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Football team suffers first defeat of season

Dutchmen were ready for action against Napoleon on Friday night.

by Marsha Chartrand

“The Manchester football team hit a wall Friday versus a stout Napoleon team,” said varsity coach Ben Pack. “Both teams entered the contest undefeated, and Napoleon prevailed.”

The Dutch got on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a TD rush by Bubba Duffing followed up by a PAT by Jeff Sangster. Napoleon then scored on a touchdown pass, with an unsuccessful conversion pass, leaving the score 7–6 in Manchester favor at the end of the first quarter.

The rest of the first half, however, was all Napoleon. Four touchdowns, including one on a 45-yard interception, in the second quarter sealed Manchester fate, with the Pirates going in at the half up by a score of 29–7.

“As in all games, and especially versus solid teams, defense is critical,” Pack said. “Our consistency just wasn’t there throughout the game. We showed our strength on plays, then made errors on others. Napoleon elite athletes played very well, and a bunch of others played along with them. They played together, were well-coached, focused, and on mission.”

Pack also commented, “Offensively, after our first drive I thought we would be on track as it resulted in a touchdown. I thought we played only average on offense as we had missed assignments and errors in fundamentals. Only scoring 21 points is not our standard.”

The third quarter also saw Napoleon continue to rack up offensive points, with another touchdown and PAT combination, bringing the score to 36–7. In the fourth, the Dutchmen again outscored the Pirates, by a score of 14–6, but it was not enough to overcome the huge lead that had been built up in the prior two quarters. The game ended with Napoleon the victors, 42–21.

“We are a very good team that did not play up to par,” Pack noted. “We will take this setback and learn from it. There is a lot of season left, so opportunities await.”

Blake Sloan led the team in rushing and scoring with 130 yards and two touchdowns. “Blake is a competitor and shows up ready to compete,” Pack said. “When the ball is in his hands, he is going to advance it.”

On defense, Bubba Duffing led the team in tackles, with 12.5. Phoenix Hulswitt followed him up with seven tackles, and had one interception.

Manchester P.A.T. Block unit of Sangster and Lydia Bennett also played well, blocking two points after kicks.

Pack added that the Junior Varsity football team is off to a good start at 1–0, being led by sophomores Jackson Walz, Julian Waters, and Brett Brothers.

The Flying Dutchmen varsity plays at home on Friday versus Leslie for the homecoming game. Game time is 7pm.

GO, DUTCH!

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.