Lumen roars back, takes district title at Manchester to earn trip to Clinton
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Manchester – A two-touchdown lead had evaporated, transformed really, into a one-point deficit.
A late penalty at the end of the first half and a kick return for touchdown to start the second half saw the Lumen Christi football team go from leading Manchester 27-14 to trailing 28-27 in a span of 13 seconds of game action.
And enough was enough.
“We’ve played pretty well with our back against the wall all year,” Titans coach Herb Brogan said. “We’ve responded well to adversity, but quite honestly, we’re the ones creating the adversity.”
That may be, but the guys from Jackson certainly found their way out of it, scoring three unanswered touchdowns Friday night in a 45-28 victory in a Division 6 district final on the road.
“This is one of our goals,” Brogan said of playing for a regional title next weekend. “When we step on the field in August, (winning a district) is one of our goals. You never expect it, but we’ve fought to make it to this point.”
Things certainly started well for the Titans, who took a 13-0 on their first two possessions thanks to 65 yards rushing and an eventual 5-yard touchdown run from Bo Bell, and a 2-yard run from Liam Daly with 6:02 to play in the opening quarter.
Manchester answered right after, though, when Dalton Boote scored on an 80-yard run just 14 seconds later to cut the deficit to 13-7.
But Bell had the answer, scoring for the third time on a third down with a 28-yard run and a 20-7 lead.
Just over a minute later, Manchester’s Trevor Humphrey had his biggest play of the night, taking an option pitch for a 56-yard score, and after one, Lumen led 20-14.
Things seemed to slow down a bit in the second quarter, as Daly scored on a 6-yard run with 5:43 to play in the half and a 27-14 lead.
Neither team did much the rest of the way, or so everyone thought.
Manchester’s final play of the first half was a long pass, but ended around the 10-yard line. But a late flag for roughing the passer gave the Dutch on untimed down, and Humphrey hauled in a 5-yard touchdown pass.
Jordan Good then returned the opening kick of the second half and Manchester had a 28-27 advantage just like that.
It was the last time Manchester would do much of anything.
Chance Miller scored on a 20-yard run for Lumen on the ensuing possession.
Josh Marsh scored on a 20-yard run roughly six minutes later, and Daly added a 2-yard run early in the fourth to cap the scoring.
The Titans played the entire second half without Bell.
“A little strain,” Brogan said of Bell’s left leg. He limped off the field late in the first half. “Hopefully we have him back next weekend.”
It didn’t seem to matter who was carrying the ball, as the Lumen offensive line was flat-out dominant.
The Titans ended the game rushing for 438 yards on 52 carries, converted 16 first downs on the ground, and finished with seven rushing touchdowns.
Marsh led the ground attack with 142 yards on 15 carries. Bell added 120 yards on 12 carries, while Daly had 108 yards on 10 carries.
The Titans (8-3) have a shot at their first regional title since 2009 next weekend when they travel to take on Clinton.
Clinton (11-0) beat Madison Heights Madison High 43-20 Friday night.
Clinton is the third consecutive playoff foe Lumen has never played before.
Manchester, which was in the playoffs for the eighth straight year, ends its season 9-2.
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.