The Crimsons defeated South Warren, with a score of 38 – 35, during the annual homecoming football game.
First Half:
The homecoming game started with a kickoff from South Warren. After an uneventful two minutes, the Spartans got tackled twice and received a five-yard penalty for a false start.
With four and a half minutes left in the first quarter, Gerian Traynor (#34, 10) scored the first touchdown of the night, giving Manual a 7-0 lead.
The first quarter ended with a delay of game penalty against the Crimsons.
The Crimsons received a five-yard offsides penalty at the start of the second quarter. The Crimsons, however, quickly locked in and got an interception four minutes in.
Around five minutes into the second quarter, Aiden Blakey (#8, 11) caught the ball and brought it up to the 10-yard line. This resulted in Traynor’s second touchdown with six and a half minutes left in the first half. The score was 14-0 for the Crimsons.
With two and a half minutes left, the Spartans scored two touchdowns, but both field goals were blocked by the Crimsons. By the end of the first half, the score was 14-12, with the Crimsons leading.
“I think it was a real dog fight, we went back and forth,” Traynor said, about the tough battle against the Spartans.
Halftime:
During halftime, the Dazzlers and band performed. After the performances, the homecoming court and winners were announced. Romaro Knight (12, HSU) and Asia Sloan (12, HSU) won king and queen, while Autumn Harper (11, YPAS) and Braydon Underwood (11, HSU) won prince and princess.
Second Half:
The second half started off after Manual quarterback Eli Creech (#10, 12) threw an interception. South Warren was able to score off the interception. After a successful field goal, the Spartans led the Crimsons 19-14.
With eight minutes left in the third quarter, Traynor scored another touchdown, which helped Manual regain the lead, with a score of 21-19.
The third quarter ended with linebacker, Braydon Underwood (#21, 11) putting pressure on the Spartans Quarterback, which resulted in a tipped ball and interception.
The Crimsons start off the fourth quarter with a touchdown by Charlie Flowers (#15, 12). This gave the Crimsons an even larger lead of 28-19.
However, the Crimsons were not done yet, and Willis Nofsinger (#5, 11) scored a touchdown, giving Manual a 34-19 lead.
The Spartans, however, came back in the last few minutes. With seven minutes left in the game, South Warren scored a touchdown and completed a two-point conversion. However, Manual was still in the lead with a score of 25-27.
Parker Friedman (#53, 11) scored a field goal for the Crimsons and the score was now 38-27.
The Spartans ended the battle by scoring a touchdown with one minute left in the game and completing another two-point conversion.
The final score was 38-35.
“It was a back-and-forth battle, we showed some character and we won a tough game against a very good team,” Head Coach, Josh Gillespie said.
The Crimsons remain undefeated and face off against Christian Academy of Louisville next Friday. The game is at CAL and will kick off at 7:30 p.m.
