Manhattan is on a 14-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Derby is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Manhattan Indians will take on the Derby Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Manhattan had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 21-7 victory over Lawrence Free State on Friday.
Among those leading the charge was Carter Aslin, who rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Jaydin Hudley, who rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Derby can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 48-6 win over Lawrence at home. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Derby had established a 35 point advantage.
Braxton Clark was the offensive standout of the match as he threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns while completing 84.2% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Da?saahn Brame was another key contributor, picking up 116 receiving yards and 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. Peyton Neptune was especially locked on to Lawrence's QB and sacked him twice.
Manhattan's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Derby, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 9-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as both teams have no problem gaining yardage. Manhattan has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 419.3 total yards per game. However, it's not like Derby struggles in that department as they've been even better at 420.6 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Manhattan strolled past Derby when the teams last played back in September by a score of 33-19. Will Manhattan repeat their success, or does Derby have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
