MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL- FALL SPORTS 2025

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

FOOTBALL

After one season coaching the Manchester football team (2021) with a 3-7 record, Justin Schmitz has returned to the Greyhound sidelines after two seasons at his alma mater in Blanchester. Schmitz and his Hounds opened their 2025 season with a 12-0 home win over Fayetteville and were on the road last Friday night for a battle at New Miami.

“It was a dream come true for me to go back to Blanchester and coach,” says Schmitz. “But it just didn’t seem like the place that I remembered and it just wasn’t looking like a good path for me. My kids live in Adams County and as soon as I saw the Manchester job open up , I jumped on it.”

“We have had up to 25 kids on the roster this season and we have some seniors who will have to be big for us this season- kids like Joel Blythe and Braylon Rickett for example. Gage Stephens is back this year and will be a field general for us at center and on the defensive line. Kaleb Hall will play the offensive line and defensive tackle. Seniors like Maxx Hanson Dylon Fite, Hunter Raines and Mason Vaughn will also play roles vital to our success.”

At quarterback the Hounds will be led by the 100M sprinter from the track team in junior Amillion Brown. “Amillion is a really versatile player and he can really throw and run which gives us a lot of different options. Braylon (Rickett) and Joel (Blythe) will be running backs along with another senior who transferred in from Hawaii, Levi Hargis. Levi will be our ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’ back in short yardage situations.

Schmitz is also counting on what he calls a “solid” group of offensive linemen to open the holes for the aforementioned runners.

“Up front we’ve got sophomore Avery Gilliam, junior Elijah Wallace, Gage Stephens at center, junior Remington Hayslip at right guard and junior Kaiden Hafer at right tackle and the kid who may have surprised me more than any kid so far on offense and defense is senior Dylon Fite.”

“We may be throwing the ball a little more this year than in past years,” says Coach Schmitz. “We have the personnel to do that and Amiilion can absolutely sling it. We should have a good offensive balance this year.”

Defensively the Hounds will usually be found in 4-3, Cover Two as their base defense. “I like to keep it simple and let the kids play fast,” says the head coach. “Connor Stephens came in late but has impressed me as a ball-hawk on defense. We have the people to anchor up front and really good coverage behind them and we have enough kids not that we can keep players fresh on the defensive line.”

“I think our biggest strength ill be the senior group and their leadership and we have the athletes to be balanced. Our biggest struggle to this point has been a lack of real football IQ but we’re getting there. We are going to just take one game at a time, 1-0 every week, that is all we are focused on right now. Doing the little things right, being coachable and having everyone buy into the program. The kids are working their tails off on the field and eventually you will see that translate into wins.”

“For us to be successful we’ll need to continue to put in the work in the weight room and stay laser-focused when we’re on the field. But more importantly, we have to get the kids to fall in love with the game of football again and then build up our roster.”

VOLLEYBALL

Another new, but old, face returns to her alma mater to take the reins of the Lady Hounds’ volleyball program. Morgan Johnson, a multi-sport athlete and 2016 graduate of MHS, returns to Manchester after an earlier stint as the head coach at Ripley. The Lady Hounds are coming off a 10-12 2024 campaign, 5-8 in Southern Hills Athletic Conference play and lost five seniors from that squad.

The 2025 Lady Hounds roster is a much younger list, with just two seniors returning, Abby Lucas and Kenidee Turner. The roster includes five juniors- Bristynn McClanahan, Maliyah Myrick, Madison Calvert, Addilyn Hunter and Ellianna Applegate. The rest of the young roster includes sophomors Hayden King, Joselyn Lucas and Peyton Hayslip with freshmen Hayden Rideout, Maddie Easter, Alaina Cracraft and Lyrric Hanson.

BOYS GOLF

The Manchester boys golf squad, coached again this season by Austin Kingsolver, has gotten off to a good start in 2025, mainly by winning the Adams County Cup championship in early August.

From the Coach:

“We return four of our top six players from last season, including four players that participated in the District Tournament last year. We have a lot more experience than in the past. This year, each player’s scoring average has improved from last year and our team’s 9 hole and 18 hole average has improved.

We have played in 9 matches/tournaments so far this season, finishing at or near the top in all of the events so far. My expectation and goal every season is to compete for a SHAC title, advance to district play, and win the district. This season, we have a good enough group of kids to accomplish those goals with hard work and willingness to improve even more as the year goes on.”

MHS Boys Golf Roster: Parker Hayslip – 12, Elijah Crabtree – 12, Joel Blythe – 12, Korey Gray – 12, Carson Inman – 11, Bryce Young – 10, Brayden Palmer – 10, Braxton Wagner – 10, Kenton Butt – 10, Colton McChesney – 10, Luke Rigdon – 9, Bentley Colvin – 9

GIRLS GOLF

The Lady Hounds golf team did not have a coach until just before the season started when Chaz Mack took the position. His roster for the 2025 season will include Hope Scott, Faith Scott, Bayleigh Spires, Kenlee Truesdell, Peyton Hayslip and Hayden King.

BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY

Coach Sean Inman returns to the helm of the Manchester Cross-Country programs and his boys team began their 2025 season with a second place finish in the August 23 Ripley Invitational.

From the Coach:

“Our varsity boys will be led by a strong group of seven seniors this season. Last year, the team finished as district runner-up and we return all but one athlete from that lineup. With a great mix of talent, experience and leadership, we’ve set some ambitious goals starting with winning our district and earning another trip to the regional championships.”

“Our seniors, Ryan Butcher-Raines, Ryan Mack, Eli Crabtree, Kaden Hazelwood, Landen Doyle, Austin Jones, and Aiden Jones, bring both depth and consistency. Ryan Butcher-Raines, who was an individual regional qualifier last season, is setting his sights even higher this year with the goal of qualifying for state. In addition, younger runners like Ryan Parker, Allen Will, and Aiden Wagner are ready to step up and make valuable contributions.”

GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY

Coach Inman led his girls cross-country team to a district title last season, but suffered major losses to graduation. Though the roster is smaller this fall, the Lady Hounds still have high hopes.

From the Coach:

“On the girls’ side, we graduated three seniors from last year’s district championship team, including two who are now competing at the collegiate level. While that is a big loss, we’re excited about the return of Leotie Carmen and Maddie Napier, as well as the addition of newcomers Mariah Gadd, Ariel Boldman, and Rebecca Spires. This year’s girls team is young, but they have tremendous potential. As they continue to grow and gain experience, we believe they have what it takes to be one of the top programs in the district and qualify for regionals once again.”

“Overall, both our boys and girls teams are hungry to compete, and we’re excited to see what this season brings.”