Football drops second straight game, out of playoff contention

Greg Woods, Online Editor-in-Chief

For the second straight week, the Manhattan High football team found itself on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

And for the second straight week, it damaged its chances of making the playoffs. But this time, the Indians are eliminated.

In its second district contest of the year Friday night, Manhattan fell to Lawrence Free State, 35-14. With the loss, the Indians are now 4-4 overall and 0-2 in district play, dropping MHS out of playoff contention for the second consecutive season.

Free State relied heavily on its passing attack, as senior quarterback Bryce Torneden led the charge through the air, totaling 125 passing yards and three touchdowns. Senior linebacker Adam Al-Soltani said the air attack made the difference down the stretch.

“Once they started going over the top of us, they realized they could have a pretty good pass game,” Al-Soltani said. “They started taking advantage of it.”

Junior running back Keiadrain McDonald, who has provided much of Manhattan’s rushing attack, didn’t make the trip to Lawrence with the team as a result of head coach Joe Schartz’s decision to sit him after he missed a Saturday practice.

The first quarter ended without score, something Al-Soltani attributed to the defense’s effort.

“They came out, and they tried to run it down our throats,” Al-Soltani said. “We stuffed the run game pretty quick.”

But the Firebirds scored twice in the second frame, both touchdown passes from Torneden. The first was a 23-yard score to Zack Sanders, and the second came on an 11-yard hookup between Torneden and Jack Flynn.

Manhattan came within six yards of scoring before halftime, but on fourth-and-goal from the Firebird six-yard line, junior quarterback Ian Trapp’s pass fell incomplete. Trapp said it was a missed opportunity at momentum.

“[It was] one play we didn’t make where we would have had all the momentum going into the half,” Trapp said. “If we made that one play that got stopped right on the endzone.”

Instead, Free State entered intermission with a 14-0 cushion.

But Manhattan came out of the break and scored twice. Trapp capped the Indians’ first third-quarter drive with a 37-yard touchdown rush, trimming the deficit to seven.

Six minutes later, he did it again. On a drive that started at Manhattan’s own seven-yard line, Trapp ended it with a 62-yard score, evening the game at 14. The blocking Trapp got, he said, was key.

“During the season, lead blocks and kickouts and stuff like that, we kind of struggled with a little bit. On a lot of plays, we would have gotten a lot of yards if we would have gotten one more block,” Trapp said. “Those plays were one where we got the blocks that we needed.”

The fourth quarter was a different story. Free State’s Sam Skwarlo scored on a 35-yard rush 26 seconds into the quarter, and on Manhattan’s ensuing drive, Trapp fumbled. The Firebirds turned the turnover into seven points when Torneden hit Zion Bowlin on a six-yard touchdown pass, and the Firebirds had a 28-14 lead.

Trapp said the quick turnaround was hard on his team.

“It was pretty deflating,” he said. “For us to have those two quick mistakes in a row, it took us out of the game.”

Free State added to its lead further. On the kickoff after Torneden’s touchdown pass to Bowlin, the Firebirds recovered an Indian fumble. The Firebirds’ Kameron Lake tacked on a 34-yard field goal, and the lead was up to 31-14.

The ensuing Manhattan possession ended with Trapp throwing an interception, but neither team scored after the turnover.

The Indians will host Washburn Rural on Friday in their final game of the season. Even without a chance at the playoffs, Al-Soltani said the team will be motivated to end the year with a win.

“We’re all disappointed that we’re not going to make it to the playoffs, especially us seniors,” Al-Soltani said. “We’ve been working for this all of our lives; some of us ever since we were really young, and growing up together. But we’re all really tough guys, and we’re out here battling, and we’re not going to give up. And we have one more party to go out and really make a name for ourselves, and we’re not going to go out without a fight.”