At Manual’s first home game of the season on Friday, the Rams defeated the Floyd Central Highlanders with a score of 45-7.

First half:

The Crimsons started the game off strong in the first quarter. After receiving the kickoff, the offensive players sprinted down the field, led by quarterback Eli Creech (#10, 11). Within the first five minutes, a touchdown was scored for the Crimsons by Aiden Blakey (#8, 10). The extra point successfully gave the Rams a 7-0 lead.

After the Crimsons scored, Floyd Central began driving down the field but did not get far due to an interception by Julian Wallace Jr. (#1, 12) for the Rams. Neither of the teams scored in their next drives, leading to a scoring drought. This was eventually broken at the beginning of the second quarter, when the Crimsons scored a field goal, making the score 10-0.

“We executed really well on both sides of the ball,” Zahron (Zeek) Washburn (#22, 12) said.

Floyd Central was ineffective in scoring once again. When the Crimsons got the ball back, they scored yet another touchdown after a long pass from Creech to Washburn. This gave the Rams a 17-0 lead.

Right before halftime, Washburn scored his second touchdown of the night, despite a pass interference call that left the Crimsons with a 1st & 25. That touchdown gave the Rams a 24-0 lead going into the half.

Zahron (Zeek) Washburn (#22, 11) scores his second touchdown of the night putting the score at 24-0.

— Manual RedEye Sports (@manualREsports) August 27, 2022

“I told the guys in the locker room, you know, let’s go get this one for all the right reasons because they work hard,” Head Coach Donnie Stoner said. “It’s my first home game as head coach and I thought the crowd was phenomenal.”

Second half:

The third quarter started just as strong as the first with a fumble recovery by the Crimsons which led to an early touchdown by Carlous Keene (#12, 12). The Rams now had a 31-0 lead.

In the third quarter, Cody Bibelhauser (#11, 12) scored a touchdown for the Floyd Central Highlanders. This touchdown put the Highlanders on the board, being the team’s first points of the night. The score was now 31-7.

Keene scored again for Manual in the fourth quarter, despite a personal foul called on the Highlanders after the play. Floyd Central was unsuccessful in scoring on their next drive which gave the Rams another opportunity to extend their lead. The team delivered with a final touchdown, after a 50-yard catch by Blakey. The Highlanders missed a field goal on their last drive, putting the final score at 45-7, a victory for the Crimsons. 

“It was pretty solid, we still have some things to work on but we’ll look good moving forward,” Creech said.

The Crimsons will travel to play North Hardin next Friday at 7:30 pm.

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