AKRON, Ohio — After more than three quarters of quick-strike football, it was time for the Manchester Panthers to get back to basics. "We just wanted to shove it down their throat," said senior fullback Mark Noble.
AKRON, Ohio — After more than three quarters of quick-strike football, it was time for the Manchester Panthers to get back to basics.
"We just wanted to shove it down their throat," said senior fullback Mark Noble.
With Noble carrying the ball 11 times in a 17-play drive, host Manchester scored a late touchdown to clinch a 34-22 Homecoming victory over Wooster Triway. The Panthers, ranked No. 25 in the Plain Dealer Top 25 and third in the state in the AP division IV poll, are now 7-0 while the Titans fall to 5-2.
"We just sucked it up and tried to use up six or seven minutes off the clock," said veteran coach Jim France of the final drive. "Fortunately we were able to do that. We hadn't been blocking that well earlier in the game, but we talked to the kids about finishing off a drive, and on that one they really did it well."
Noble ended the game with 81 yards on 22 carries, with most of his work coming on the final drive, which took seven minutes, 28 seconds off the clock. Noble also scored two touchdowns in the final quarter.
"He's just an old country boy," France said. "He's a throwback to the old days."
Noble combined with junior tailback Cort Logan to put up some big numbers. The speedy Logan gained 133 yards on 13 carries and scored twice, on a 60-yard reception and on a 73-yard run. He also had a 39-yard run late in the third quarter.
"Our line did a great job," Noble said. "Everybody on the line blocked great. I had some huge holes to run through."
Manchester needed that much offense because Triway quarterback Derek Carmichael completed 29 of 46 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. In the first half alone he completed 23 of 33 passes for 216 yards and two scores.
The first half of the game was a shootout, as the teams combined for more than 430 yards, 34 points and only one punt. It was the possession-passing game of Triway, which ran 44 plays, vs. the big-play offense of Manchester, which ran only 18 plays but still held a 22-12 lead at intermission.
A turning point in the game occurred late in the first half as Triway senior Sawyer Polen was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. At that point the Kent State baseball recruit already had 10 catches for 142 yards and one touchdown and the Panthers didn't seem to have an answer on how to stop him.
Bill Magill is a freelance reporter from University Heights.