Squires Outlast Vikings In TRC Opener
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Ryan Villanueva-
It wasn’t much of problem for anyone at Death Valley, as both teams were able to showcase their offenses with no adverse weather conditions.
What the Vikings did not plan was for the Squires to leave Akron with a 27-20 victory, their first road win at Valley since 1998.
Manchester head coach Greg Miller took pride in his team’s total effort in the win.
“We struck first, they came back, then we fought back through their momentum,” Miller said. “This is a hard place to play. Death Valley is a hard place to play, and we came and showed them how Squire football can play.”
Lucas Schilling completed 13 of 28 passes for 244 yards (2 TD, 2 INT) in the Squires’ Three Rivers Conference-opening win.
With Manchester leading 14-12 at halftime, the team totals caught the attention of many, as the Squires’ total offense outgained Valley by a slim margin (281-240). Most of the offens in the first and second quarters came from the aerial assault of Schilling and Valley’s Alec Craig.
On the receiving end for both teams were wideouts Keelan Norwood of Manchester and Brandon Webster for Tippecanoe Valley. Norwood finished the day with four receptions for 115 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown connection from Schilling in the early minutes of the opening quarter.
Webster and Craig had an answer for the Squire duo later in the first quarter, when Webster broke free for an 87-yard catch-and-run for a score, giving the Vikings their first lead of the game. Webster finished the day with two catches for 125 yards.
The Squires’ Jacob Casper earned the tough yardage throughout the game, gaining 67 yards on 19 rushes, as well as one catch for a 10-yard touchdown. Evan Milam ran the ball eight times for 56 yards and also had six receptions for 32 yards.
Defensively, Valley’s Michael Thacker recorded two interceptions in his team’s loss.
Craig, Valley’s fleet-footed sophomore quarterback, was able to flash some impressive moves as he completed five passes on 11 attempts for 203 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Craig also showed off a bit of his running ability, as he rushed for 123 yards on 15 carries, including a 36-yard touchdown scamper on a 4th-and-3 situation in the final quarter of play.
The long run by Craig pulled the Vikings within two, and Jared Littlejohn was able to convert the two-point conversion to tie the game at 20 with 9:30 remaining in the game.
In the closing minutes, the Vikings marched downfield, getting as close to the Manchester 2-yard line. On 2nd-and-goal, Craig was sacked for a loss of five by a flurry of Squire defenders.
Having no timeouts left, Craig was able to spike the ball and stop the clock at 2.4 seconds. On the final play, Craig found an open Webster in the back of the end zone but his pass sailed slightly out of reach over his head, ending the game.
The Vikings will continue their search for their first victory of the 2014 campaign when they visit the Southwood Knights Friday night at 7 p.m.
Manchester returns home Friday at 7 p.m. to host the Whitko Wildcats, who are coming off of their first win of the year, a 7-0 victory over Southwood. Miller expects his players to study the film intently and be ready for the Cats’ running game.
“They run the triple option and they’re a disciplined offense, so we have to be a disciplined defense,” said Miller.
MANCHESTER 27, T. VALLEY 20
M 7 7 6 7 – 27
TV 12 0 0 8 – 20
First Quarter
M – Lucas Schilling 76 pass to Keelan Norwood (PAT good) 8:49, 7-0
TV – Aaron Hoffman 3 run (PAT failed) 5:20, 7-6
TV – Alec Craig 87 pass to Brandon Webster (PAT blocked) 3:11, 12-7
Second Quarter
M – Lucas Schilling 10 pass to Jacob Casper (PAT good) 5:27, 14-12
Third Quarter
M – Casper 5 run (PAT failed) 1:26, 20-12
Fourth Quarter
TV – Alec Craig 36 run (Jared Littlejohn conversion) 9:30, 20-20
M – Jacob Casper 1 run (PAT good) 4:31, 27-20[[In-content Ad]]
It wasn’t much of problem for anyone at Death Valley, as both teams were able to showcase their offenses with no adverse weather conditions.
What the Vikings did not plan was for the Squires to leave Akron with a 27-20 victory, their first road win at Valley since 1998.
Manchester head coach Greg Miller took pride in his team’s total effort in the win.
“We struck first, they came back, then we fought back through their momentum,” Miller said. “This is a hard place to play. Death Valley is a hard place to play, and we came and showed them how Squire football can play.”
Lucas Schilling completed 13 of 28 passes for 244 yards (2 TD, 2 INT) in the Squires’ Three Rivers Conference-opening win.
With Manchester leading 14-12 at halftime, the team totals caught the attention of many, as the Squires’ total offense outgained Valley by a slim margin (281-240). Most of the offens in the first and second quarters came from the aerial assault of Schilling and Valley’s Alec Craig.
On the receiving end for both teams were wideouts Keelan Norwood of Manchester and Brandon Webster for Tippecanoe Valley. Norwood finished the day with four receptions for 115 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown connection from Schilling in the early minutes of the opening quarter.
Webster and Craig had an answer for the Squire duo later in the first quarter, when Webster broke free for an 87-yard catch-and-run for a score, giving the Vikings their first lead of the game. Webster finished the day with two catches for 125 yards.
The Squires’ Jacob Casper earned the tough yardage throughout the game, gaining 67 yards on 19 rushes, as well as one catch for a 10-yard touchdown. Evan Milam ran the ball eight times for 56 yards and also had six receptions for 32 yards.
Defensively, Valley’s Michael Thacker recorded two interceptions in his team’s loss.
Craig, Valley’s fleet-footed sophomore quarterback, was able to flash some impressive moves as he completed five passes on 11 attempts for 203 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Craig also showed off a bit of his running ability, as he rushed for 123 yards on 15 carries, including a 36-yard touchdown scamper on a 4th-and-3 situation in the final quarter of play.
The long run by Craig pulled the Vikings within two, and Jared Littlejohn was able to convert the two-point conversion to tie the game at 20 with 9:30 remaining in the game.
In the closing minutes, the Vikings marched downfield, getting as close to the Manchester 2-yard line. On 2nd-and-goal, Craig was sacked for a loss of five by a flurry of Squire defenders.
Having no timeouts left, Craig was able to spike the ball and stop the clock at 2.4 seconds. On the final play, Craig found an open Webster in the back of the end zone but his pass sailed slightly out of reach over his head, ending the game.
The Vikings will continue their search for their first victory of the 2014 campaign when they visit the Southwood Knights Friday night at 7 p.m.
Manchester returns home Friday at 7 p.m. to host the Whitko Wildcats, who are coming off of their first win of the year, a 7-0 victory over Southwood. Miller expects his players to study the film intently and be ready for the Cats’ running game.
“They run the triple option and they’re a disciplined offense, so we have to be a disciplined defense,” said Miller.
MANCHESTER 27, T. VALLEY 20
M 7 7 6 7 – 27
TV 12 0 0 8 – 20
First Quarter
M – Lucas Schilling 76 pass to Keelan Norwood (PAT good) 8:49, 7-0
TV – Aaron Hoffman 3 run (PAT failed) 5:20, 7-6
TV – Alec Craig 87 pass to Brandon Webster (PAT blocked) 3:11, 12-7
Second Quarter
M – Lucas Schilling 10 pass to Jacob Casper (PAT good) 5:27, 14-12
Third Quarter
M – Casper 5 run (PAT failed) 1:26, 20-12
Fourth Quarter
TV – Alec Craig 36 run (Jared Littlejohn conversion) 9:30, 20-20
M – Jacob Casper 1 run (PAT good) 4:31, 27-20[[In-content Ad]]
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