Preview: Derby Panthers vs. Manhattan Indians
Derby has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Manhattan Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Derby's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last six contests.
With a playoff game on the line, Derby rose to the challenge on Friday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 48-6 win over Lawrence. Considering Derby has won six games by more than 41 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Braxton Clark looked great while leading his team to the win, throwing for 231 yards and three touchdowns while completing 84.2% of his passes, and also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Da?saahn Brame was in the mix as well, providing Derby with two touchdowns.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Lawrence to a paltry 216 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Derby's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out five times before it was all said and done. Lawrence's QB won't forget Peyton Neptune anytime soon given Neptune sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Manhattan faced Lawrence Free State in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Manhattan took down Lawrence Free State 21-7 on Friday. The victory was familiar territory for Manhattan who now have six in a row.
Carter Aslin was the offensive standout of the matchup as he rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaydin Hudley, who rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Derby has yet to lose a game at home this season, leaving them with a 9-1 record. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 40.1 points. As for Manhattan, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Derby has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 217.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Manhattan struggles in that department as they've been even better at 337.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other football content.
Derby ended up a good deal behind Manhattan in their previous meeting back in September, losing 33-19. Can Derby avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
