The Manchester Greyhounds take the field for the first time in the 2025 season and made it a successful night, securing a 12-0 home win over the Fayetteville Rockets. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Greyhound defenders Remington Hayslip and Hunter Stephens (7) combine for this second quarter sack of Fayetteville quarterback Dylan Adams. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Manchester quarterback Amillion Brown turns from center to make a hand off in action from the Greyhounds’ 12-0 win over Fayetteville on August 22. Brown scored both Manchester TD’s in the win, one on a kickoff return and one on an interception return. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Manchester running back Joel Blythe barrels upfield on a fourth quarter run as the Greyhounds knocked off Fayetteville 12-0 in their season opener. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
It was a triumphant return to the coaching sidelines of Manchester football for Coach Justin Schmitz as he and his 2025 squad of Greyhounds opened their season on Friday, August 22 at Veterans Stadium. The opponent for Coach Schmitz and the Hounds was the Fayetteville Rockets and the two teams turned in a battle that might best be described as an ugly “slugfest in the trenches”. It was a sloppy opening night on both sides as the two teams combined for 10 fumbles. most of them on the quarterback-center exchange, and offense was at a premium.
With both offenses stymied for most of the night, something else had to determine the outcome and that something was the Manchester special teams and defense, along with the speed and athletic ability of Greyhounds’ junior Amillion Brown. Brown scored both of the game’s touchdowns, returning the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown and then taking a third quarter interception to the house to fuel a 12-0 Manchester victory in their season opener.
“I’m fired up, the kis are fired up, the town is fired up, tonight was an ugly win but we will certainly take it,” said Coach Schmitz in the postgame locker room. “Our kids did a great job preparing htis week, they were laser-focused and it showed when they came out to play tonight. They knew their assignments inside and out and I was really proud of them.
The season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the Greyhounds. Fayetteville won the toss, deferred, and on the enusing opening kickoff, Manchester’s Brown returned the kick 85 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed byt just seonds intot he contest, the home team had a 6-0 lead.
“I was a little nervous because I didn’t have my glovesd and my hands were sweaty,” said Brown about the return. “I didn’think I was actually going to catch the ball but when I did, I was just going with the plan that Coach drew up, found the seam, saw my blockers and took it all the way.”
The first Fayetteville possession ended in a turnover on downds when the Hounds’ Braylon Rickett made a big stop on a fourth and one play. After taking the punt, the Greyhounds went three and out and also had to punt and the punt was muffed by the Rockets and recovered by the home team. The next posssesion for the Hound ended in a failed fake punt but the defense stood strong and madet wo tackles for losses and forced another Fayetteville punt.
Spekaing of his defense, Coach Schmitz said, “That’s omething we are going to take a lot of pride in this year with Manchester football- 11 hats to the football when we are playing defense. We did that tonight.”
As the second period began, the Rockets got a touchdown run from quarterback Dylan Adams, but it was nullified by a holding penalty and the drive stalled when Adams was sacked by Manchester’s Hunter Raines and two running plays inside the 10-yard line were stuffed, forcing a turnover on downs, Taking over deep in their own territory, the Hounds picked up a first down on a pass from Brown to Levi Hargis but eh drive stalled and the Hounds punted again.
Fayetteville’s Adams returned the punt all the way to the Manchester 35, but a sack by Remington Hayslip on a fourth and 20 play ended the threat. The clock ran outo n the first half witht he Greyhounds still clinging to that slim 6-0 advantage.
The Rockets took the ball to begin the third quarter but quickly gave it up when an Adams pass was picked off by the Hounds’ Hunter Raines. The home team’s offense went nowhere, punted the ball back to the Rockets and on that Fayetteville possesion, Brown stepped in front of an Adams pass, grabbing the interception and sprinting 25 yards for the pick six. Again, the two-point conversion failed but with 7:04 left in the third stanza, the Greyhounds had increased their advantage to 12-0.
“I was just back pedaling and looking at the quarterback’s eyes,” said Brown. “He was jut looking straight at where he was going to throw it so I read it and went straight for the pick six.”
Another Hayslip sack ended the next Fayettevile drive but the Rockets got it right back when they fellon a fumbled Manchester snap. The gift-giving continued when Fayetteville fuambled the ball right back into the hands of Manchester’s Hunter Stephens, keeping the tally at 12-0 as the third quarter closed.
The final quarter began with a Manchester drive inside the Rocket’s 10-yard line, getting there on a nice run from Joel Blythe, but a fumble recovered by the Rockets ended the Manchester hopes for an offensive score. The Fayetteville offense was again denied as they tunred the ball over on downs. The Hounds now had possession with just over six minutes remaiing with the task of just keeping the clock running. A pair of Blythe runs again took the ball inside the Fayetteville 5 but again a fumble killed the drive.
What turned out to be the final Fayetteville offensive possession ended with a turnover on downs that included a quarterback sack by Raines and Stephens and getting the ball back with 1:13 to play, two runs and a kneel down ran out the rest of the clock and the Hounds could celebrate a win on opening night.
:Our ball security tonight wasn’t good and we have to clean that up,” said Coach Schmitz. “The score should have been a lot more but we still need to work on all pahses of the game of football. I feel like we flipped the field pretty well tonight with our punt team and our coverage. We got a nice kickoff return to start the game and I was happy with our defense but on offense we had too many mental mistakes.”
Fresh off their opening night win, the Greyhounds will now hit the road for three consecutive Friday nights, beginning htis week with a trip to New Miami High School, followed by jaunts to Green and Sciotoville East.
“I don’t know much about New Mianin,” admits Coach Schmitz. “They have been really solid in recent years but we’ll be working all week and we’ll be ready.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
MHS- Brown 85-yd. kickoff return (conversion failed)
Third Quarter
MHS- Brown 25-yd. interception return (conversion failed)
