Manchester Academy improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating Humphreys Academy 40-14 in a game that was far closer than the score suggests.
Head coach Bryan Dendy was thrilled to get the win, but he felt the game was far more difficult
“The final score didn’t indicate the type of game it was,” Dendy said. “It was a battle the whole game. They’re a very fast team, a very physical team. It took a total team effort to come out on top.”
After holding tight on their first defensive possession of the game, Manchester took over near on their own side of the field. It only took a couple of plays for Jon Riley Poe to break free on a long touchdown run. After a successful 2-point conversion, the Mavs held an 8-0 lead over the Rebels.
Dendy believed the Rebels would pose a major threat for the Mavs, and they showed it on the next drive.
Humphreys drove down the field using both the pass and run on their way to tying the game up at 8-8.
The Rebels weren’t done there.
After a defensive stand, Guice Hill hooked up with Zach Johnson on a 56-yard touchdown pass to give the Rebels a 14-8 lead.
It didn’t take long for the Mavericks to respond. They got the ball down to the 1-yard line before Dylan Dendy punched it in, tying the game at 14-14.
The Mavericks kept things going with another long touchdown run to give them a 20-14 lead.
Late in the game with 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks were forced into a punt deep into their own territory, and due to pressure by the Rebels, the ball was placed at their own 19-yard line.
Manchester’s defense came up strong once again, however, when an errant pitch hit the ground, giving the Mavs the ball once more.
The Mavericks took advantage on the next play with a long touchdown run, stretching their lead 26-14.
An onside kick gave the Mavericks the ball right, and they made the best of it with another touchdown to make it a 32-14 game.
Manchester added another score for good measure to push their win to 40-14.
The Mavericks racked up 454 yards of total offense, almost all of which came on the ground.
Jon Riley Poe had his best game of the season when Manchester needed it most, rushing 10 times for 143 carries and two touchdowns.
Michael Williams was right behind Poe with eight carries for 120 yards with two touchdowns.
Jon Riley’s brother, Parks Poe, took his eight carries 99 yards with two touchdowns.
Dylan Dendy took his eight carries 76 yards and scored a touchdown.
Defensively, Ty Kilpatrick was a turnover machine for the Mavericks, picking off two passes and scooping up the aforementioned key fumble in the fourth quarter to essentially slam the door closed on the contest.
The Mavericks will try to keep their momentum rolling on Friday night when Kemper comes to town.
Dendy wants to make sure his squad comes out prepared for Kemper after such a difficult battle against the Rebels.
“Coming off a big win, you have to keep focused on the next,” Dendy said. “It can be hard to come out and remained focused. Kemper is a good team. They’ll come out and throw the ball around a good bit. We’ll have to come out and have a good week of practice to be prepared.”
Kickoff between Manchester and Kemper is set for 7 p.m.
