The Manhattan Indians will look to take advantage of their home-field for the first time this season as they take on the Lawrence Free State Firebirds at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Manhattan is coming home in high spirits after they had to open their season on the road against Garden City. Manhattan simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Garden City 57-21 on the road. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 11th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 62nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Carter Aslin had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 131 yards and four touchdowns on only five carries, and also threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns on only eight passes. That's the most total yards he has posted since back in September of 2023. Another player making a difference was Kha'Mario Davis, who rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.
Davis wasn't the only one working in the rushing yards department: Manhattan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 236 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 197 rushing yards in 12 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Manhattan's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Evan Middleton and Brandon Stroud.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Free State took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They walked away with a 12-3 victory over Shawnee Mission East.
Manhattan strolled past Lawrence Free State in their previous meeting back in November of 2023 by a score of 21-7. Does Manhattan have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lawrence Free State turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
