The Manhattan High football team fell short 21-23 to Derby in Sectionals, ending their season with a 9-2 record.
photo courtesy of Kristy Nyp
Going into Friday’s game Manhattan had won three straight over Derby and hadn’t had a loss since Washburn Rural in their fourth game. Derby had not lost since they played MHS in the first game of the season.
In the first Manhattan struggled on their first drive, going three and out, giving the ball to Derby. Derby drove down the field from their own 45 to put the first points on the board and take the lead 7-0. MHS quickly responded with a 76-yard drive ending in a 18-yard rushing touchdown by junior quarterback Carter Aslin.
In the second Manhattan struggled on defense, allowing Derby to score two touchdowns on their first two drives for a 20-7 lead. After Derby pulled ahead, Manhattan scored on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Aslin to senior wide receiver Dwayne Newby to cut the lead to six going into the half.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game and we fought hard but in the end we didn’t get the result we wanted,” Aslin said.
In the third Manhattan forced a punt on Derby’s first possession to get the ball on their own 17. MHS drove down the field 83 yards with the help of a 53-yard rush from junior running back Jaydin Hudley to score on a 5-yard passing touchdown from senior running back Charles Morgan to senior linebacker Ian McNabb, grabbing the lead at 21-20 with five minutes in the quarter. To finish off the quarter Derby punted but after a fumble by Manhattan the Panthers quickly got the ball back on Manhattan’s 29.
In the fourth Manhattan forced a turnover on downs, taking the ball back with 10 minutes left in the game. Manhattan ran the ball down to the Derby 29 before turning the ball over on downs, giving Derby three minutes left to try to take the lead. With under a minute Derby was down on the MHS 8 yard line as they hit a 26-yard field goal taking the lead 23-21 with 37 seconds left.
Those final seconds weren’t enough for Manhattan to get anything going as they fell short 21-23 to end their season.
“It was an outstanding season I’ll never forget,” McNabb said, “and this team meant a lot to me.”
