Preview: Manson Trojans vs. Okanogan Bulldogs
Manson is 0-4 against Okanogan since October of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Manson Trojans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Okanogan Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Manson will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Washington Rankings (they are ranked 185th, while Okanogan is ranked 49th).
After a string of six wins, Manson's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They and Brewster were almost perfectly matched up, but Manson suffered an agonizing 21-20 loss.
Even though the team lost, they still came through with several impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Vince Strecker, who threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Angel Lopez was another key contributor, rushing for 108 yards.
Meanwhile, Okanogan got themselves on the board against Lake Roosevelt on Friday, but Lake Roosevelt never followed suit. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Raiders 47-0 at home. Fans of Okanogan have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season ended as a blowout.
David Huffstetler and Carter Kuchenbuch were among the main playmakers for Okanogan as the former rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries and the latter rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Tanner Grooms, who rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns.
Okanogan's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Kasey Erickson and his two sacks.
Having lost for the first time this season, Manson fell to 6-1. As for Okanogan, their win was their tenth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 7-0.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Manson has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 295.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Okanogan struggles in that department as they've been even better at 331.4 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Manson was taken down by Okanogan 61-18 in their previous matchup back in October of 2022. Will Manson have more luck at home instead of on the road?
