The nation's top junior recruit hopes to propel the Greenies (7-2) to their first state title game against a team that has won four straight LHSAA titles and eliminated Newman in last year's state semifinals.
In that game, the Knights held Manning to 158 yards passing and sacked him four times in
a 21-7 victory. The Greenies only score was a perfectly placed 33-yard scoring strike from Manning to
Pike Philibert late in the second quarter.
But that's ancient history for Newman, coming off a resounding 37-6 victory at Episcopal on Friday when Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, accounted for 234 yards and three touchdowns, including passes of 28 yards to
Will Randle and 23 yards to
Christopher Hunter.
How to watch
When: Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Newman vs. Lafayette Christian Academy
Online streaming: Varsity Sports Now (VSN)
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Manning also ran for an 8-yard TD,
Terrance Williams Jr. scored on a 30-yard touchdown and
Will Zurik rushed for nearly 100 yards. All was paved by a physical performance from an offensive line led by LSU commit
Bo Bordelon (6-5, 265) and Manning's brother, sophomore center
Heid Manning.
Now the Greenies are on the verge of doing something Peyton, Eli or Arch's father Cooper never did — get to the elusive title game. They've been knocking on door often with four trips to the semifinals since 2014.
"I thought our backs played really well and our O-Line blocked hard — they were nasty out there," Manning told MaxPreps (see video above) after the game. "It was a fun win. .... But (LCA) is a great team with a bunch of athletes everywhere so we got to get back to work."
Lafayette Christian Academy (9-1) features three of the top senior recruits in the state, according to 247Sports: safety
Jordan Allen, LSU-bound defensive lineman
Fitzgerald West Jr. and cornerback
Brylan Green. The Knights have outscored opponents 345-118 and their only loss was 38-17 to top Division I seed Catholic (Baton Rouge).
"You know what you're going to get," Newman coach Nelson Stewart told
The Three Tailgaters Show about LCA. "They've won four straight state championships. They play outstanding defense, loading the box and locking you up outside. They have a great quarterback. ... If we're going to win it, we're going to have to earn it. We'll be ready."
Arch Manning will likely have to use his arms and legs to help Newman defeat Lafayette Christian Academy on Friday.
File photo by Parker Waters
