NORTH MANCHESTER - The Manchester Squires are living in the past.
In a nostalgic moment, the Squires will be playing in a sectional championship for the first time since 1998 Friday, which also happens to be the last time they had a four-game winning streak."Obviously, to get to this point is great, but we want to continue to play," Manchester coach Brandon Baker said. "We've won our last four contests, which is big, but the guys have worked hard for this."
The Squires will travel to Lewis Cass Friday for a 7 p.m. game against the 12th-ranked Kings, ranked 10th in the Coaches' Poll. Manchester reached this point by defeating Bluffton 21-7 in the opening round of sectional play and Whitko 20-0 last Friday in North Manchester.
Against Lewis Cass, the Squires will run into a team that wants to run the ball.
"They run a wing-T offense, and run it well," Baker said. "We're gonna need to be ready to stop the run, because Lewis Cass has some great athletes. There's no one player they always go to, they're all good."
To stop the running attack, led by quarterback Rory Mannering, the Squire defense, led by four-year starting linebacker Blaine Miller, will need to be up to the challenge.
"All teams can be beaten," Miller said. "If our defensive line gets under their guards, which won't allow them to pull, that would be huge. They like to run inside, so if we don't allow those guards to pull, anything is possible."
And that's the kind of thinking Baker likes to see from a captain.
"He leads by example," Baker said of Miller. "He's worked hard in the weight room and on the field. He's always asking questions, which is great. Instead of guessing which hole he should hit, he'll ask, so he doesn't make many mistakes."
Prior to their win against Bluffton, Miller had never experienced a sectional win, so he's letting this experience sink in.
"It's amazing," he said. "Not just because it's the first time I've been on a team that's gotten this far, but also because it's the first time this program has done it in nine years. It's pretty fun."
So after seeing his first three seasons end prematurely, Miller's learned how to lead his team to wins.
"I've gotten a lot smarter," Miller said of his progression from a freshman to a senior. "Defensively, I've learned to shoot into gaps, rather than letting runners come to me."
"He's matured a lot," Baker said of Miller. "He's gotten a lot better at understanding the game and knowing where he needs to be."
And maturity has helped Miller on the offensive side of the ball as well. After spending his previous years as a tailback, he made the move to fullback this season, which is paying dividends.
"He's gone from the stud to the guy who's knocking the opposition on their behinds, opening holes for other guys," Baker said. "Not all players could make that move."
But as long as there's hitting involved, Miller's not complaining.
"Last year, I led the team in rushing yards," Miller said. "I don't get the ball as much anymore, but I really enjoy laying some hits."
Against Lewis Cass, the blocking will be essential.
"We have to be able to run the ball," Baker said. "We can't become one-dimensional. We should be able to pass, which we are usually able to do, but we have to rush the ball in order to control the clock. If Lewis Cass' offense isn't on the field, they can't score."
Lewis Cass punched their ticket to the sectional championship by defeating Rochester 28-14 in the opening round and Bremen 27-13 last week in Bremen. The 9-2 Kings are averaging 30 points a game, but against a Squire defense that's surrendered just seven points in its last three games, Manchester seems ready.
"Against Northfield, we were underdogs, so we're used to it," Miller said of his 5-6 team. "But we came out and shut them down. Then against Whitko, we allowed only 74 total yards, with 42 coming on a screen play. So our defense has really been stepping it up."
