Manchester Wrestling Returns With 8th-Place Finish
November 7, 2021 at 8:56 p.m.

Manchester Wrestling Returns With 8th-Place Finish
By Dillon Bender-
Fifth-year Josh Stephenson (Yorktown) earned a third-place finish at 141-lbs. Stephenson pinned Adrian’s Zachary Platter in his first bout of the day. Stephenson would add a sudden victory over Wabash’s Joseph Miller and a 16-14 decision over Little Giant Daniel Uribe on Saturday.
First-year Justin Brantley went 2-2 on the afternoon and earned a fourth-place finish in the 125-lb weight class. Brantley posted a tech fall victory and a pin in his collegiate debut.
Sophomore Mark Roberts (Greencastle) would add an eighth-place finish at 133-lbs for the Black & Gold. Roberts. Went 4-3 on the day, winning a pair of decisions and recording a pair of pins.
Brothers Elijah Phillips (Centerville) and Gabe Phillips (Centerville) added a total of five wins at 157-lbs. for Manchester on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans will head to nationally-ranked Wabash on Friday November 12 for a dual against the Little Giants. Match time from Chadwick Court is currently scheduled for 7 p.m.
Spartans Stymied by Bluffton on Saturday
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Manchester University football team was defeated by Bluffton University on Saturday November 6, falling on the road in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action by a final score of 31-7.
Bluffton knocked in a 37-yard field goal in the 1st quarter for an early 3-0 advantage. The Beavers then found the end zone twice in the 2nd quarter. Bluffton quarterback Blake Rine threw touchdown strikes of 35 and 10 yards to push the Beavers’ advantage to 17-0.
The Beavers would add another score on its opening possession of the 3rd quarter. Blake Rine threw his third touchdown of the game, completing a 16-yard pass to Laurenz Johnson. Bluffton would find the endzone one final time, scoring midway through the 4th quarter following a 6-yard touchdown pass from Zachary Nobis to Chris Mclaurin
Manchester’s young offense was held off the scoreboard until the final seconds of Saturday’s game. Carter Campassi (Cicero) did manage to throw a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior Harrington Greer (South Bend) with 29 ticks left on the game clock. Greer had 4 receptions for 50 yards on Saturday.
For the game, Bluffton tallied 415 total yards of offense – throwing for 293 yards and rushing for 122 yards. Manchester put up 286 yards of total offense – throwing for 174 yards and rushing for 112 yards.
Jalen Masden (Evansville) finished with a team-high 8 tackles. He had 1 sack against Bluffton. 4 additional Spartans added 5 tackles on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester (2-7, 2-4 HCAC) will conclude its season next weekend at home against rival Anderson University. The Spartans will look to win back the coveted Bronze Ball Trophy.
Bluffton (3-6, 2-4 HCAC) will travel to rival Defiance College to conclude its season next weekend.
Fifth-year Josh Stephenson (Yorktown) earned a third-place finish at 141-lbs. Stephenson pinned Adrian’s Zachary Platter in his first bout of the day. Stephenson would add a sudden victory over Wabash’s Joseph Miller and a 16-14 decision over Little Giant Daniel Uribe on Saturday.
First-year Justin Brantley went 2-2 on the afternoon and earned a fourth-place finish in the 125-lb weight class. Brantley posted a tech fall victory and a pin in his collegiate debut.
Sophomore Mark Roberts (Greencastle) would add an eighth-place finish at 133-lbs for the Black & Gold. Roberts. Went 4-3 on the day, winning a pair of decisions and recording a pair of pins.
Brothers Elijah Phillips (Centerville) and Gabe Phillips (Centerville) added a total of five wins at 157-lbs. for Manchester on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans will head to nationally-ranked Wabash on Friday November 12 for a dual against the Little Giants. Match time from Chadwick Court is currently scheduled for 7 p.m.
Spartans Stymied by Bluffton on Saturday
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Manchester University football team was defeated by Bluffton University on Saturday November 6, falling on the road in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action by a final score of 31-7.
Bluffton knocked in a 37-yard field goal in the 1st quarter for an early 3-0 advantage. The Beavers then found the end zone twice in the 2nd quarter. Bluffton quarterback Blake Rine threw touchdown strikes of 35 and 10 yards to push the Beavers’ advantage to 17-0.
The Beavers would add another score on its opening possession of the 3rd quarter. Blake Rine threw his third touchdown of the game, completing a 16-yard pass to Laurenz Johnson. Bluffton would find the endzone one final time, scoring midway through the 4th quarter following a 6-yard touchdown pass from Zachary Nobis to Chris Mclaurin
Manchester’s young offense was held off the scoreboard until the final seconds of Saturday’s game. Carter Campassi (Cicero) did manage to throw a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior Harrington Greer (South Bend) with 29 ticks left on the game clock. Greer had 4 receptions for 50 yards on Saturday.
For the game, Bluffton tallied 415 total yards of offense – throwing for 293 yards and rushing for 122 yards. Manchester put up 286 yards of total offense – throwing for 174 yards and rushing for 112 yards.
Jalen Masden (Evansville) finished with a team-high 8 tackles. He had 1 sack against Bluffton. 4 additional Spartans added 5 tackles on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester (2-7, 2-4 HCAC) will conclude its season next weekend at home against rival Anderson University. The Spartans will look to win back the coveted Bronze Ball Trophy.
Bluffton (3-6, 2-4 HCAC) will travel to rival Defiance College to conclude its season next weekend.
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