NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊAfter squeaking by Three Rivers Conference rival Whitko 35-27 in overtime last week, the Manchester Squires football team took its 2-0 conference record up against a power team of the past, the North Miami Warriors.

The Warriors, also 2-0 in the TRC, were looking to put a dent in the Squires' TRC title run.

Coming into Friday, Manchester junior running back Josh Peden was leading the TRC in rushing, averaging 6.5 yards a carry and running for 685 yards in 105 attempts. That was a major concern for the Warriors. In last week's game against Whitko, Peden sprained an ankle in overtime, thus making him questionable for the kickoff.

Peden didn't play a down, but the Squires still rolled by the Warriors 41-6.

On this night, the Squires found two other running backs just as good as Peden. Senior Gary Young rushed for 203 yards and scored three touchdowns, while junior John Sommer rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, giving the host Squires a deadly 1-2 punch.

"We could have played Peden tonight, but I thought Gary deserved a shot at running the football,' Manchester coach Al Bailey said. "Both Young and Sommer showed early that they could run the football and they both capitalized on every opportunity."

North Miami didn't know quite what hit them when they got off the bus. The Warriors were expecting to stop the TRC rushing leader Peden, but what they got were two running backs that ran through the Warrior defense for 323 yards.

"Our offensive line really opened up some nice holes for our runners,' Bailey added. "We are very fortunate to have three good running backs. I was just glad that Young and Sommer got an opportunity tonight to show what they are made of."

Manchester scored early and often in the first quarter. On its first possession, the Squires marched down the field in less than three minutes. A 3-yard touchdown run by Sommer gave the Squires a 6-0 lead. Kory Rupley's kick was blocked.

After a tough three and out for the Warriors, the Squires scored on their next possession.

The Squires went 50 yards on nine plays, scoring on a Young 5-yard run. The Squires then went for two and scored when quarterback Klay Bechtold found a wide-open J.D. Miller in the end zone for a 14-0 Manchester lead.

"We had some early pass play opportunities,' Bailey said. "After getting the room to run, we felt like we could control the ball on the ground.'

The Squire defense was solid in the first half, not allowing North Miami a first down until 9:35 left in the half.

"Our defense really stepped it up,' Bailey said. "After giving up 27 points last week, we really worked hard this week to try to improve it.'

Manchester scored once more before the half. Bechtold found Annon Gaerte for a 32-yard touchdown, his sixth touchdown of the year. Rupley's kick gave the host school a 21-0 lead heading into halftime.

Things didn't get much better for North Miami. On their third play from scrimmage, Warrior quarterback Derek Hagan was picked off by Kedric Miller. Miller returned it 40 yards, setting up yet another Squire score five plays later.

Young scored again, this time from five yards out to up the blowout to 27-0. Rupley again added the extra point to all but seal the deal at 28-0.

"We just were clicking tonight,' Bailey said. "We played tough for four quarters and that's what it takes every Friday."

In the fourth quarter, Manchester scored with 11:31 to play as Young scored his third and final touchdown, a 1-yard run. After Rupley's kick, the Squires led 35-0. After finally getting a nice drive established, the Warriors fumbled the ball right back to the Squires. Manchester took advantage of the mistake. Sommer finished off the Squire scoring when he went untouched into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown run. The kick was blocked, but it didn't matter as the Squires led 41-0.

After almost four frustrating quarters, the Warriors finished on a positive note. Derek Nolley scored the Warriors' only points on a nice 20-yard touchdown run, thus preventing a shutout.

"This was a great game to shine for a lot of our players,' Bailey said. "We had several people step it up tonight."

With the win, the Squires move to 4-1 (3-0 in the TRC). The Squires will have a huge game next Friday when they travel to Rochester, who also is undefeated in the conference.

"Rochester should be undefeated right now,' Bailey said. "They are a very solid football team who comes ready to play every week."

Manchester 41

North Miami 6

Manchester 14 7 7 13 - 41

North Miami 0 0 0 6 - 6

M NM

First downs 19 11

Rushing yards 61-349 45-162

Passing yards 51 16

Comp.-Att.-Int. 3-3-0 2-5-1

Total offense 400 178

Fumbles lost 2-1 1-1

Punts/avg. 0-0 2-30

Penalties/yards 7-60 2-10

First Quarter

M -ÊJohn Sommer 3 run (kick failed), 8:10, 6-0 M

M -ÊGary Young 5 run (Bechtold pass to J.D. Miller), 2:54, 14-0 M

Second Quarter

M -ÊKlay Bechtold 32 pass to Annon Gaerte (Rupley kick), 1:15, 21-0 M

Third Quarter

M -ÊGary Young 5 run (Rupley kick), 8:09, 28-0 M

Fourth Quarter

M - Gary Young 1 run (Rupley kick), 11:31, 35-0 M

M - John Sommer 5 run (kick blocked), 6:02, 41-0 M

NM - Derek Nolley 20 run (kick blocked), 2:47, 41-6 M

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing - Manchester: Gary Young 27-203, John Sommer 20-120, Klay Bechtold 1-0, Derek Brown 4-26. North Miami: Chadd Pattison 9-47, Derek Hagan 4-2, Derek Nolley 19-82, Adam Deeds 2-11, Jason Saylor 1-9, Lee Hall 7-33.

Passing -ÊManchester: Klay Bechtold 3-3-51. North Miami: 2-5-16

Receiving -ÊManchester: Annon Gaerte 1-32, J.D. Miller 1-2, Tom Hardy 1-17. North Miami: Chadd Pattison 1-2, Lee Hall 1-14. [[In-content Ad]]