Yaxier Rivera leads East Hartford to victory over Manchester

By Team Reports Nov 27, 2023, 4:20pm

Recap: East Hartford Hornets vs. Manchester Red Hawks

There's no place like home for the East Hartford Hornets, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Thursday. They walked away with a 40-33 win over Manchester on Friday. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.

It was another big night for Yaxier Rivera, who rushed for 212 yards and four touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Drayvn Roberts, who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to East Hartford's defensive line and their three sacks. In that department, Rivera was the leader with two sacks.

Manchester's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jayden Kennedy, who rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Emanuel Sampel, who threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns.

East Hartford's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-5. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.5 points per game. As for Manchester, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.

East Hartford does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Manchester will be playing at home against Enfield at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Connecticut (Enfield is ranked 51st, while Manchester is ranked 37th).