Manhattan High football put together its most dominant performance of the season Friday night, routing No. 5 seed Wichita Southeast 45-6 in the Class 6A regional round.
In the first half, Manhattan overwhelmed Southeast in every phase, outgaining the Golden Buffaloes 227 to -12 in total yards. The Indians allowed just 3 passing yards and held Southeast to -15 rushing yards, controlling field position throughout and never allowing the Southeast offense to gain traction.
“I think we played really well, and we got off to a good start,” head coach Joe Schartz said. “Typically when we’ve gotten off to a good start this season, we’ve kind of let our foot off the gas. But we kept it down tonight. We continued to play with energy and focus, and we played really well.”
The performance marked one of Manhattan’s most complete efforts of the season, forcing a running clock to start the second half with reserves on the field.
Junior Joseph Mortensen led the early surge, collecting a hat trick of touchdowns in the first quarter. Mortensen ran six times for 30 yards and two scores, and tossed his first varsity touchdown pass, a 24-yard strike to senior JJ Dunnigan.
“Not in the slightest,” Mortensen said when asked if he ever pictured throwing a touchdown this season. “(Becoming a quarterback) was a surprise, I’m not used to throwing the ball — I usually just run it — but I’ve been having a lot of fun.”
Schartz said the Wildcat package has evolved into a major weapon.
“We knew the quarterback run game was going to be there,” he said. “Our heavy package has really gotten better as the season has gone along. Joe’s a good runner, and that puts a lot of stress on the defense.”
Dunnigan, returning from an ankle roll suffered last week, added two total touchdowns, including a 70-yard punt return score, and had another long return for a score wiped out by penalty.
“(Dunnigan) had a great game — offense, defense, and special teams,” Schartz said. “They were actually kicking to him, and he showed what he can do when he gets his hands on the ball.”
Running backs Kha’Mario Davis and EJ Massenburg each added rushing touchdowns, while senior quarterback Finn Watson collected 97 total yards as the offense averaged 9.87 yards per play in the opening half behind an outstanding performance from the offensive line.
Senior lineman Garrison Vikander said the improvement has been steady.
“I feel like every week we just got better and better,” Vikander said. “We’re where we need to be.”
How it happened
Southeast opened the night with an onside kick, giving Manhattan a short field. The Indians capitalized quickly. A 34-yard screen pass to Davis set up Mortensen for a 2-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 9:26 left in the first.
After a defensive stop, Manhattan marched again. Mortensen powered in his second touchdown of the quarter, another 2-yard run, and Massenburg added the two-point conversion to make it 15-0 with 3:41 remaining.
Manhattan nearly added a defensive touchdown moments later when Dunnigan scooped up a fumble and returned it for six, but the play was blown dead for forward progress. The defense responded anyway, forcing a muffed punt to keep momentum with the Indians.
Two plays later, Mortensen — who began the year primarily as a defensive back before assuming Wildcat quarterback duties — floated a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dunnigan, extending the lead to 22-0 at the 1:40 mark.
“A fantastic effort by JJ,” Schartz said. “He’s the only one in the state who could have caught that ball.”
A 13-yard sack by junior Max Evans-Pryor helped force another punt, and though Dunnigan returned it 43 yards for a touchdown, a penalty erased it.
“The key is talking and trusting my guys,” Evans-Pryor said of the defense’s chemistry. “We’ve got great energy and great players — and I love all of them.”
The Indians simply kept attacking in the second quarter. Davis punched in a 5-yard touchdown run and added the two-point conversion to make it 30-0 with 10:56 to play.
Dunnigan followed with one of the standout plays of the night: a 70-yard punt return touchdown, cutting through multiple defenders with key blocks. Davis added another two-point conversion to stretch the margin to 38-0 at 8:25.
A sack by senior Evan Middleton set up another short field. Dunnigan returned a punt 31 yards to set up Massenburg’s 1-yard score, closing out a dominant half. Manhattan led 45-0 at the break. The running clock began to open the third quarter, and reserves closed out the final two periods.
“The offensive line did a really great job tonight,” Schartz said. “We’re clicking on all cylinders right now, and it’s a great time to be playing good football.”
Schartz also credited the defensive staff:
“(Defensive coordinator Lucas Aslin) called a very good game,” he said. “We won on first down and got them behind the chains. When they had to throw, we were putting a ton of pressure on the quarterback. The defense continued to play very well.”
Manhattan (8-2) will travel to No. 1 seed Maize next Friday in the sectional round. The Eagles beat Wichita East 58-34.
MANHATTAN 45,
WICHITA SOUTHEAST 6
Manhattan (8-2) — 22; 23; 0; 0; — 45
Wichita SE (7-3) — 0; 0; 0; 6; — 6
SCORING SUMMARY
Manhattan — Mortensen 2-yard rush TD, PAT good by Balderson, 9:26 1Q
Manhattan — Mortensen 2-yard rush TD, 2-pt. conversion good by Massenburg, 3:41 1Q
Manhattan — Mortensen 24-yard TD pass to JJ Dunnigan, PAT good by Balderson, 1:40 1Q
Manhattan — Davis 5-yard rush TD, 2-pt. conversion good by Davis, 10:56 2Q
Manhattan — Dunnigan 70-yard punt return TD, 2-pt. conversion good by Davis, 8:25 2Q
Manhattan — Massenburg 1-yard rush TD, 4:26 2Q
Wichita Southeast — Cooks 1-yard rush TD 0:11 4Q
INDIVIDUAL STATS (1st Half)
Passing — Manhattan: Watson 2-2-60, Mortensen 1-1-24-1. Wichita Souteast: Mack O’Bar 1-3-3
Rushing — Manhattan: Davis 6-23-1, Watson, 3-37, Mortensen 6-30-2. Wichita Southeast: Harrison 9-16, Mack OBar 3-(minus)-17, Cooks 3-4, Jones 2-(minus)-18
Receiving — Manhattan: Dunnigan 1-24-1, Middleton 1-26, Davis 1-34. Wichita Southeast: Mboya 1-3