Football advances to State Semifinal
Senior Javon Peoples runs with the ball down the field at the Manhattan High School Varsity football game against Wichita Southeast. Peoples is normally sporting the number 6 jersey but due to his jersey ripping prior to the game, Peoples wore number 43 at the game. The Manhattan Indians beat Wichita Southeast 73-20.
November 15, 2018
Manhattan High Varsity football (10-1) defeated previously undefeated Lawrence Free State (10-1) in a statement win. The Indians put up 41 points while holding the Firebirds to a season-low 19 points.
“I felt good about the way our team showed up to play,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “It was a cold game but we are excited to come out with the win. The offensive and defensive lines dominated. Offensively, our jumbo set worked great with [seniors David] Hernandez, [Robert] Houston and [sophomore Damion] Ilalio.”
The Manhattan High offense was very successful running the football all night. Senior Kevontae McDonald had himself a night with 35 rushes for 237 yards and an extraordinary six touchdowns, four coming in the first half alone. Schartz said it was “pretty phenomenal, especially for a playoff game.” MHS had a total of 409 yards on offense in the game.
“It felt great that all the work we had put in this week paid off,” running back Isaiah Childs, junior, said. “It was [a] better feeling for underclassmen like myself to see the seniors and coaches celebrate because all of them have been working hard since May, and most of all we just [have to] take it one day at a time, work on things that can make us better as a whole.”
Going up against a team that has scored more than 60 points in games this year, they held them to only 19 points. That’s by far the lowest Lawrence Free State has scored all year.
Lawrence Free State only had 87 yards total and 53 of those came from one pass. Star running back Dax Hill was held to 28 rushing yards. Seniors Ben Gallagher and Raeshon Moore each had an interception. Lawrence Free State was held to only two first downs through two and a half quarters in the game.
The team (10-1) will travel to Wichita to take on undefeated Derby (11-0) in the 6A Kansas Football State Semifinal. The Panthers have only allowed more than 10 points twice this year while scoring more than 30 points in every game except for one.
“We have made it far, but we have an ultimate goal and getting to that ultimate goal,” Childs said. “It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, we have to get better.”
