Lumen and Manchester to meet for first time ever with district title on the line
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – Both coaches are excited for the opportunity at hand.
Both coaches know that if there respective team isn’t better than it was a week ago, the 2015 season will have just 48 minutes remaining.
That’s the sentiment of Lumen Christi’s Herb Brogan and Manchester’s Wes Gall as the two legendary sideline generals prep their teams for Friday night’s Division 6 district final at Manchester.
“There was a lot to talk about on offense, defense and special teams,” Gall said of the film session his group had following a wild 43-40 victory against Grass Lake in the playoff opener. The win boosted Manchester to 9-1 on the season. “What happened last week won’t be good enough this week.”
As for Lumen, almost nothing went right the entire first half against Vandercook Lake.
The offense ran three plays in the first quarter, and the defense had no answer for the Jayhawks’ ground game, which scored on its first drive, but gave way to a missed field goal on the next drive.
The tide seemed to turn as the ball sailed wide, and the Titans (7-3) never looked back, winning 35-7.
“Have to be better off the start,” Brogan said simply. “If we start like we did last week, it’s going to make for a long night.”
Lumen struggled much of the first half slowing Vandercook’s running game, namely Zaithon Allen.
The group will be tested even more so this week trying to slow Manchester’s Trevor Humphrey, who’s rushed for 2,095 yards on 233 attempts with 30 touchdowns.
“He’s very slippery. He’s very patient,” Gall said of his stud back. “He waits for the hole to open, and then hits it when it does. He has so many different moves in his toolbox when he’s running the ball.”
“And at the same time, we can’t just focus on him,” Brogan said of Humphrey. “If we do, their quarterback can get outside and beat you. We have to tackle. They aren’t the biggest team, but they operate well in space. The first guy on the scene can’t miss.”
If things were to go perfectly for the Titans, Brogan will watch his offense operate with long, sustained drives to keep the Flying Dutchmen offense on the sideline.
Bo Bell, who’s been nothing short of unstoppable the past month or so, figures to get the lion’s share of the carries again for the Titans.
“I don’t know you want to project a number of carries, but he’s been the focal point for us,” Brogan said. “The offensive line has been our bread and butter. We’ve been a ball-control team. We’d prefer to run the ball, control the clock, and make things work that way.”
“Our defense has to stand up,” Gall said when asked about slowing Bell and the entire Titans’ attack. “We need a game like we had against Vandercook Lake, where we were nearly perfect. We have to read our keys, stay on our toes and be ready for the bootleg pass.”
Friday marks the first time Lumen and Manchester have ever met.
“The first thing you have to think about is the tradition that program has,” Gall said.
“They’ve been successful for years against bigger schools, and are always well tested when the playoffs start. You have to beat that team, they aren’t going to beat themselves.”
Brogan said there’s something about playing at this time of year that never gets old.
“It’s a lot better than the alternative,” he added. “The thing about this time is you can’t get comfortable. You get to this point and you have one bad game, you can be done. We’ve had some great teams here not play well and lose. We’ve had some undermanned teams find ways to win. It’s do or die. It’s nothing people don’t understand, and that’s what makes it great.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.