When he's not hauling in passes, Goodale will help pave the way for Mansfield's talented backfield that includes fullback Abany and tailbacks Mike Morrill and Powell Simpson (all three will also be integrated into the passing attack as Redding throws as many formations as possible at opponents).

But what makes the Hornets' offense most comfortable this year is the return of four of their five offensive linemen, including tackle Mike McPherson, guards Gasson and Andrew Bourget, and center Jeff Cataloni. Junior Dan Glavin will slide in at the other tackle spot.

"If I had to start anywhere with an offense, it'd be a returning quarterback and then it'd be the line," said Redding. "We've got four of our five linemen back and, add in our tight end, that's five of our six top blockers that have been through the war up front. Glavin would have been a starter last year if anyone besides (Greg) Martell (now at Northeastern) was up front."

Abany gives the Hornets a different feel offensively as Redding said the squad has typically relied on smaller and quicker fullbacks in recent years, like Globe All-Scholastic Eric DiPietrantonio, who led the team in scoring with 14 touchdowns (90 points overall) last season. More of a bruiser back, expect the Hornets to integrate more Power-I into their attack this season in a quest to further utilize its size and experience up front.

"In recent years we've sort of gotten away from the I, except on goal-line situations," said Redding. "I really like the idea of play action out of the I with this team... Not this week, but down the road I'd like to incorporate some empty as well. Our goal is to find a package that can pound you a little bit, then switch to empty to prevent teams from loading up on us."

Defensively, there's a little more uncertainty. The Hornets graduated eight starters on that side of the ball and will lean on the experience of returnees like defensive tackle Chris Ingolia, along with Abany (linebacker) and Westhaver (corner), while the younger players get their feet wet.

Redding notes that his team graduated seven starters last season and learned quickly (holding opponents to 7.5 points per game last season). He simply hopes, "our early mistakes lead to first downs and not touchdowns."

The seniors on this year's squad plan to make sure the younger players develop.

"You have to come out here and show them that this really does mean a lot to us seniors," said Gasson. "This is our last year. It takes a lot to get up and lead a team, but I think we're doing a good job so far."

Mansfield upgraded its nonleague schedule in the offseason in hopes of better preparing itself for those last-season showdowns and will meet out-of-state opponents Holy Cross (New York) and St. Edward (Ohio) during the first two weeks of the season.

Holy Cross, coming off a 4-7 season in which it still qualified for the playoffs in the Empire State, should be much improved and offers a nice compliment to Mansfield given its multiple-look offense. St. Edward earned a lofty preseason ranking in Ohio and, despite early struggles, should provide another quality challenge when Mansfield treks to the Cleveland area on Sept. 15.

While the Hockomock League boasts more parity this year as the middle tier squads creep up behind the so-called Big 3 of Foxboro, Mansfield, and North Attleboro, few would be surprised to see another Thanksgiving Day showdown for the Hockomock crown.

"If you look back on last Thanksgiving and you ask, 'Why didn't we win?,' well there's a lot of different reasons, but one of them was the lack of competitive games we played before that 11th game," said Redding. "I think we maybe had three games total that went into the fourth quarter. That catches up with you a bit when you get towards the end of the season and you haven't been in that pressure situation. That's part of the reason we went out and got Holy Cross and St. Edward. It's why the improvements in the league will likely help us.

"Not that our guys were overlooking Foxboro or anything last year, but there's no doubt we'll be ready if it comes down that day again this year."

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@boston.com