Manchester falls at home to Homer, 8-14
Scoop and score! Senior linebacker Jacob Kurgin returned a fumble for Manchester’s lone touchdown in Friday’s loss to Homer.
When the defense scores but the offense can’t, it’s tough to win.
When injuries knock out numerous starting players, it’s even harder.
Manchester lost to the Homer Trojans at home 8-14 on Friday. The Flying Dutchmen gave up an early lead then fell behind and never recovered, ultimately ending the regular season with a second consecutive loss.
“Once we were reduced with our offense, (the Trojans) took control and did what they had to do to win the game,” said Manchester head coach Mike Blumenauer. “They’re very aggressive.”
The Flying Dutchmen defense – a strength of the team through the second half of the season – scored first. With Homer (7-2, 5-2) backed up on its own one yard line in the first quarter, Manchester junior defensive lineman Cade VanBogelen tacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety.
Less than three minutes later, Trojan senior quarterback Jacob Wilson fumbled. The ball bounced into the hands of the defense, and senior linebacker Jacob Kurgin ran it into the end zone to give Manchester (5-4, 5-2) an eight-point lead.
It was the other side of the ball – on offense, where the Flying Dutchmen couldn’t make anything happen.
“When your starting tight end isn’t available, who is also a defensive end; then you lose a quarterback, who is a third-year starter and also your starting corner – there’s four starting spots with a lot of experience that’s just gone, and it’s tough to replace,” said Blumenauer.
Senior tight end Braeden Caszatt didn’t play at all for Manchester due to an undisclosed injury. In the third quarter against Homer, senior Dutchmen quarterback Tyler Horky left the game and did not return after appearing to suffer an injury during the game.
The Trojans struck back with a pair of long drives each ending in touchdowns. First, a one-yard touchdown run by Wilson with eight minutes to go in the second quarter, then a 16-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to junior Homer wide receiver Lowyind Pullen just before halftime to take an 8-14 lead. Suddenly Manchester’s early lead had vanished.
No team scored any points in the second half. The Flying Dutchmen continued struggling to move the ball. Horky finished 4 of 12 passing for 14 yards. Returning to play after missing last week’s game due to injury was senior Manchester running back Collin McCaffrey. He led the offense with 49 yards on 18 rushing attempts. Senior Dutchman running back Nick Phillips added 17 yards and four rushing attempts.
“Our defense technically pitched a shutout,” said Homer head coach Brett Vernon. “Last year (Manchester) came into our place and smoked us pretty good … it was kind of a revenge type thing to come back, and our kids did a great job.”
McCaffrey led the Manchester defense with 8.5 tackles including two tackles for a loss.
The Trojans called up some big plays to first get on the scoreboard, then maintain control of the game in the second half. Pullen ended with 125 yards receiving with four catches and a touchdown. Wilson finished 10/18 passing for 181 yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus 89 rushing yards on 22 carries.
As of the end of the game Friday, The Flying Dutchmen were potentially eligible for the playoffs depending on the results of other varsity football games across the state. The results were announced on Sunday night and Manchester (5-4) will play at Grass Lake (8-1) in round 1 of the playoffs for Division 6, Region 3, District 2. Information and schedules of MHSAA 2019 football playoff tournament matchups is available online at www.mhsaa.com/sports/football
Tyler Scott covers football for the Manchester Mirror. He also hosts Weekend Afternoons on Michigan Radio (NPR)
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