Manchester Academy dropped to 1-1 on the season after losing a 3-0 defensive struggle to Heritage Academy, the number two team in the AAA division.
Manchester head coach Bryan Dendy felt that he and his coaching staff could have done a better job preparing their team for a game of that magnitude.
“We have to do a better job as coaches preparing our players for pressure situations,” Dendy said. “It was a big game atmosphere on Friday night against the number two team in AAA. We’ve been instilling in them the fact that every play is crucial in a game like that. We have to do a better job preparing them for those situations.”
Things started off well enough for Manchester, but they turned in a hurry.
The Mavericks forced an early punt, but on their first offensive possession, a third down fumble set Heritage up with a short field.
The Patriots capitalized on Manchester’s mistake, nailing a 35-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead, one that they would not lose.
Manchester had a few opportunities to put points on the board, but they were unable to break through in the end.
Heritage took the game 3-0.
While the offensive statistics were limited, the defensive numbers were impressive.
Dendy was happy with how his defensive unit performed under pressure.
“Our defense really played well,” Dendy said. “They did a good job of tackling their running backs and keeping them contained. We had opportunities to win the game, but we just didn’t capitalize.”
Blayke Dendy led a stifling defensive effort with 14 total tackles to go with his 45-yard reception.
Taylor Porter created constant chaos in the opposing backfield, racking up seven total tackles and three sacks in the process.
Hayes Bardwell has seven total tackles, while John Regan Fortney and Rainer Roberts had five each.
The Mavericks will attempt to bounce back from their loss on Friday night in their first home game of the season against Greenville Christian.
GCS is 1-1 on the season after falling 32-7 to Clinton Christian Academy on Friday night.
