North Manchester, Ind. - Manchester came up short in its home matchup with Concordia Chicago, dropping a 35–14 decision at Spartan Stadium on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars built a commanding 28–0 halftime lead, capitalizing on early miscues and keeping the Spartans' offense off balance. Manchester's defense still produced key moments in the opening half, highlighted by freshman defensive back TJ Merritt Jr.'s 49-yard interception return that denied a Concordia scoring chance before the break.
In the second half, the Spartans settled in and showed resilience. Linebacker Blake Haiflich anchored the defense with a game-high 15 tackles, helping slow the Cougars' attack and limit them to just one touchdown after halftime. Offensively, Manchester found its rhythm late. James Lewis broke through for a 21-yard touchdown run to cap a 73-yard drive, and quarterback Kaleb Hall connected with Levarian Campbell for a 30-yard scoring strike in the final minute.
Though the early deficit proved too steep to overcome, Manchester finished strong, outscoring Concordia 14–7 in the final two quarters. Behind 143 rushing yards and a late offensive spark, the Spartans displayed fight and improvement that provides a foundation to build on moving forward as the Spartans travel to Adrian next Saturday for a 3:00 PM contest.
