After a bye week in the first round of the playoffs, Manchester Academy was back to business as usual as the Mavericks hosted round two.
Unfortunately for Sharkey Issaquena, business as usual for the Mavericks involves crushing the opposition this season. Friday night was no exception as MA won the game 54-8 after taking a 46-0 halftime lead.
Once again Mavericks quarterback Jon Riley Poe posted incredible numbers as he led a dominating offensive performance. He completed all seven of his passes for 127 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tres Paul and had 11 carries for 88 yards and four touchdowns.
Michael Williams added six carries for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Dylan Dendy had five carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. He also had a reception for 22 yards that set up a touchdown.
Parks Poe had six carries for 79 yards and one reception for 26 yards.
"We were proud of our kids," said Mavericks head coach Bryan Dendy. "They came out and played hard."
Tres Paul's touchdown catch was the first score of the game. Dylan Dendy quickly added a rushing touchdown, and Jon Riley Poe punched in the two point conversion for a 12-0 lead with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
Back-to-back sacks by Dylan Dendy and Tyler Bardwell ended the first quarter with MA still leading 12-0.
By halftime the Mavericks had built a 46-0 advantage.
Staten Greenlee had two receptions for 56 yards on the night and caught a two point conversion pass.
The Mavericks defense was deadly with Dylan Dendy racking up four tackles and two sacks.
Tyler Bardwell had five tackles and a sack.
Tyler Johnson had three tackles and a fumble recovery.
Parks Poe had five tackles and an interception, and Jon Riley Poe had five tackles.
Tres Paul had three tackles, Ty Walton had two, and Mills Paul and Ty Love had one each.
This week the stakes are high with Humphreys Academy coming to Buster Crawford Stadium and a ticket to the state title game on the line.
"We have a good Humphreys team coming in this week," Dendy said. "They are well-coached and have a lot of talent."
Humphreys (10-2) defeated Ben's Ford 60-34 last week in a second round playoff game. One of HA's two losses this season was a 42-6 defeat at Manchester on October 2. Two weeks later, the Rebels suffered a 28-22 loss to Delta Streets. Humphreys hasn't lost a game since, and the Rebels have earned decisive victories in both playoff games.
