The late Wayman Grantham is looking upon his Manchester Academy Mavericks and smiling.
His mantra as a coach, the foundation from which he built Benton Academy into a perennial power and helped turn Manchester’s defense into a force, “Hustle, Hit, and Never Quit,” was displayed in full force by the team he left behind as they overcame a foe who had tormented them for years.
Manchester Academy showed resiliency and grit in their 27-20 overtime win over powerhouse rival Tri-County Academy.
The Manchester faithful swarmed the field in jubilation, and Manchester Academy head football coach Bryan Dendy was ecstatic to see his team rise up to the immense challenge of winning such a hard-hitting battle.
“It was a good win against a quality football team with a lot of tradition,” Dendy said. “They’re a very well coached team, and their kids played hard. It was pretty big to come out here and get a win. Our guys never gave up and played their hearts out. It was just a good high school football game.”
In a Tri-County-esque move, Manchester attempted to gain the upper hand early in the contest with an opening onside kick, and they succeeded in doing so. The momentum continued as they drove down the field and scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by Will Fouche. After a missed PAT, the Mavericks held a 6-0 lead.
In their first drive, TCA earned one first down through the air, but that was all. They were forced to punt. Unfortunately for the Rebels, a fumbled snap allowed the Mavericks to drop the punter before he could get the ball away, allowing Manchester to take over at the opposing 32.
On the very next play, Fouche scored his second touchdown of the game on a 32 yard run, giving Manchester a 13-0 lead.
Manchester’s defense stepped up once again and forced a punt, giving the Mavericks a chance to put the game out of reach.
Unfortunately for the Mavs, a strip sack of quarterback Rainer Roberts gave the Rebels some life and the ball, which soon led to an 18-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead to 13-7.
After a Manchester punt on the following drive, TCA began driving again, but Fouche struck again. Picking off a pass, the senior rushed down to the Rebels’ 20 before being tackled.
Manchester made the most of the opportunity with a 5-yard Bob Black touchdown run to make it a 20-7 game at the half.
The third quarter between the two rivals was a defensive battle between defensive juggernauts, and they headed to the fourth with a 20-7 score.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, however, the Rebels capped off a lengthy drive with a 26-yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 20-14.
Both team had chances, and both teams turned the ball over.
Manchester punted with little time left, and Chris Guthrie’s punt was downed at the 1-yard line.
The Rebels got a first down, but a penalty put them back near the goal line with very little time left.
With a 4th-and-18 from the 2-yard line with 3:12 left in the game, TCA’s quarterback dropped back and threw up a spiral towards his best wide receiver, who was in double coverage. The receiver caught it, made a move, and ran for a touchdown, silencing the Manchester crowd.
In a fortunate move for the team from Yazoo City, TCA missed the PAT, making it a 20-20 game with 3:00 remaining.
Manchester marched down the field and gave themselves an opportunity for a game-winning field goal, but it was blocked. They headed to overtime.
The Mavericks received the ball first, and on the first play, Fouche took off around the right end behind the masterful blocking of Blayke Dendy and flipped over a defender on the way for a touchdown to make it a 27-20 game.
The Rebels would then get an opportunity to tie the Mavs, though the first three downs were for minimal gains.
Tri-County had one final opportunity to tie things up on 4th down, but a Dylan Dendy diving interception ended things once and for all at 27-20.
When the proverbial dust had cleared, Dendy had nothing but glowing things to say about Tri-County.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Dendy said. “We knew this team had a lot of tradition and pride. They’ve won a lot of state championships. They didn’t quit. It came right down to the end. We were forced to win the game. I’m proud of how our kids played, and I’m proud they never gave up.”
Leading the way for Manchester offensively was senior running back/wide receiver Will Fouche, who rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, on 19 carries.
Bob Black had 27 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win
Blayke Dendy led the way defensively with nine total tackles and a fumble recovery to go with 47 rushing yards.
Taylor Porter had six total tackles and a team-high two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Hayes Bardwell racked up seven total tackles.
Warner Griffin and Tyler Reynolds each had six total tackles in the victory.
Before he went out with an injury, Roberts had a tackle and an interception.
Dylan Dendy also had a key interception.
Manchester will now have to face Clinton Christian School on Friday night.
CCA (1-3) lost to Park Place Christian 20-0 on Friday night.
Dendy is ready for the next challenge.
“They run a spread offense,” Dendy said. “They should be a tough opponent. We’ll be back to the film room to get prepared for them.”
Kickoff at Manchester is set for 7 p.m.
