NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — Manchester (1-0) defeated Westminster (MO) (0-1) 17-10 on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. A third-quarter scoring drive from 9:52 to 7:26 featured
Donovan Williams' 59-yard pass and ended with a touchdown, giving Manchester a 17-0 advantage. Manchester's passing game accounted for 278 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense held Westminster (MO) to 223 yards and 1 of 12 on third down.
Manchester broke through late in the first quarter with a 92-yard touchdown drive from its 8-yard line, finished by
Donovan Williams' 13-yard pass to
Steaver Moore and
Grant Ridgway's extra point for a 7-0 lead with 27 seconds left. Earlier, Manchester's defense forced Westminster (MO) to punt after Ridgway's opening kickoff, and
Angel Estrada followed Manchester's first possession with a 69-yard punt. After a penalty moved Westminster (MO) into Manchester territory on its next drive,
Talen Garner sacked Trey Thomas for a 14-yard loss,
Troy Odle broke up a pass and the defense got the ball back on downs at the Manchester 33. Westminster (MO) later reached the Manchester 8, but
Canden Peruski and
Hunter Dippon stopped Martez Stephenson after a 1-yard third-down run and a fourth-down incompletion ended the threat at 3:09. Westminster (MO)'s final snap gained 4 yards before
Jason Lee's tackle, and Manchester finished the quarter ahead 7-0.
Manchester finished the second quarter with a 13-play, 77-yard drive from its own 17, ending with Ridgway's 23-yard field goal at :02 for a 10-0 lead. Earlier, the defense opened the quarter with Garner and
Cameron Puryear combining on a tackle for loss before
Rex Harris' pressure helped force an incompletion, and Estrada later pinned Westminster (MO) at its 3 with a 48-yard punt. Manchester again stopped Westminster (MO) deep in its own end after
Shane Hagen and Dippon combined for a tackle for loss, though the ensuing drive reached the Westminster (MO) 23 before ending on downs. The defense held Westminster (MO) to 0-for-3 on third down in the quarter, and the late scoring march included two
Donovan Williams conversions,
Dennis Gaines runs of nine and two yards, and
Frankie Cherry's 36-yard completion to Levarian Campbell to set up Ridgway's field goal.
Manchester's biggest response came from its own 6-yard line, where
Donovan Williams hit
Abdullah Abdulameer for 59 yards and later found Moore for a 32-yard touchdown at 7:26, with Ridgway's kick making it 17-0. Earlier, Manchester's defense helped flip the field after Westminster (MO) crossed midfield, with Peruski dropping a run for a 5-yard loss on third down before a punt backed Manchester up. The defense produced another stop on Westminster (MO)'s next possession when Peruski and Hagen combined for a 4-yard loss on third-and-1, but the ensuing punt led to a safety on
Zayden Parker's return at 3:54. Westminster (MO) followed with a 45-yard touchdown pass and a successful two-point try to cut the margin to 17-10, while Manchester's next drive included a 14-yard completion from Williams to
Ethan Skinner before a punt.
Kameron Landrum ended the quarter with a sack, and Manchester took a 17-10 lead into the fourth.
Manchester kept Westminster (MO) from producing a first down or a score in the fourth quarter, giving its offense enough possessions to close out the game. On its first drive, Manchester moved from its 36 to the Westminster 8 behind Gaines' 17-yard run and
Donovan Williams' 18-yard completion to Skinner, but Ridgway's 25-yard field-goal attempt was no good with 9:50 left. The defense answered immediately, with Landrum sacking Trey Thomas for a 6-yard loss, Odle breaking up a pass and
Ethan Witz adding a quarterback hurry before Westminster punted. After another Manchester punt, the defense forced Westminster backward again with help from penalties, and Manchester took over at its 40 with 4:51 remaining. Williams found Skinner for 21 yards on third-and-9, added an 8-yard run, and a Westminster offside penalty on fourth-and-2 gave Manchester a first down before it ran out the clock to finish a 17-10 win.
Donovan Williams completed 14 of 24 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Moore caught four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Gaines rushed 19 times for 108 yards. Landrum recorded two tackles, both sacks.
Manchester moves to 1-0 overall.
Up next, Manchester football team travels to Hiram, Ohio, to face Hiram College on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 1 p.m.
