The clock struck midnight for the Cinderella story of Manchester Academy’s football season on Friday night when they fell 44-14 to Heritage Academy in the second round of the MAIS AAA Playoffs.
In the eyes of Manchester Academy head football coach Bryan Dendy, the game came down to making plays, and his team made less.
“You just to have to tip your cap to their quarterback,” Dendy said. “We were in good coverage most of the night. He just put the ball where it needed to be. They were a physical, well-coached team. The bottom line is they made plays when they needed them, and we didn’t.”
Heritage took the fight to Manchester with a 2-yard touchdown run with 9:04 left in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead.
The Patriots soon doubled their lead with a 36-yard touchdown pass, making it 14-0 with 6:16 left in the first quarter.
Trying to make something happen, Manchester’s Kinkead Dent dropped back to pass early in the second quarter, but the ball was knocked from his hands, causing him to scramble for it and allowing him to be sacked in the end zone for a safety. Heritage’s lead was extended to 16-0 with 10:28 left in the second quarter.
After receiving the kickoff following the safety, the Patriots connected with yet another deep pass, this time a 37-yard touchdown pass to put them up 23-0 with 9:28 remaining in the half.
The Mavericks woke up in a big way with 5:21 remaining in the half. Dent connected with Will Fouche on a 61-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 23-7.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, the Patriots were a resilient bunch and took a gamble on a fake punt that resulted in another touchdown. The heartbreaking response extended their lead to 30-7 at the half.
The third quarter of the second round playoff game was a defensive effort by both sides, but the Patriots got the better of the Mavs with a 12-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 37-7.
In the final quarter of play, the Patriots scored their final touchdown of the evening on a run to make it a 44-7 game with little time remaining.
Manchester made the score look a little better with a 5-yard touchdown run by Tate Potter, but the damage was done.
Heritage defeated Manchester 44-14.
Will Fouche showed once again why he is one of the premier playmakers in the league with three catches for 86 yards and a score on offense and four tackles, a deflected pass and two fumble recoveries on defense.
Kinkead Dent went 8-for-24 through the air for 183 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Blayke Dendy led the Mavericks once again in tackles with 14 total stops and rushing with 23 yards.
Warner Griffin was right behind Dendy with 10 total tackles.
Taylor Porter was a terror off the edge for the Mavs, racking up eight total tackles and a sack.
Andrew Byrd, the big-legged senior kicker, was a weapon once again in the loss. He punted eight times for an average of 46 yards per kick, including a 65-yard punt.
Calling Manchester’s season a Cinderella story by no means minimizes the work and effort it took to get them to where they are.
Dendy believes the hard work showed in the end.
“We’re really proud of them for what they accomplished,” Dendy said. “You have to give these kids all the credit for the hard work, dedication and effort they put forth. It began in the summer, and they worked all year. The assistant coaches worked hard and got them ready to play. I think the community got behind them, and that made them play better. I’m just really proud of the season we had.”
Manchester ended the season with a 7-5 record.
