On Friday, the Crimsons dominated against the Eastern Eagles, winning 58-28 and advancing to the second round of the Class 6A Championship.
First Half:
To start the game, Manual kicked off to Eastern. However, shortly after, Eastern fumbled the ball in their territory and Manual recovered it.
As a result, Manual quickly came close to the goal line as the result of a long pass from Eli Creech (#10, 12) to Charlie Flowers ( #15, 12). Seconds later, Gerian Traynor (#34, 10) scores the first touchdown for the Crimsons. The extra point by Parker Friedman (#53, 11) was good. Manual led Eastern 7-0.
Then not long after, the Crimsons ran down the field to score again. Traynor scored his and the team’s second touchdown. Manual increased their lead to 14-0, as the end of the first quarter neared.
Eastern struggled on both sides of the ball, while Manual dominated. Undeterred, though, Eastern prevented Manual from scoring during their third possession. Shortly after, Nathan Wagner (#5, 11) blocked a Manual punt, which was recovered by Cameron Russ (#7, 11).
Eastern was able to score their first touchdown of the night off the play by their defense/special teams. The extra point was unsuccessful, though. Manual still led the Eagles, 14-6 with 1:46 minutes in the first quarter.
Manual responded to Eastern almost immediately, with Creech throwing a short pass to Willis Nofsinger (#5, 11), who then ran the ball down the field for the Crimson’s third touchdown. The PAT was successful. Manual then led Eastern 21-6.
After the kickoff following Nofinsger’s touchdown, Manual’s Jaylen Hayes (#44, 11) intercepted the ball in Eastern’s territory. Manual capitalized off the interception, with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Creech to Flowers. The extra point was good and Manual then led Eastern 28-6.
Eastern got a long kick-off return and had the ball in Manual territory as the first quarter finally ended. The Crimsons showed strong defense, especially from Cameron Jessee (#19, 11) and Hayes with tackles for loss and a sack. These big plays forced Eastern to kick a field goal but it was unsuccessful.
Manual then took over in their territory but a fumble by the Crimsons on their 38-yard line gave the ball right back to Eastern with a little over five minutes in the second quarter.
Eastern was again unable to put any points on the board. The Crimsons slowly but surely marched down the field, scoring their fifth touchdown of the night by Nofsinger. The extra point was good. Manual then led the Eagles 35-6.
Eastern, wanting to make a strong stance before the end of the first half, scored their second touchdown of the night off of a 36-yard touchdown pass. The extra point for the Eagles was good but Manual was still in the lead, 35-13.
Second Half:
The second half began slowly until Manual was the first to put more points on the board with Traynor, who ran down the field for an 89-yard touchdown. The PAT was good and Manual led the Eagles 42-13 with 9:53 left in the third quarter.
Eastern, unable to convert, had to punt the ball away again. Redha Fresneau (#88, 9) scored again for Manual. The extra point was no good this time. Manual led Eastern 48-13 with 6:39 minutes in the third quarter.
Eastern then finally put some points on the board during the third quarter. The extra point for the Eagles was good, with Manual now leading Eastern 48-20. After a few more minutes, the third quarter ended.
A little into the fourth quarter, Manual had a strong drive downfield, setting up an easy field goal attempt for Friedman. Manual then led Eastern 51-20 with a little over nine minutes in the fourth quarter.
Eastern still wasn’t finished, though, gaining some momentum after a 55-yard rushing touchdown and a successful 2-point conversion. Manual still led Eastern 51-28 with 7:29 minutes in the fourth quarter.
Then, Kaden Mack (#6, 9) ran for a 55-yard touchdown for Manual and the extra point was good. This helped the Crimsons solidify their lead, 58-28 with 5:44 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Crimsons had the ball with the fourth quarter coming to a close, eventually taking a knee to end the game. The final score was 58-28.
With the win, the Crimsons now advance to the second round of the Class 6A Championship, facing Ballard next Friday at Manual Stadium.
