Manhattan High football replanted its flag on top of Kansas 6A, shutting out the East’s Olathe Northwest 27-0 on a chilly, windy Saturday afternoon at Emporia State’s Welch Stadium.

The Indians (11-2) secured the fourth state title in program history, and second under head coach Joe Schartz, while making its third appearance in the 6A title game since Schartz’ first championship in 2022.

In each of the last two title appearance for Manhattan under Schartz, the Indians had to battle to the final play. This time, it was all Manhattan behind a stifling defense that shutout the Ravens (9-4) and a composed offense that assertive itself on the ground, and cashed in on key big plays. 

How it happened

The first quarter unfolded as a defensive stalemate, with both teams trading red-zone stops in a fast, physical opening frame. Manhattan came up with the first big play when senior Brady Durtschi snagged an interception deep in Tribe territory, but Olathe Northwest answered with a fourth-down stand of its own to keep the game scoreless through one.

Manhattan finally cracked the scoreboard midway through the second quarter. Facing 4th down, senior quarterback Finn Watson kept the ball and burst through the right side for a 31-yard touchdown run, giving the Indians a 7–0 lead with 6:27 remaining.

The defense delivered again just before halftime, stuffing an ONW red-zone threat to preserve the one-score margin. It looked as though Manhattan would head into the locker room up 7–0—until JJ Dunnigan flipped the game. With 15 seconds left in the half, Dunnigan caught a quick screen pass from Watson, broke free down the sideline, and pulled away for a 68-yard touchdown, pushing the Tribe’s advantage to 14–0 at the break.

Out of halftime, Manhattan wasted no time completing the double dip. On the opening possession of the third quarter, Watson uncorked a deep ball that Dunnigan snatched in stride for a 50-yard touchdown — his second long score of the day. The PAT was blocked, but Manhattan’s lead grew to 20–0 with 9:54 left in the third.

The Manhattan defense continued its dominance, suffocating ONW’s run game and forcing repeated stops. Meanwhile, the offense only needed to drain the clock behind its ground game.

The offense delivered the final blow late in the fourth quarter, as Watson powered in a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 27–0 with 1:58 remaining and seal the program’s fourth state championship.

This story will be updated with quotes, stats, and more on the Indians’ state title win.

MANHATTAN 27,

OLATHE NORTHWEST 0

Manhattan (11-2) — 0; 14; 6; 7; — 27

Olathe Northwest (9-4) — 0; 0; 0; 0; — 0

SCORING SUMMARY

Manhattan — Watson 31-yard TD run, PAT good by Balderson, 6:27 2Q

Manhattan — Dunnigan 68-yard TD pass from Watson, PAT good by Balderson, 0:15 2Q

Manhattan — Dunnigan 50-yard TD pass from Watson, PAT blocked, 9:54 3Q

Manhattan — Watson 5-yard TD run, PAT good by Balderson, 1:58 4Q