Last Second Touchdown Defeats MHS

By JOHN KUYKENDALL
The Manchester High Blue Devil football team was on the losing end of the team’s first region game after falling to the Trion High Bulldogs on the road on Friday, Sept. 26 in a heartbreaking 32-24 loss. The Bulldogs won the game with only a few seconds remaining on the game clock.
The Bulldogs drew first blood in the game with the first of several big plays for touchdowns. The Bulldogs found the end zone with 1:37 left to play in the first quarter on a 36-yard pass to take a 7-0 lead.
The Blue Devils battled back and scored the team’s first touchdown of the night on a 24-yard run by Kartavis Gamble to cut the Bulldog lead to 7-6 with :19 left to play in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs increased the lead to 14-6 with 10:06 left to play in the first half with a 55-yard run.
The Bulldogs came through with a 41-yard pass to set up another touchdown and take a 21-6 lead with 4:48 left to play in the first half, but the Blue Devils again battled back.
This time, Dre McGhee broke loose on a 19-yard touchdown run to score as the clock expired to end the first half of play to cut the Trion lead to 21-12.
The Bulldogs made the score 24-12 with a field goal in the third quarter and the Blue Devils answered with a touchdown and the score stood at 24-18 with the momentum in favor of Manchester.
McGhee tied the game when he connected with Jahmari Carter on a 34-yard pass with 4:22 left to play in the game.
The Bulldogs made the score 32-24 in the final minute of the fourth quarter and went on to win by that score.
The Blue Devils are home this Friday night when the Bowdon Red Devils come calling. This is expected to be a slugfest as Bowdon is a big rival for Manchester.
The Red Devils are 4-2 on the season after a forfeit by the Booker T. Washington Eagles this past Friday night.
The team’s two losses came at the hands of the Heard County Braves by a score of 29-28 and the Fellowship Christian Paladins by a score of 26-0.
Manchester and Bowdon have played one common opponent this season, the Macon County High Bulldogs.
Bowdon defeated the Bulldogs in Montezuma in the team’s second game of the season by a score 55-22 and Manchester knocked off the Bulldogs by a score of 48-47 in September.
The Red Devils are a seasoned team with 18 seniors, 17 juniors and a total roster of 66 players.
The Red Devils have a high-powered offense and a stingy defense. The Red Devil offense has averaged scoring 34.6 points per game and a stingy defense who has allowed opponents to score an average of 21.2 points per game.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.