ROCHESTER - In a 10-0 Three Rivers Conference loss at Rochester Friday, the Manchester Squires football team could get drives going, they just couldn't sustain them.
"We kept stubbing our toe on offense," Manchester head coach Brandon Baker said. "We'd move (the ball), then we'd have penalty. We'd move it, then we'd miss a block. There wasn't any doubt we could move the ball, we just couldn't sustain drives."The lone touchdown drive of the night didn't need much of a drive at all.
Following a six-yard punt with 1:13 remaining in the first half, Rochester (6-0, 4-0 TRC) had possession at the Manchester 31-yard line.
From there, Rochester senior quarterback Travis Rom connected with a diving senior Dustin Mersch, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Rom a play later.
"Dustin Mersch made a phenomenal catch," Rochester coach Mark Miller said. "That was huge to go in up 7-0, and be able to have a lead after things had been going back and forth."
On a sloppy Barnhart Field, thanks to a heavy mist, neither team was too dynamic on offense, with Rochester putting up 229 yards of total offense and Manchester (5-1, 3-1 TRC) generating 185 yards.
Most of the Zebras' offense came from the TRC's leading rusher Colt Meadows, who racked up 82 rushing yards and another 29 on three catches.
"We showed the guys on film, not one person is going to bring him down," Baker said of Meadows. "He's a great running back. Too many times, we'd hit him high and not wrap up. That's when he would break off and pick up more yards."
Meadows' biggest run came in the fourth quarter, when he found room to the right side, scampering 33 yards to the Manchester 20-yard line, setting up a 32-yard field goal by freshman Jonathon O'Dell with 7:21 remaining in the game.
Down 10-0, Manchester was forced to go to the air, which wasn't really working.
On the night, Squires senior quarterback Dylin Kennedy went 4-for-18 for 45 yards and an interception.
If it had been up to Baker, the Squires would have had the option of sticking to their running game, which had senior Brady Miller leading the way with 91 yards on 22 carries.
"Manchester has a real good football team," the Rochester coach said. "Brady Miller is a very good back. He's tough. Their backs run hard."
The Zebras' win leaves them as the lone undefeated team in the TRC.
Manchester will now need someone else to defeat Rochester, while also finishing out their conference schedule without a loss if they hope to even share the conference crown.
"We control our own destiny," Baker said. "We've got to win. Bottom line is, we've got to beat Southwood, we've got to beat Wabash and we have to beat Northfield. There's no other way around it. We're going to need some help now."
The game was never really decided until O'Dell's field goal, but even with the loss, Baker wouldn't change a thing.
"I still think we had a good game plan," he said. "If we had to play them again right now, we'd do the same, exact thing. Execution just got us."
It was execution, not desire.
"I'm not sure there's anyone who could have played much harder," Baker said. "They played their tails off."
Manchester is at Southwood Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff, and they'll also be rooting for the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings who try to hand Rochester its first TRC loss at Barnhart Field at 7 p.m.
