NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — Manchester (1-8, 0-5) lost to Hanover (7-2, 4-1) 57-35 on Saturday at Spartan Stadium despite scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Manchester did most of its offensive work through the air, throwing for 309 yards and four touchdowns while recording all seven of its first downs by pass. The defense added two interceptions and three sacks, but Hanover finished with 522 yards and held the ball for 39:29.
Hanover built the game around sustained offensive volume, while Manchester's scoring came largely through explosive plays. Manchester got on the board before halftime on
Levarian Campbell's 61-yard touchdown, and its later push came through the passing game, including three fourth-quarter scoring drives that produced 21 unanswered points.
Frankie Cherry connected on long plays of 79, 62 and 71 yards during that stretch, with
Zayden Parker scoring from 62 yards and Campbell adding a 71-yard touchdown.
Manchester finished with 309 passing yards and four passing touchdowns, but the rushing game was limited to 12 yards on 22 carries. Cherry went 12-for-25 for 309 yards and four touchdowns, while Campbell had seven catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns to account for much of Manchester's downfield production. Hanover generated 522 yards of offense, including 317 passing yards and 205 rushing yards, and finished with 33 first downs while holding the ball for 39:29. Manchester's defense still produced disruption with two interceptions, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, but Hanover converted 8 of 14 third downs and scored on all six red-zone trips.
Troy Odle gave Manchester an early opportunity with an interception at the Hanover 40 and a 7-yard return to the Hanover 33 with the game still scoreless at 11:57, but Manchester's ensuing possession ended on downs after a fourth-down sack. Hanover followed with a 54-yard drive and went ahead 7-0 on Eian Roudebush's 29-yard touchdown pass to DJ Grinter at 7:13. Manchester's next drive gained five yards before
Angel Estrada punted, and Hanover later reached the red zone before Manchester held it to Andrew Weitzel's 25-yard field goal.
Myles Holland's 40-yard kickoff return gave Manchester the ball at midfield late in the quarter, but the quarter ended after
Frankie Cherry's short completion to
Ethan Skinner left Manchester facing fourth down at the Hanover 45 and trailing 10-0.
Manchester's main answer in the second quarter came at 2:37, when Cherry hit
Levarian Campbell for a 61-yard touchdown on third-and-14, moving the score to 17-6 after the extra point was blocked. Earlier, Estrada pinned Hanover at its 2-yard line with a 43-yard punt, and
Shane Hagen's sack helped Manchester force a punt before Hanover later put together a scoring drive to go up 17-0. Manchester's touchdown drive included
JD Hilton's 14-yard kickoff return, a third-down completion from Cherry to Hilton and a 6-yard
Dennis Gaines run before the penalty-backed third down that Cherry and Campbell converted into the score. Hanover responded with touchdown passes at 1:31 and 0:02, despite a
Talen Garner sack during the final drive, and then recovered a Manchester fumble on the last kickoff for another touchdown as the quarter ended with Hanover ahead 37-6.
Manchester's clearest third-quarter response came at 6:21, when
Canden Peruski intercepted Layne Stockton at the Manchester 33 and returned it 57 yards to the Hanover 10; three plays later, Cherry hit
Levarian Campbell for a 4-yard touchdown and Manchester added a successful two-point conversion pass to make it 51-14. Earlier, Manchester's opening drive ended with a fumble at its 35, and Hanover turned the short field into a touchdown before Manchester went three-and-out on its next possession. Hanover added another touchdown after taking over at midfield and also intercepted Cherry on Manchester's following drive, but Peruski's takeaway stopped that Hanover series after only two plays and gave Manchester its only red-zone possession of the quarter. Manchester finished the quarter with one first down, one rushing yard and eight passing yards, while Hanover closed the quarter with a 66-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run with six seconds left, leaving Manchester down 57-14 entering the fourth.
Manchester scored the only 21 points of the fourth quarter, using three touchdown drives to cut into Hanover's advantage before falling 57-35. Earlier in the quarter, the Manchester defense forced a punt after
Rex Harris dropped a runner for a 3-yard loss and
Kameron Landrum followed with a 7-yard sack, and Cherry hit
Levarian Campbell for 79 yards on the next drive before Gaines finished from the 1 at 9:41.
William Blue forced a fumble that Peruski recovered on Hanover's next possession, and after Estrada later pinned Hanover at the 1 with a 56-yard punt, Manchester got the ball back and needed one play for Cherry's 62-yard touchdown pass to Parker at 5:51. Manchester added another stop when
Myles Holland broke up a third-down throw, and Cherry later converted third-and-8 with a 16-yard completion to
Abdullah Abdulameer before finding Campbell for a 71-yard touchdown with 1:47 left. Cherry finished the quarter 5-for-7 for 228 yards and two touchdowns, while Manchester's defense held Hanover scoreless in the quarter.
Cherry completed 12 of 25 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns.
Levarian Campbell caught seven passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Peruski recorded 10 tackles, an interception with a 57-yard return and a fumble recovery. Parker added a 62-yard touchdown reception and caught a two-point conversion.
Manchester moves to 1-8 overall and 0-5 in conference play.
Up next, Manchester travels to Anderson, Ind., to face Anderson University on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1:30 p.m.
