By Mark Carpenter
A very successful 2020 season for Coach Tommy Denning and his Manchester Junior High football squad continued on Oct. 8 as the Hounds improved their season mark to 6-1 with a convincing 20-8 win over the Symmes Valley Vikings in a contest played at Veterans Stadium in Manchester. The original opponent on the Hounds’ schedule was Peebles, but the Indians opted out and the Vikings became a last-minute replacement making the long trek to Adams County.
“We were prepared to play an undefeated Peebles team and we had to work hard to find a team willing to come to our field and play with only one day’s notice,” said Coach Denning. “Symmes Valley took us up on that offer with no problem.”
The formula in Thursday night’s Greyhound victory was pretty much the sane as it has been all season, a stubborn defense combined with a power running game on offense, led by seventh grader Braylon Rickett and eighth grader Leland Horner.
Though the final score eventually favored the home team, it was the Vikings who drew first blood, taking the opening kickoff and going 65 yards in 10 plays, all but one on the ground, and scoring with 3:59 left in the opening period on a one-yard run by Caiden Mount, A pass to Ethan Shafer made the two-point conversion successful and gave Symmes Valley an early 8-0 advantage.
That advantage only lasted through the first Manchester possession of the night. Junior high football eschews kickoffs and each possession after a score begins at a team’s own 35 and that is where the Hounds began a time-consuming 14-play drive, all but one of those snaps running plays, as they tied the score with 4:09 left in the second quarter. On the drive, the Hounds converted a pair of fourth downs and got an 11-yard touchdown run from Horner on the 14th play. For the two-point try, Horner passed to Rickett in the end zone to tie the game at 8 apiece.
The Manchester defense recovered a fumble on the next Symmes Valley possession and got the ball back with 1:51 left in the first half. As time was winding down, the Hounds drove the ball to the Vikings’ 10-yard line and a pass to the end zone on the half’s final play fell incomplete and the two teams went to the intermission still deadlocked at 8. “We came out kind of slow and it took us some time to get things rolling,” said Denning. “We knew at halftime we had a game on our hands and we made some adjustments on defense.
The first possession of the third quarter went to the Hounds and they fumbled it away and got it right back when the Vikings fumbled it away on their first snap. Starting at their own 45, the Hounds needed just six plays to break the tie. A 26-yard gallop by Rickett moved the Hounds into position and from the Symmes Valley 11, Rickett took a handoff on a sweep right and went in for the score. The two-point try was stopped but the home team had taken the lead for good at 14-8 with 3:46 left in the third period.
The two teams were both stymied on their next offensive drives, but late in the fourth quarter, a Symmes Valley fumble was recovered by Manchester’s Brayden Hoskins at the Viking 33. On an ensuing fourth down and four play, the handoff left went to Horner and he raced around the end and went 27 yards for the huge insurance touchdown. The two-point try again failed but with only 1:32 to play, the Hounds were in the driver’s seat, leading 20-8.
Symmes Valley got tone more possession but after running seven plays, a fourth down pass was incomplete and the Greyhounds could celebrate win number six by that final count of 20-8.
“Coming our after halftime we had the ball almost the entire third quarter and we recovered that fumble, took care of the football, and came out on top over a talented Symmes Valley team,” added Coach Denning.
With their 6-1 mark, the junior high Greyhounds will complete regular season play on Thursday, Oct. 15 when they travel to Franklin Furnace to face the Green Bobcats.
Scoring Summary
Symmes Valley
8 0 0 0 —8
Manchester
0 8 6 6 —20
First Quarter
SV- Mount 1-yd. run (Pass to Shafer_
Second Quarter
MJH- Horner 11-yd. run (Horner to Rickett pass)
Third Quarter
MJH- Rickett 11-yd. run (conversion failed)
Fourth Quarter
MJH- Horner 27-yd. run (conversion failed)
