Turnovers, Mistakes Prove Costly In Squire LossBLUFFTON—A week after their 41-27 road loss to North Miami, Manchester head football coach Greg Miller and his Squires wish to bounce back in a big way.
And what better way to get back on the right track than to travel to Bluffton on Homecoming Night? The Squires haven’t seen a win over the Tigers in the regular or the post-season since 2009.
Unfortunately, this night didn’t arrive Friday night for the Squires.
Turnovers and penalties proved costly, as Manchester fell to Bluffton 43-20 to drop to 0-2 on the season.
“We have got to take of ourselves, we have got to cut down on our mistakes,” said Miller. “That did us in tonight. We just had too many mistakes, too many turnovers, too many missed assignments.”
After carrying the ball for 113 yards and two scores against Northfield, junior running back Cody Middlestedt got to see some carries early to set the pace for the Bluffton offense. After dropping Bluffton junior quarterback Hayden Nern for an 18-yard loss, Manchester senior defensive lineman Jason Miller forced the hosts to punt on their first possession.
After trading a few more punts, Manchester senior quarterback Devin Marcum’s pass was tipped and then intercepted by Bluffton’s Reece Johnston — who would return the ball 17 yards to start the scoring.
The Squires would answer back just one minute into the second quarter. After converting a fourth down attempt, senior running back Sam Martindale would pound the ball in from three yards out to get within one point from the Tigers.
Bluffton looked as if they had not lost their footing, as effective blocking and run plays paved the way for a three yard scoring run by senior wideout Kain Thornton. A late 38-yard field goal before halftime by Kody Kinsey put the Tigers up with an 18-7 lead.
It would be a lead that they would not look back from.
The Squires’ first possession to start the second half was troublesome, as Marcum lost his handling of the ball and turned it over to the Tigers. Not a minute later, Nern would connect with Thornton for a 10-yard pass play to put Bluffton up 17.
Bluffton’s defense poured it on, as Kinsey intercepted a pass from Marcum and returned it 29 yards for a score to keep up their onslaught.
A few big plays on offense by Martindale and sophomore Braxton Ream showcased what this team is still capable of. Ream ripped off a 49-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
“There are bright spots, and we are going to highlight those tomorrow,” said Miller. “We need to continuously have more of those. There can’t be one here and there, we have got to sustain a drive and keep fighting. Keep taking those positives and add them up.”
Manchester will return home Friday night to face in-county rival Wabash.
