Friday night’s Dutchmen football game ended well for Manchester as they defeated Napoleon. (Courtesy Photo).

State Power Addison too much  for young Dutchmen

The strength and experience of the Addison football program showed up on Friday, Sept. 18, as the Panthers beat the Dutchmen 52-0.

“We showed sparks doing well but not nearly enough to compete,” Coach Ben Pack said after the game. “Our kids are growing daily and we will use this experience to get better.”

Addison provided a standard for the young Dutch, Pack added. “Their line came off the ball exceptionally well. Our kids can use this as an example as the season moves along.” Manchester had 29 underclassmen dressed and playing in their first varsity game.

“Our goal is to get better each day,” Pack concluded. “It has been a slow process with all the schedule adjustments stemming from COVID. The kids have been super to work with. We will get better.”

And they did.

On Friday night, Sept. 25, the Dutchmen rebounded, topping Napoleon in the second game of the season.

“It was a total team effort from the opening kick to the final whistle,” Coach Pack said following the game. “The kids worked hard during the week fixing errors from the previous week.”

Many big plays throughout the game sparked momentum for the Dutch at just the right time. On the first possession by the Dutch, they drove the field, capping the drive with a 3-yard run by Garrett Pope. Max Edwards’ kick was good. The Dutchmen’s second score came on a 63-yard run by Hayden Taylor; Edwards’ point-after kick was good, taking the Dutch into a 14-13 half time lead.

In the third quarter, quarterback Aiden Kelly connected with Collin Campbell for an 11-yard TD pass. Edwards’ kick was blocked. The Dutch final score came on a pass interception by nose tackle Cade Vanbogelen. The next big play of the game came as Jaxon McGuigan intercepted a Pirate pass on the 2-yard line, preventing a touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Pirates turned the ball over one last time as Collin Campbell picked off a flat pass giving the Dutch their final possession, and the win.