On Friday night, Oct. 31, the Manual Crimsons crushed the Male Bulldogs 52-13. For the second year in a row, the rivalry barrel will stay at Manual. The Crimson Sound marching band played the national anthem and shortly after, the Dazzlers and cheer team dashed to make a tunnel for the players to run through. Leading the players onto the field, the Crimson Crazies held the iconic R.A.M.S flags to mark the start of the game.
First Half:
The Bulldogs won the coin toss and chose to receive to start the first half. The kickoff, done by Jackson Pritts (#17, 11), lead to a first down for the Bulldogs. They weren’t able to advance up the field, so Male called their first timeout of the game, just four minutes in. Following the time out, Male had a good chance to catch the ball and head for a touchdown, but fumbled, which resulted in a turnover. Dahmarie Wilson (#1, 11) ran a big yardage gain, which helped Jeremy Presley (#5, 11) get the first touchdown of the night with ten minutes left in the first quarter. The kick for the extra point, made by Pritts, was good.
Male came back strong with a good turnover, in which they carried to the 50-yard line. After that, the Bulldogs struggled to get past Manual’s defense, which forced them to punt. They eventually got past the defense, but soon a flag on the play was called and Male was given a half-yard reduction, leading them to the 13-yard line. The Bulldogs made a break for it, and if it wasn’t for Laterrian Spencer (#10, 12) tackling them, they would have gotten a touchdown. Male made it up just one play later, getting their first touchdown of the night with six minutes left in the first quarter. The kick was good.
Gerian Traynor (#34, 12) carried the ball from the 43-yard line all the way to the 10-yard line before a Bulldog tackled him. In the next play, Presley sealed the deal and got the second touchdown of the night for the Crimsons. The point was good, with three minutes left.
To finish off the first quarter, Male had possession. They threw the ball near the endzone, however the pass was incomplete. On the Bulldog’s fourth down, Brayland Miles (#14, 11) intercepted the ball and ran it down field. Unfortunately, some of his progress was lost in the next play, when the Crimsons received a 10-yard penalty. The score was 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter began with Male being forced to give up the ball after failing to improve on their fourth down. Soon after, Kaden Mack (#6, 11) carried the ball from half field to get a touchdown just four minutes in. The kick was good.
The Bulldogs, once again, struggled to get past the Crimson’s defense and had to give up possession. Traynor threw the ball to his teammate, but the pass was incomplete, and there was a flag on the play. The Crimsons were given a 20-yard penalty. On the Crimson’s third down, Mack threw the ball to Noah Price (#15, 11) which led to yet another touchdown, and extra point with six and a half minutes left.
Immediately following that, on a first down, Traynor carried the ball to a 62-yard touchdown. The kick was good. Xavielle Brooks (#20, 11) knocked the ball out of the way to deny Male a large advancement up the field. After another turnover, Presley carried the ball towards the endzone, but there was a flag on the play.
The Crimson’s continued moving up the field incrementally, which allowed them to be just 10 yards away from the endzone. The team was given a 15-yard penalty, but they quickly came back from, which prompted Male to call their second timeout of the game. Price got his second touchdown of the night with 40 seconds left. Pritts made another good punt which added the extra point. The score was 42-7 at the end of the second quarter.
The halftime show began with a few of the class of 1969 team captains and players walking out onto the field. Following them, the crimson sound, Dazzlers, and Principal Micheal Newman took the field performing Micheal Jackson’s Thriller dance.
Second Half:
The second half went by quickly because the last touchdown meant that the rest of the game would have a running clock. Traynor carried the ball down the field leading to an early first down for the Crimsons. Presley soon after carried the ball down to the one-yard line. Spencer claimed this touchdown, and the extra point was awarded. The rest of the quarter was a back-and-forth possession of the ball. The score was 49-7 at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter was similar to the third, in that possession flipped back and forth. Male called for a timeout when Manual was edging closer to the endzone, to try and deter them from another touchdown. Towards the end of the quarter, Pritts kicked a field goal, earning three points, with three and a half minutes left in the game.
For the fourth time, Male called for a timeout which proved useful. With 40 seconds left, the Bulldogs got their second touchdown. They missed the goal kick and weren’t awarded the extra point. The final score was 52-13.
Following the game, the Crimson Crazies led the student section to storm the field to celebrate the rivalry win with the players. Once the students settled down, the coaches announced the MVP: Gerian Traynor.
“I look at playing as a blessing. A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to play this sport and may not have the physical ability that I have, that God gave me. So, it’s truly a privilege to play,” Traynor said.
