With a 42-36 victory over Clairborne Christian, the Manchester Mavericks advanced to their fourth consecutive MAIS 8-Man championship game.
The game will be played at 11 a.m. this Friday against Prairie View, LA at Jackson Academy.
The Mavericks, now 11-1, are just one win away from completing a three-peat.
“We’re really proud for this team and what they have accomplished,” said Manchester head coach Bryan Dendy. “They have worked hard all year and it’s a big accomplishment to get back to Jackson for the fourth straight time. We’re going to prepare this week for a tough oppponent and we’ll be ready to go out there and give it our best.”
This season, Manchester’s best has been when running backs Tyler Johnson and Greyson Winstead have led the way and this past Friday night against Clairborne Christian was no exception.
Johnson scored an impressive five touchdowns and had 102 yards on 16 carries while Winstead rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries with one score.
Both teams scored touchdowns to open the game and the score was knotted at six after one quarter of play.
The Mavericks would take a slight advantage in the second quarter, outscoring Clairborne 14-8, giving them a 20-14 lead at halftime.
Fortunately for the Mavericks, that second quarter surge was enough to tip the victory scales as both teams again scored the same amount of points in the third (16) and fourth quarters (6).
MA quarterback Reed Roberts completed six of his eight passes against Claiborne including a touchdown pass to Kemp Black. He finished the night with 159 yards through the air.
Black was the leading receiver with three receptions for 103 yards followed by Johnson with 56 yards.
The Mavs now have a daunting task ahead in undefeated Prairie View (12-0).
Said Dendy, “They’re a very good, well-coached football team so it’s definitely going to be a tough game. But we’re going to be be prepared.”
