TOPEKA — Manhattan High football capped its regular season with a statement win, dominating Washburn Rural 43-0 on Friday night at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.

“I’m very pleased with the result,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “We talked a lot about coming out and being physical and dominating our opponents, and the kids took it to heart. They performed very well and did just that — dominate.”

It marked Manhattan’s first road win in the series since a 32-31 overtime thriller in 2020 — and redemption for a 35-28 loss in its last trip to the Junior Blues’ home field. Turnovers proved costly in that game, and protecting the football had been a point of emphasis in big moments all year.

“This is a tough place to play,” Schartz said. “Washburn Rural is a very good program, has had a lot of success this season, and is a very good football team. To come over here and beat them on their home turf is definitely a shot in the arm for us.”

This time, the Indians delivered, playing a clean, physical brand of football from start to finish.

Senior quarterback Finn Watson led the way with a career night, setting personal bests in both passing and rushing.

“It was great,” Watson said. “Everybody’s getting healthy, which is good to see. The line did a great job up front. When they’re keeping the pocket clean and everything, it just makes it so much easier on me — I can play so much more confident in every way.”

Watson completed all seven of his passes for 149 yards and a touchdown while adding 135 yards and two more scores on 15 carries. It marked his second straight strong performance, showcasing the confidence and rhythm that Schartz has been looking for.

“Finn’s a sharp kid, and he’s learned from his mistakes, so he just continues to get better and better. He had a very good night tonight,” Schartz said. “We knew all along, based on how they were lining up, that the quarterback run game was going to be big. Finn continues to get better, and the offensive line blocked very well.”

Watson once again found a reliable connection with star senior JJ Dunnigan, who hauled in two receptions for 87 yards, including a long touchdown strike. On the ground, Joe Mortenson continued his rise as a red-zone weapon with two rushing scores on nine carries for 30 yards, while senior Kha’Mario Davis added seven carries for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Behind them, Manhattan’s defense dominated for the second straight week, holding Washburn Rural scoreless without its starting quarterback senior John Hoytal, forcing turnovers while posting back-to-back shutouts.

“I can’t overstate enough that we finally got kids back in the right positions where they started the season,” Schartz said. “We got healthy and got people back, so Nisbyc, JJ, and Kody Kemp — as the three safeties — allow us to do a lot of different things and show a lot of different looks. When you put Evan Middleton and Garrison Vikander with their hands back down on the defensive line, it makes us pretty dominant.”

How it happened

Manhattan overcame another shaky start on the first play and quickly turned the game into a rout.

For the second straight week, the Indians opened with a miscue, fumbling the opening kickoff in the wet conditions. But the defense immediately responded. Senior Evan Middleton broke through for a fourth-down sack in the red zone to swing momentum back to Manhattan.

Two plays later, the offense struck. Watson hit Dunnigan in stride for a 78-yard touchdown pass, putting the Indians on the board with 7:33 left in the first quarter.

Moments later, Brady Durtschi’s interception set up another scoring drive. Watson scrambled 21 yards to move inside the 5-yard line, and Mortenson capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run. Davis powered in the two-point conversion to stretch the lead to 15-0 with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter.

The dominance continued into the second. Behind a steady mix of power runs and timely throws, Manhattan marched downfield again, and Mortenson punched in his second touchdown of the night from two yards out to make it 22-0 with 8:47 left in the half.

Mortenson then took several snaps in the Wildcat package on the Indians’ next drive, setting up Watson’s 1-yard quarterback sneak for another score just before halftime.

“We needed a running quarterback,” Schartz said. “Joe played quarterback as a freshman, and we’ve been giving him some reps. It’s good because we just need as much depth as we possibly can at that position, and Joe is capable of taking some snaps and doing good things.”

Manhattan led 29-0 with 34 seconds remaining, turning an early mistake into a distant memory after a near-perfect first half in all three phases.

The second half brought more of the same — complete control from Manhattan on both sides of the ball.

Davis extended the lead midway through the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run, pushing the margin to 36-0 with 7:04 remaining. Watson continued his career night later in the quarter, sneaking in from the 1-yard line for his second rushing touchdown to make it 43-0 with 27 seconds left in the third.

By the fourth quarter, the outcome was no longer in doubt. Manhattan emptied its bench and cruised to its second straight shutout against a Centennial League opponent — a dominant finish to close out the regular season.

Manhattan will open the playoffs next week at home, against an opponent that will be determined after the results of all regular-season finale games. Additionally, with a Derby loss to Bishop Caroll, the Indians chances of grabbing the No. 4 seed in 6A West greatly improved.

MANHATTAN 43,

WASHBURN RURAL 0,

Washburn Rural (5-3) — 0; 0; 0; 0; — 0

Manhattan (6-2) — 15; 14; 14; 0; — 43

SCORING SUMMARY

MHS — Dunnigan 78-yard pass from Watson (Balderson kick), 7:33 1Q

MHS — Mortenson 1-yard run (2-point Davis run), 2:59 1Q

MHS — Mortenson 2-yard run (Balderson kick), 8:47 2Q

MHS — Watson 1-yard run (Balderson kick), 0:34 2Q

MHS — Davis 9-yard run (Balderson kick) 7:04 3Q

MHS — Watson 1-yard run (Balderson kick), 0:27 3Q

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing — Manhattan: Watson 7-7-149-1. Washburn Rural: Vantuyl 2-8-(minus)-4

Rushing — Manhattan: Davis, 7-30-1, Watson 15-135-2, Mortenson 9-30-2. Washburn Rural: Baum 13-21, Minikwu 6-15.

Receiving — Manhattan: Dunnigan 2-87-1, Wassenburg 2-20, Middleton 2-38.