On Friday, Aug. 29, Manual’s varsity football team fell to the South Warren Spartans, 27-17, marking their first loss of the 2025 season. The game was designated as a USA theme by the Crimson Crazies.

First Half:

Before the start of the game, Manual won the coin toss and chose to receive. The Crimsons were quick to get their heads in the game as Donvalette Richardson (#11, 11) sacked the Spartans. After their fourth down, the Spartans punted and Brayland Miles (#14, 11) received the touchback.

The Crimsons remained in first down after a complete pass to Miles, but two incomplete passes led to the fourth down where Manual decided to punt. This was followed by a flag on the play.

Neither team kept possession of the ball long with the Spartans punting in their fourth down and the Crimsons having incomplete passes. However, South Warren recovered the ball after a fumble. Subsequently, they were able to run their first down after a personal foul on Manual, which led to their first touchdown of the night. Their kick went out of bounds, making the score 6-0 for the Spartans with 1:56 remaining in the first quarter.

The Crimsons attempted to make a comeback, in which they gained yardage, but after a flag on the play they received a penalty. Preceding this, Manual had two back-to-back incomplete passes and a tackle on Gerian Traynor (#34, 12). Then, Manual was in its fourth down and 20 and decided to punt. 

The Crimsons’ defense was then on the field; they had two sacks by Darien Allen (#19, 12) and Laterrian Spencer (#10, 12). Jeremiah Stephens (#0, 11) was also able to achieve a quarterback sack.

Following that, the Crimsons’ offense took over the field, but a fumble recovered by the Spartans quickly ended their playing time. Manual’s defense didn’t let that slide; Anthony Wilson (#33, 11) made a pass interference.

After an incomplete pass and tackle, the Crimsons received a 10-yard penalty for holding. They were not able to recover after two incomplete passes and lost possession of the ball. 

Allen and his twin Devin Allen (#27, 12) both made impressive tackles in an attempt to slow down the Spartans. Following this, South Warren called for a timeout. Another timeout was called, but this time for measurement. This favored the Crimsons, and they received a first down and 10. 

Quarterback Kaden Mack (#6, 11) was tackled, and the Crimsons lost six yards, but they were quick to bounce back. In their next play they obtained first down and 10 with one minute left in the second quarter. 

After a timeout called by the Crimsons, Traynor was able to gain plentiful yardage. The Crimsons decided to end the first half by obtaining three points through a kick. The score at halftime was 6-3 with South Warren leading.

During halftime, the Dazzlers performed followed by the Crimsons Sound and color guard. 

Second Half: 

To start the second half, the Crimsons tackled the Spartans, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Once the game resumed from a timeout, the Spartans received a five-yard penalty for holding. After two incomplete passes, Manual’s offense entered the field. 

Manual gained significant ground but was still far from the end zone. Mack was forced out of bounds on the first down before Miles had an incomplete pass. Three flags were thrown, two of which were personal foul, one for each team after Tony Bethel (#22, 10) and a Spartan player began to get aggressive. The remaining flag was declared holding on return. 

The Crimsons made various tackles by Darien Allen and Andrew Newman (#24, 11) before Elyijah Wilkins (#56, 11) went down with an injury that resulted in a timeout. The Spartans got their second touchdown with four minutes left in the third quarter; the score was 13-3. 

Manual’s offense tried to maintain possession of the ball for as long as they could but fell short and chose to punt the ball during the fourth down. However, South Warren wasn’t able to gain yardage and quickly lost the ball. 

Then, the Crimsons nearly had a touchdown, but they received a flag on the play for holding and got a 10-yard penalty. Noah Price (#15, 11) gave Manual its first touchdown of the game and the kick was good, making the score 13-10, in favor of South Warren. 

Later, two flags on the play were called, one for each team, after Newman and a South Warren player nearly got aggressive with each other. This led Manual to receive a 15-yard penalty. 

South Warren called for a timeout after Allen made a tackle. However, the Crimsons did not back down and made several more tackles with eight minutes remaining in the game. The Spartans powered through Manual’s defense and got another touchdown with a good kick. The score was then 20-10 for South Warren. 

Another personal foul was called on the Crimsons, giving them a 15-yard penalty. Following that, a fumble allowed the Spartans to recover the ball, but because Manual’s player was down before contact was made, the Crimsons remained in possession. 

Following Manual’s success in gaining yardage, Price got another touchdown. However, there was a flag on the play before the points were granted. The extra point was good, and the Crimsons nearly closed the gap with a score of 20-17. 

The Crimsons called two back-to-back timeouts after South Warren gained a significant number of yards. Hayden Winn (#13, 10) tried to stop the Spartans player, but he managed to get past Winn, giving South Warren another touchdown and extra point for a good kick. 

The Crimsons  were ultimately unsuccessful in trying to make a comeback with two incomplete passes and a fumble at the end zone. The game ended with a final score of 27-17 for South Warren.

Their next game will be against Frederick Douglass on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Sophie Sexton

Max Thomas (#16, 11) defending against a South Warren player.