Manchester’s new varsity football coach, Brian Enyeart, is the school’s third leader on the sidelines in the last three seasons. Two years ago, Alyx Brandewie left for Eastside. Last season, Eddie Fields had to step down after his teaching position was removed. Now, Enyeart, a North Manchester native, takes over the varsity program after stints as a coach in the youth program as well as varsity assistant.
“I’m not going anywhere. My roots are in this town, so they’re stuck with me for awhile” Enyeart said. “It means a lot to me to take over this program. My senior year was the last time we won a sectional, and it’s time to change that. To play as a Squire and now lead the Squires, it’s a blessing to me.”
Enyeart also mentioned how the constant turnover in the coaching department has impacted the players.
“It’s a bad situation, especially for the seniors. Having to learn three different offenses and defenses in as many years is not an easy thing to do, Enyeart said. “I can’t go back in time and make it better for them, but what we can do is make this year their best one yet. We’ll get better each week, and hopefully by the end of the season we'll be playing our A-game.”
The new offense for Manchester will feature a lot of running, as Enyeart looks to implement the flexbone and triple option. To do that, Enyeart has stressed toughness up front, as well as timing with his many ball carriers.
“We may have some turbulence along the way but that comes with learning a new system and implementing a new culture. We want to make Monday through Thursday hard so that Friday’s are easy,” Enyeart said. “We’ve started expanding our playbook and our scheme in recent weeks, and the kids are understanding why we started with things so basic, so now all of the little pieces can come together.”
Enyeart inherits the Squire program at a good time, with Manchester coming off of its best season in quite awhile. The 2023 team won five games for the first time since 2009 and played for its first sectional championship since 2007. While the team lost to Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, the program showed it was capable of making a run. That success has translated into players coming out to join the team this year.
“Last year I think the team had around 32 to 35 players, and this year we’re up to 46. We’ve been able to add some guys this summer and it’s been a great turnout. To see these kids wanting to stick around and wanting to join even with all of that turnover really shows we’re headed in the right direction,” Enyeart said.
The Squires will have plenty of returning faces on this year’s team, with the most explosive being junior Reiss Gaerte. Gaerte made a name for himself in his sophomore year, rushing for over 1,000 yards, including over 400 in sectional play alone, while also spending time as both a receiver and kick returner. One of the most explosive players in the area, he’ll look to have an even bigger impact this year.
“He’s one of the brightest spots on our team. With his experience last year he’s really grown into a leadership role, both on and off the field,” Enyeart said. “Each kid on this team has a role and he’s accepted what his is going to be. With the success he had last year, he’s going to be a focal point of defenses we go up against and that’s going to require other kids to step up. He’s going to get a lot of touches each night and he’s going to need to make the most of them.”
Among other key players will be quarterback Logan Eastgate, who will spend a majority of the season playing under center for the first time in his career. Enyeart says he has embraced the change and that his mobility, arm and knowledge of the game will be a major factor to the team’s success. Eli Metzger, one of Eastgate’s top receivers last season, will be lining up out wide once more. The offensive line, made up of Nick Cave, Dre Bledsoe, Kaleb Kline, Jose Cortez and Jace Garber are going to be critical for the team’s ability to generate offense. Mason Rooney and Davin Hendrix will occupy the fullback position and will be getting plenty of touches as well. Hendrix will also play linebacker. Dallas Martin is expected to be a force at the defensive end position.
“If we can get all of the kids on the team to buy in and trust the process, we can be successful. We don’t want kids that are concerned with their individual successes, but the team’s. It’s about we and us and not I and me. The team has to come first,” Enyeart said.