After a shutout, one might expect a lively locker room, but that wasn’t the case Friday night.

The Manhattan High football team routed Highland Park in Topeka Friday night, 41-0, to move to 3-1 on the season.

To get the blowout, however, the Indians dealt with unfamiliar issues: penalties and turnovers. Manhattan was flagged 14 times for 125 yards, and turned the ball over twice in the first half, something the Indians had previously done just three times on the year. Head coach Joe Schartz attributed the penalties to a couple areas.

“I’m not going to make excuses. We didn’t perform well, and I think Highland Park had a lot to do with that,” Schartz said. “It was a different officiating crew. Our kids were doing the same thing in the other games and our kids were playing really well, defensively, defending some of those deep passes, and this officiating crew chose to throw a flag.”

One turnover against the Scots was junior quarterback Ian Trapp’s fumble in the second frame, which set up Highland Park at the MHS 24-yard line. The Indians forced the Scots into a turnover on downs, however, and Schartz was pleased with his defense given the unfavorable field position.

“That was the main positive that I brought out in the locker room, is that we did put the defense in some tough situations, and they stiffened and didn’t let [Highland Park] in,” Schartz said. “That’s the main positive we have out of this game tonight.”

Turnovers were also a problem for the Scots, who committed six. After Trapp threw an interception on MHS’ first drive of the game, Highland Park fumbled. The Indians then drove 59 yards into the endzone, capped by Trapp’s 20-yard touchdown rush, which put Manhattan up 7-0.

Trapp also scored later in the second quarter, a 32-yard sprint into the endzone, following the Scots’ turnover on downs. The drive covered 97 yards and pushed the Manhattan lead to 14-0.

The Indians added a touchdown late in the second quarter, when Trapp punched it in from two yards out. Manhattan led 21-0 at the break.

Coming out of halftime, Highland Park fumbled on its first offensive series. MHS took over at the Scots’ 24-yard line, and on a short fourth down, senior Blake Wewer snuck in. The Indians led 27-0 at the 7:45 mark of the third quarter, after a missed extra point.

Despite the lead on the scoreboard, Schartz was critical at times of what he saw from his offense.

“There’s things there that we had the entire night, and we just weren’t physical enough,” Schartz said. “Certain things were there all night long, and occasionally, we took advantage of them.”

Both Trapp and Wewer added one more score each. Trapp rushed in from 17 yards, ballooning the MHS lead to 33-0, and Wewer’s two-yard rush was the final touchdown of the game, giving Manhattan a 41-0 lead at the 6:43 mark of the fourth period.

The Indians host Topeka West next Friday in Manhattan. Schartz said his team will have to improve in order to win on Homecoming night.

“[To improve, it’s going to take] a whole lot of effort, a whole lot of focus, and wanting to get there, and coming together as a team,” Schartz said. “Every day is an opportunity, and we can’t waste any more.”