Dutch varsity overwhelm Trojans in final minutes of game, 49-36
Wyatt Carson, #40, turned in one of the best rushing performances in recent years in Friday night’s game vs. East Jackson, according to varsity football coach Ben Pack. Photo by John Osadchuk
by Marsha Chartrand
Manchester rebounded quickly from its close loss to Napoleon last week, turning the tables on East Jackson with an impressive 49-36 win on Friday night. The high-scoring game by both teams brought a lot of excitement to the Cascades Conference matchup.
“The ground game got on track quickly, as Wyatt Carson turned in one of the best rushing performances in recent years — rushing for 191 yards, averaging 10.6 yards per carry, and two touchdowns,” said coach Ben Pack. “His performance was spectacular. Our offensive line (Landon LaVigne, Brandon Blumenauer, Jozef Sprunk, Nathan Fletcher, and Derek Huff) dominated the entire night, opening holes for Wyatt and protecting Kannon Duffing while passing. Their performance sparked a balanced night, passing and running.”
Although EJ started off the scoring with a touchdown at 7:39 in the first quarter, Manchester responded with two of its own in quick succession; with running touchdowns by Blake Sloan and Wyatt Carson while Nick Laurain’s PATs were both good, bringing the first quarter score to 14-6.
“Blake’s 10-yard touchdown run in the first quarter sparked a huge momentum shift,” Pack commented. “Blake and Wyatt are a great tandem at running back.”
Early in the second, the Trojans scored another six-point running TD, again with a quick response from Kannon Duffing on a pass completed to Jaxon McGuigan for 19 yards, and the point after kick by Laurain was good.
“Jaxon Mc Guigan turned in an outstanding performance on both offense and defense,” Pack said. “On offense, he hauled in eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. This allowed him to break a school record of 1,462 career receiving yards held by Corwin Every since 2009. Jaxon is having a fine season, catching 32 passes for 433 yards and five touchdowns in the first four games. Defensively, Jaxon had nine tackles and two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.”
Both the Dutchmen and the Trojans continued to score touchdowns in the second quarter, with 15 and 22 points respectively by the end of the quarter. Halftime score was a challenging 29-28, in favor of Manchester.
The Duffing-McGuigan combo had the lone score in the third quarter, with a 15-yard pass for a touchdown, and a successful PAT by Laurain. An early fourth-quarter score by East Jackson’s Caleb Weaver on a two-yard run, followed by a successful two-point conversion run, evened the score at 36-36, but the rest of the game was all Dutch.
With 1:20 remaining in the game, K. Duffing ran for a 9-yard touchdown, but Laurain’s PAT attempt was no good. Just seconds later, McGuigan intercepted an EJ pass for another touchdown, followed by a successful extra point by Laurain, and the scoreboard showed the final as 49-36.
Bubba Duffing led the defense in tackles with 10; Jeff Loomis continues to be a difference maker, breaking up passes and pressuring the QB. Andrew Campbell secured the game with an interception on the last defensive play.
“Our special teams continue to be a bright spot,” Pack said. “Andrew Campbell had 106 yards in kick returns. Nick Laurain kicked five P.A.T. kicks and all his kickoffs were deep and spectacular. Gunner Carson averaged 43 yards per punt.
“Special teams play a huge role in gaining the hidden yards in every ball game. These players have done an outstanding job getting yards not normally recognized.”
This week Friday, Sept. 23, Manchester will host Quincy at 7 pm. Go Dutch!
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