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Battle Stations in Manchester
Good day to all my followers on this first official Wednesday of fall. Although right now it still feels like summer. Hey, I won't complain...it can stay like this until May, when it warms up more.
The race for the Cascades Conference football championship really heats up Friday when the Manchester varsity football team hosts the Addison Panthers. The Dutchmen (4-0, 3-0 Cascades) and Addison (3-1, 3-0 Cascades) are the only two with perfect league records so far, meaning the winner is in the driver's seat. Needless to say, it should be an electric atmosphere at Manchester High School this week.
It's kind of funny how things work out. Before I took my job in Manchester, I worked at The Daily Telegram in Adrian, often covering Addison (we covered all of Lenawee County). Being on both sides of the rivalry, I know quite a bit about the teams. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Manchester's program (obviously), Wes Gall and his coaching staff. I also respect Addison and hold their coach, Mark Beougher in high esteem. So this should be a fun one for me to cover.
Since 2000, the teams have met 10 times. Both have five wins, and both have taken turns dominating the other. From 2003-05, the Dutchmen beat the Panthers four straight times, including an 18-13 victory in the second round of the 2005 state playoffs. Addison snapped that with a 22-7 victory at Manchester in 2006 (a game I covered for the Telegram), and has since added two more wins, including last year's 18-6 Panthers win at Addison. On a side note, either the Dutchmen or Addison has won the Cascades title each year since 2003 (last year, they shared the crown along with Grass Lake).
If the Dutchmen are to solve the Panthers this time, they'll have to neutralize Addison's running game. Last week, Addison rolled up a whopping 508 yards on the ground in a victory over Hanover-Horton. Dylan Curtis led the way with 181 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns, while Kyle Conrad had 14 carries for 113 yards. Manchester's front seven on defense, led by defensive tackles Dylan Neff and Ben Stachnik and linebackers Chris Margraves and Brent Schriber will be the x-factor in slowing down the Panthers.
Manchester has the weapons on offense to counter. Logan Zigila has been lighting it up at quarterback, and he has plenty of weapons in receivers Corwin and Clayton Every, Jimmy Hamilton and the emerging Josh Blades. On the bench are young studs Austin Deacons and Brandon Casey. All of them will test Addison's secondary.
Time for the intangibles, which I believe favors Manchester. The Dutchmen should be motivated by three straight losses to Addison, especially the seniors. Playing at home with a chance to grab the conference lead can be another edge.
PREDICTION: Technically, I should abstain, since I'm covering the game. For the sake of our weekly pigskin picks...I went with Manchester.
The race for the Cascades Conference football championship really heats up Friday when the Manchester varsity football team hosts the Addison Panthers. The Dutchmen (4-0, 3-0 Cascades) and Addison (3-1, 3-0 Cascades) are the only two with perfect league records so far, meaning the winner is in the driver's seat. Needless to say, it should be an electric atmosphere at Manchester High School this week.
It's kind of funny how things work out. Before I took my job in Manchester, I worked at The Daily Telegram in Adrian, often covering Addison (we covered all of Lenawee County). Being on both sides of the rivalry, I know quite a bit about the teams. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Manchester's program (obviously), Wes Gall and his coaching staff. I also respect Addison and hold their coach, Mark Beougher in high esteem. So this should be a fun one for me to cover.
Since 2000, the teams have met 10 times. Both have five wins, and both have taken turns dominating the other. From 2003-05, the Dutchmen beat the Panthers four straight times, including an 18-13 victory in the second round of the 2005 state playoffs. Addison snapped that with a 22-7 victory at Manchester in 2006 (a game I covered for the Telegram), and has since added two more wins, including last year's 18-6 Panthers win at Addison. On a side note, either the Dutchmen or Addison has won the Cascades title each year since 2003 (last year, they shared the crown along with Grass Lake).
If the Dutchmen are to solve the Panthers this time, they'll have to neutralize Addison's running game. Last week, Addison rolled up a whopping 508 yards on the ground in a victory over Hanover-Horton. Dylan Curtis led the way with 181 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns, while Kyle Conrad had 14 carries for 113 yards. Manchester's front seven on defense, led by defensive tackles Dylan Neff and Ben Stachnik and linebackers Chris Margraves and Brent Schriber will be the x-factor in slowing down the Panthers.
Manchester has the weapons on offense to counter. Logan Zigila has been lighting it up at quarterback, and he has plenty of weapons in receivers Corwin and Clayton Every, Jimmy Hamilton and the emerging Josh Blades. On the bench are young studs Austin Deacons and Brandon Casey. All of them will test Addison's secondary.
Time for the intangibles, which I believe favors Manchester. The Dutchmen should be motivated by three straight losses to Addison, especially the seniors. Playing at home with a chance to grab the conference lead can be another edge.
PREDICTION: Technically, I should abstain, since I'm covering the game. For the sake of our weekly pigskin picks...I went with Manchester.
posted by Ed Patino at
11:04 AM
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