The first of Jonathan Wille’s three interceptions ended Hays’ potential game-tying scoring drive in the second quarter Friday night, and it was all Indians after that as Manhattan High cruised to a 49-7 win at Bishop Stadium.
The Indians (3-0) picked off four passes and held Hays 182 yards, including 52 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the Manhattan offense ran wild for 525 total yards, 422 of which came on the ground.
Carter Aslin racked up 194 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Charles Morgan added 100 yards rushing and three scores. Aslin also threw for 89 yards on 10-of-13 passing, and Morgan had eight receptions for 64 yards.
Indians head coach Joe Schartz said his team’s effectiveness running the football surprised him and that he expected to have to throw the ball more during the game.
“We’re executing real well, and it all starts up front with the offensive line,” he said. “ … Carter was clean. We used Charles a lot of different ways. We got him the ball, and he did the rest.”
All of Hays’ points and more than one-third of its yardage came on one play, a 77-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carter Graham to wide receiver Jarek Purdy that cut their team’s deficit to 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Manhattan went three-and-out on its next drive, and Hays moved the ball inside the Indians’ 40, appearing poised to tie the game. But Graham saw a pass pass go off his receiver’s fingertips and land in Wille’s lap.
The Indians scored on a 13-yard carry by Aslin with 1:31 remaining before halftime, and Elijah McFadden intercepted another Graham pass with 28 seconds left in the half. Fourteen seconds later, Aslin scrambled up the middle and angled left for a 32-yard touchdown rushing.
Manhattan took a 28-7 lead to the locker room and received the ball to open the third quarter. The Indians used up nearly four minutes before Jaydin Hudley took a handoff up the middle 15 yards for the knockout blow.
Schartz said bookending the intermission with touchdowns was decisive in the victory.
“(We scored) before half, and then being able to come out in the second half and get the ball, that’s just too many possessions together scoring points,” he said. “I think that was the difference in the game.”
Morgan scored on both of Manhattan’s first two drives, a 33-yard carry on an option pitch and a 3-yard carry on a handoff to give it a 14-0 lead.
Morgan made it 42-7 with an 11-yard carry with 31 seconds left in the third period, and backup quarterback capped up off the scoring with a 2-yard keeper up the middle at the 8:58 mark of the fourth.
Wille nabbed his second and third interceptions on Hays’ final possessions of the game. Schartz said the team took time in the locker room after the game to honor the first-year starting cornerback.
“Jonathan has work exceptionally hard to earn his starting spot,” Schartz said. “He deserves it because he’s worked so hard, and to see him get a hat trick with interceptions tonight was very special.”
If there was a negative in the game for the Indians, it was the 11 penalties for more than 100 yards. Manhattan saw three touchdown plays wiped away because of flags.
Schartz declined to comment on the penalties.
The Indians have now won 16 games in a row, continuing their longest streak in school history. They will return to action Friday when they play at Washburn Rural. The Junior Blues (3-0) beat Piper 51-15 in Week 3.
Schartz said he’s been pleased with the way his team has approached each game through three weeks of the season and hopes to see it continue.
“We’ve got to continue to work hard,” he said. “Hard work works. We can’t start cutting corners and patting ourselves on the back. We have to continue to do what we do and prepare well and work hard in the weight room and be ready to go next Friday night.”
MANHATTAN 49, HAYS 7
HAYS (2-1) — 0; 7; 0; 0; — 7
MANHATTAN (3-0) — 7; 21; 14; 7; — 49
SCORING SUMMARY
Manhattan — Morgan 33-yard rush (Vikander kick) 5:57 1Q
Manhattan — Morgan 3-yard rush (Vikander kick) 10:13 2Q
Hays — Purdy 77-yard pass from Graham (Zimmerman kick) 9:54 2Q
Manhattan — Aslin 13-yard rush (Vikander kick) 1:31 2Q
Manhattan — Aslin 32-yard rush (Vikander kick) :14 2Q
Manhattan — Hudley 15-yard rush (Vikander kick) 7:49 3Q
Manhattan — Morgan 11-yard rush (Vikander kick) :36 3Q
Manhattan — Goos 2-yard rush (Vikander kick) 8:58 4Q
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Hays: McGuire 10-44, Graham 3-1, Bah 5-5. Manhattan: Aslin 17-194, Morgan 9-100, Hudley 9-74, Huff 1-6, Davis 4-6.
PASSING — Hays: Graham 12-21-2 130 yards. Manhattan: Aslin 10-13-1 89 yards, Goos 1-1-0 14 yards.
RECEIVING — Hays: Purdy 3-86, Cano 7-35, Moeckel 1-8, McGuire 1-1. Manhattan: Morgan 8-64, Newby 1-16, Davis 1-14, Jones 1-9.
