Squires Triumph Over Peru In Regular-Season Finale
October 19, 2019 at 5:27 a.m.
Squires Triumph Over Peru In Regular-Season Finale
By Noah Tong-
Quarterback Devin Marcum threw for three touchdowns, to Seth Gaerte, Tyce Rooney, and Tyler Andritsch, respectively. Wide receiver Thane Creager, a favorite target for Marcum throughout the night, exploited the single coverage on the outside by climbing the ladder on a few tough catches downfield.
Sophomore Braxton Ream ran for a 22-yard touchdown to get the scoring started for the Squires. All 27 of Manchester’s points came in the second quarter.
The Squires were also the benefactors of a couple officiating calls that drastically changed the outcome of Friday night’s affair.
Near the end of the second quarter and deep in Tiger territory Peru, trailing by one, faked a punt. After completing the pass over the middle of the field, the play was ultimately called back for illegal formation, forcing the Tigers to punt.
Marcum went on to drive down the field and launched a pass through the Tiger defense taking the lead 21-13.
With less than a minute to go in the half, Manchester marched down the field yet again. The Squires opted for a field goal attempt, but the kick was blocked by Peru’s Kade Townsend and returned 75 yards by sophomore Matthew Ross to bring the score within two.
But Peru was called for an offisde penalty, enraging the away supporters with a late call as Ross raced downfield.
Manchester capitalized on the very next play, and caught the Tiger defense still dwelling on the previous play, as Marcum found tight end Andritsch in the back of the end zone to make the score 27-13.
“Those were big momentum swings,” said head coach Greg Miller. “Anytime you put it in the endzone it’s a great thing.
“Still, we didn’t execute well overall, so there’s always room for improvement,” Miller continued. “We need to do better on both sides of the ball. If we do that, we’re going to continue to win.”
From there, Manchester protected their lead. Neither team put points on the board in the second half, despite both teams forcing turnovers. Peru chose to methodically run the ball in the final quarter and banked on a scoring drive. Their efforts backfired when the Squire defense stopped them on multiple fourth downs, yet the clock continued to wind down.
“I thought the defense stepped up and played well in tight situations,” Miller said. “The offense turned the ball over, and we responded.”
“I told our seniors in the locker room that they were carrying us,” he continued. “It was a great win for our seniors.”
Peru fell to 4-5 overall and 3-5 in TRC play. Manchester climb to 3-6 overall and 3-5 in TRC games.
Manchester travels to Bremen (2-7, 1-5) Friday for a sectional first round matchup.
Quarterback Devin Marcum threw for three touchdowns, to Seth Gaerte, Tyce Rooney, and Tyler Andritsch, respectively. Wide receiver Thane Creager, a favorite target for Marcum throughout the night, exploited the single coverage on the outside by climbing the ladder on a few tough catches downfield.
Sophomore Braxton Ream ran for a 22-yard touchdown to get the scoring started for the Squires. All 27 of Manchester’s points came in the second quarter.
The Squires were also the benefactors of a couple officiating calls that drastically changed the outcome of Friday night’s affair.
Near the end of the second quarter and deep in Tiger territory Peru, trailing by one, faked a punt. After completing the pass over the middle of the field, the play was ultimately called back for illegal formation, forcing the Tigers to punt.
Marcum went on to drive down the field and launched a pass through the Tiger defense taking the lead 21-13.
With less than a minute to go in the half, Manchester marched down the field yet again. The Squires opted for a field goal attempt, but the kick was blocked by Peru’s Kade Townsend and returned 75 yards by sophomore Matthew Ross to bring the score within two.
But Peru was called for an offisde penalty, enraging the away supporters with a late call as Ross raced downfield.
Manchester capitalized on the very next play, and caught the Tiger defense still dwelling on the previous play, as Marcum found tight end Andritsch in the back of the end zone to make the score 27-13.
“Those were big momentum swings,” said head coach Greg Miller. “Anytime you put it in the endzone it’s a great thing.
“Still, we didn’t execute well overall, so there’s always room for improvement,” Miller continued. “We need to do better on both sides of the ball. If we do that, we’re going to continue to win.”
From there, Manchester protected their lead. Neither team put points on the board in the second half, despite both teams forcing turnovers. Peru chose to methodically run the ball in the final quarter and banked on a scoring drive. Their efforts backfired when the Squire defense stopped them on multiple fourth downs, yet the clock continued to wind down.
“I thought the defense stepped up and played well in tight situations,” Miller said. “The offense turned the ball over, and we responded.”
“I told our seniors in the locker room that they were carrying us,” he continued. “It was a great win for our seniors.”
Peru fell to 4-5 overall and 3-5 in TRC play. Manchester climb to 3-6 overall and 3-5 in TRC games.
Manchester travels to Bremen (2-7, 1-5) Friday for a sectional first round matchup.
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