Manhattan is a perfect 5-0 against Northwest since October of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Indians are taking a road trip to face off against the Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Manhattan is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Emporia: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Indians blew the Spartans out of the water with a 41-6 final score. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Indians had established a 28-point advantage.
Finn Watson
| 10/03/25 @ Emporia | 2 |
| 09/12/25 @ Lawrence Free State | 1 |
| 09/05/25 vs Garden City | 1 |
| 11/01/24 vs North | 1 |
| 10/25/24 vs Washburn Rural | 1 |
EJ Massenburg and Finn Watson were among the main playmakers for Manhattan as the former rushed for 141 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 8.8 yards per carry and the latter rushed for 39 yards and two TDs. Those two rushing touchdowns gave Watson a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Manhattan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 321 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Another reason for the win was Manhattan's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Max Evans-Pryor refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Emporia's side was Evans-Pryor, who picked up 1.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, and made 13 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Northwest). They blew past West, posting a 76-7 win. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Northwest's win came from a few key players Manhattan will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Augie Fast, who rushed for 91 yards and four touchdowns on only nine carries. Jaelynn Ligon also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Northwest, racking up 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Ligon, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Manhattan's record now sits at 4-1. As for Northwest, their record is now an identical 4-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Manhattan has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 240 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Northwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 276.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Manhattan took their win against Northwest in their previous matchup back in November of 2024 by a conclusive 49-28 score. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Grizzlies' Jaylen Mason, who threw for 283 yards and four TDs on only 15 passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Indians still be able to contain Mason? There's only one way to find out.
