WALTON - In a battle of nobility, the Kings showed who the crown belongs to.
In the Class 2A, Sectional 26 championship game at Lewis Cass High School Friday, the 10th-ranked Lewis Cass Kings (12th AP) ran away with a 42-14 win over the Manchester Squires - literally.Running their Wing-T offense, the Kings accumulated 273 yards on the ground, carrying the ball 54 times. The Kings had a balanced attack, with Colton Zeck leading the way with 83 yards, followed by quarterback Rory Mannering's 53, Ryne Stover's 50 and Jeff Marschand's 41.
On the other side of the ball, Manchester had a more balanced game plan, throwing the ball 19 times, while rushing on 22 plays. Entering the game, Manchester coach Brandon Baker had talked about working the clock with the rush, but saw something in the Kings defense that prompted him to use quarterback Dylin Kennedy's arm.
That strategy worked through the first half, with Kennedy completing 6 of 11 passes for 66 yards, the last 18 coming on a touchdown throw to Skyler Howard with 2:47 remaining in the half, knotting the score at 7-7.
But after that quick start, the sophomore quarterback struggled with a Kings defense that made halftime adjustments, going 3 for 8 in the second half, throwing three interceptions.
"They starting blanketing our receivers a little more," Baker said of Lewis Cass' second-half defense. "That kind hurt our passing game a little bit, but when you turn the ball over against a good team, they're gonna capitalize on your mistakes. And that's why they're good. That's why they're Cass."
And blanketing the Squires receivers on the quick slants was exactly what Lewis Cass coach Scott Mannering wanted to see coming out for the second half.
"We tried to get some people under those (receivers) and give our corners some help," Mannering said. "The chance we take on that is, do we have enough guys to stop the run? We did, but we were also able to get the lead, so they had to throw more."
Cass got the lead thanks to four-straight possessions ending on touchdowns after Manchester tied the game at 7-7. Along with those four-straight scoring drives, the Kings also received seven points when Andrew Troutman returned an interception 21 yards to the end zone in the third quarter.
"The one thing we didn't do was give up," Baker said. "We fought until the very end. We told them, for that, they could be proud. Obviously, things didn't go our way in the second half. I thought we played the best football we had ever played in that first half. If you would have told us, we'd be here down 14-7 at halftime, I would have said we'd take that."
It actually appeared as if Manchester would enter the half tied with Lewis Cass, but following the Squires' score, Mannering led the Kings on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that took just over two-and-a-half minutes. From there, the Kings began to impose their will on the Squires.
"Manchester played really well in the first half, and we expected they would," the Kings coach said. "But having that edge going into the half, just having that lead, that had to give our kids a big lift."
Cass' lift led to Manchester's fall.
"It's a bad way to end the season - for anybody," Baker said.
"For the effort they gave, they can't hang their heads," he added.
The Squires did fight to the end, with senior Nolan Holloway scoring his final prep touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the game, plunging over the goal line from two yards out.
"This class is special to me, individually, because they're the first four-year class I've had through since they were freshmen," Manchester's fourth-year coach said. "They have done everything we've asked of them. The thing we told them is, that when you come back to watch these guys play, know it's because of you."
For the game, Kennedy finished with 82 yards passing, completing 9 of 19 passes. The quarterback's favorite target was his brother, senior wide receiver Brecken Kennedy, who finished his final game with four catches for 41 yards, followed by Howard's two catches for 25 yards, including his 18-yard touchdown grab.
On the ground, Holloway led the way with 66 yards on 15 carries, followed by classmate Blaine Miller, who had 22 yards on four carries.
The Squires finished the season with a 5-7 record.
Cass improved to 10-2 on the season and advanced to next week's regional, where they will play at Wheeler.
