Dutchmen fall to Napoleon, 25-30

Does it get any better than a touchdown and a rainbow? Great shot from Saturday’s game vs. Napoleon. Photo courtesy of Matt Brothers

by Marsha Chartrand

“Playing three quality teams in a row the first three weeks is a blessing,” says head Varsity football coach Ben Pack. “It allows us to find the issues that need to be addressed and fix them early. We continue to improve weekly; I expect another week of growth this week.”

For the third week in a row, the Manchester Dutchmen played their hearts out for the full 48 minutes, This time coming up on the short end of the score.

“I thought both teams adjusted well to the adversity of the game change, then a lightning delay, and rain,” Pack said. “I was happy to see our running game get back on track.”

The game started out with a first-quarter blast by Napoleon, scoring 12 points in the quarter for an early lead. Manchester started its catch-up in the second quarter with Gunner Carson’s two-yard run for a TD with a PAT kick by Nick Laurain to bring the score to 7-12. The Pirates responded with another touchdown of their own and six more points to take a strong lead, but Manchester wasn’t ready to give in and Kannon Duffing’s six-yard pass to Jaxon McGuigan with 2:11 remaining in the half brought the score closer with 13-18 halftime.

In the third and fourth quarters, Manchester and Napoleon matched each other, each scoring six points in each quarter. Blake Sloan and Gunner Carson scored the last two Dutch touchdowns, with Laurain’s point-after kick falling short both times.

“Wyatt Carson, Blake Sloan, and Gunner Carson ran very well behind the blocking of our offensive line,” Pack commented. “Jozef Sprunk continues to shine as a drive blocker.

“Kannon Duffing, Jaxon McGuigan, and Andrew Campbell are a bonafide passing threat on every down. When teams play us trying to stop our passing attack, we must be able to run the ball. And we did.”

Defensively, however, Pack said that the Dutch played sporadically, ” … shining like superstars one down, and the next giving up a big play. After evaluating our video, we know we can fix the issues that led to the big plays.”

Bubba Duffing with seven solos and four assists, Jeff Loomis (four solo tackles and two assists), Wyatt (four solo tackles) and Blake Sloan (six solos and two assists) continue to lead the defense, Pack added.

The next game on the varsity schedule is at East Jackson High School this Friday, Sept. 16 at 7pm. Go Dutch!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.