On Friday night, Manual’s football team lost to the Great Crossing Warhawks, 28-21, in the round of 16 of the KHSAA Class 6A football playoffs.
First Half:
Great Crossing received the ball to start the game after a Manual kick-off. Instead of calling for a fair catch, the Warhawks ran the ball out of the end zone. However, they were quickly taken down by Manual’s special teams. A few plays later, Manual almost intercepted the ball.
Then, Great Crossing’s quarterback threw a long down-field pass for a first down. A play later, the Warhawks’ quarterback dashed for the first down after a bad snap. On third down, Great Crossing scored a touchdown from a simple pass. The extra point was good.
Great Crossing led Manual, 7-0, with 8:15 left in the first quarter.
During the kick-off, Manual lost the ball. As a result, Great Crossing got the ball deep within the Crimson’s territory. However, Manual’s defense came out undeterred. Kaden Baker (#1, 12) tackled Great Crossing’s running back for a loss of four yards. On the next play, the Warhawks’ quarterback scrambled before finding a hole, making it third down and two. Great Crossing could not get the first down the next play, but they went for it on fourth down. Ultimately, they moved the chains forward.
Despite this, Cash Zuberer (#18, 12) tackled the Warhawks’ running back for a loss of a couple of yards. Braydon Underwood (#21, 12) then sacked Great Crossing’s quarterback for a loss of 15 yards. They gained back a couple of yards, but a block in the back penalty against the WarHawks pushed them back even further. By the time the fourth down came, Great Crossing tried for a field goal. They missed, however, and the score remained the same with Great Crossings in the lead, 7-0. 4:01 remained in the first quarter.
Manual then got the ball back. Kaden Mack (#6, 10) threw a pass to Willis Nofsinger (#5, 12) which got the first down. Mack then threw a short pass to Cameron Jessee (#19, 12), who ran it to the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown. The extra point by Parker Friedman (#53, 12) was good. The score was now tied, 7-7, with only a minute left in the first quarter.
Great Crossing got the ball back, but time ran out before they could gain momentum.
To start the second quarter, Jabbary Sloan (#58, 12) applied immediate pressure on Great Crossing’s quarterback. However, a personal foul penalty against Manual moved the chains for Great Crossing 15 yards, automatically achieving the first down. Manual then got penalized for being offsides, granting the Warhawks another first down.
Great Crossing made its way down the field. They could not get the first down, so on fourth down and 12, they attempted to kick a field goal. They missed yet, again, though, and Manual got the ball back.
A few plays later during Manual’s second drive of the night, Jeremy Presley (#16, 10) ran the ball for a first down. Mack then threw a pass to Laterrian Spencer (#10, 11) for another first down. Mack threw the ball again, this time to Dahmarie Wilson (#13, 10), who escaped his defender and ran the ball into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown. The extra point by Friedman was good. Manual now led for the first time, 14-7, with 2:27 left in the first half.
After getting the ball back, the Warhawks started on the aggressive front. Their quarterback threw a long, downfield pass that had the potential to be a touchdown play. Luckily, Corey Warner (#2, 11) got a hand on the ball. The Warhawks got penalized for holding. A play later, Wilson intercepted the ball and ran to Great Crossing’s 1-yard line. Presley then ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play. The extra point by Friedman was good, and Manual now led 21-7.
However, Great Crossing answered with a 68-yard passing touchdown play. Manual now only led the Warhawks 21-14 with a few minutes left in the first half. During the kick-off, Nofsinger dropped the ball. Great Crossing recovered the ball and scored with 30 seconds remaining.
The score was now tied, 21-21.
Once Manual got the ball back, Brayland Miles (#14, 10) ran for a first down. Jessee also caught a pass from Mack for a big gain, but time ran out, signaling the end of the first half.
Second Half:
Manual got the ball back to start the second half. During the kick-off, the ball was kicked short and out-of-bounds, resulting in a 10-yard penalty against the Warhawks. As such, Manual started on their 35-yard line. Despite a relatively excellent field position, Mack was sacked a few plays later. Manual then called a timeout. A throw by Mack was tipped and nearly intercepted following the timeout. Following third down, Jackson Pritts (#17, 10) punted the ball.
Great Crossing then got the ball back. Manual intercepted the ball a few plays later, but the catch was ruled incomplete. However, the Warhawks punted shortly after. Manual then punted after a quick three and out. Great Crossing then got the ball back again, but could not get the first down after two false start penalties. As a result, the Warhawks punted, with a fair catch called by Nofsinger.
Manual gained offensive momentum after Jessee caught a pass from Mack, who pummeled through defensive men for a 21-yard gain. However, a bad snap a play later led to a fumble recovered by Great Crossing.
The third quarter concluded, only a few minutes later.
Despite recovering the ball, Great Crossing was met with resistance from Manual’s defense. On third down, Jessee blocked a pass, almost intercepting the ball. On fourth down, the Warhawks kicked a field goal but was ruled short.
Manual got the ball back, starting their drive on the right foot, with Nofsinger catching the ball for a first down. However, another Manual fumble led to Great Crossing recovering the ball deep in Manual territory. Shortly later, the Warhawks scored a touchdown. They now led Manual 28-21, with 6:39 in the game.
Manual then got the ball back. Nofsinger caught a long, downfield pass from Mack for 41 yards, allowing the Crimsons to push deep within the Warhawks’ territory. Manual could not get the first down on third down and was forced to go for it on fourth down. They were unsuccessful, however, and Great Crossing got the ball back. However, they had to punt only a few plays later.
Nofsinger caught the ball once again for a big gain after Manual got the ball back, reaching Great Crossing’s 6-yard line. Presley could then score a touchdown, but a false start penalty ruled the touchdown void.
Mack was sacked the next play. Then a bad snap forced Mack to recover the ball. On fourth down and 25, Manual was forced to go for it again. They attempted to throw the ball into the end zone toward a Manual player, but it was incomplete.
With only a few seconds remaining, Great Crossing took a knee to end the game.
The final score was 28-21, with Great Crossing advancing to the quarterfinals of the KHSAA Class 6A football playoffs. This loss marks the end of Manual’s season, ending with an overall record of 10-2.
