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Wildcats humble Eldred

Frank Rizzo
Posted 10/12/20

Published October 13, 1998

ELDRED - Eldred received another setback in its evolution from league doormat to contender, as the host Yellow Jackets were shocked 32-0 by Manor in Saturday's Class D …

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Wildcats humble Eldred

Posted

Published October 13, 1998

ELDRED - Eldred received another setback in its evolution from league doormat to contender, as the host Yellow Jackets were shocked 32-0 by Manor in Saturday's Class D game.

For Eldred it truly was a drizzly, dismal afternoon, while for a resurgent Manor, the sun may have well have been shining.

“We put it all together, it was the best game we played all year,” said Manor coach Scott Branning.

The hosts received the opening kickoff and ate up a good chunk of the first quarter with a 13-play drive which covered 48 yards, and picked up three first downs in the process. However, after reaching the Manor 22, the Yellow Jackets were unable to move the ball and gave it up on downs.

Eldred then gave the visitors aid and comfort with facemask and personal foul penalties which helped Manor move the ball all the way to the Eldred 20 in just three plays. Six plays later Wildcat QB Dave Irwin scored the first of his four TDs, from the 3. He then swung a pass to Ryan Carlson, who scored the two points at 1:13. Irwin's 11-yard first down pass to Jon Williams had been a key play in this drive.

Wasting no time responding, Eldred got good field position when Brian Haas returned the kickoff to his 42. Eight plays later, on a fourth-and-9 from the Manor 20, Brian Haas found Jeff Haas open near the sideline, and with a tackle-avoiding drive, the running back reached the 10 for the first down.

It might have been Eldred's last significant offensive play of the game. Once again the guests could not find the end zone, and on fourth-and-goal from the 5, Manor's Bill Guinan and Williams stopped Jeff Haas for a loss.

Runs by Irving and Carlson put Manor out of the hole, and the visitors went on to manufacture a 94-yard scoring drive, taking 6:39. Irving scored from the 2 and Carlson added the PAT with an extra effort run to put Manor up 16-0. The Wildcats received a scare when, driving after receiving the second half kickoff, Irwin came off the field after a hard tackle, saying he thought his arm might be broken. Carlson took the snap for one play while Irwin made a quick recovery on the sideline.

Manor reached the Yellow Jacket 23 before Eldred stiffened and regained the ball.

A 22-yard pass play from Brian Haas to Mauro Giuffrida highlighted this drive, which ended soon after. As Haas unloaded a pass over the middle, Manor's Williams hit him. The ball floated into the waiting arms of Irving, and he had clear passage 63 yards to the Eldred end zone. His pass to Carlson at the 1:48 mark gave the visitors a 24-0 lead.

After an exchange of punts, Eldred got the ball back with 8:02 left, but again had trouble moving. On third-and-10 from his 45, Brian Haas attempted a pass to Giuffrida, galloping over the middle on a diagonal run. The throw went behind him, and Carlson was there to corral it.

Nine plays and 4:20 later, Irwin completed his dominant day with a 14-yard ramble. Erik Roberts ran it in for two as the clock showed 1:42 to complete the rout.

Irwin finished the afternoon with 178 yards on 25 carries. His four TDs gave him 13 on the year.

Carlson added 61 yards on nine carries.

For Eldred, Jeff Haas rushed for 101 yards to pass the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

But in clear measure of Manor's defensive dominance, the Eldred running attack recorded just five net yards in the second half.

“I did not know what to expect. I thought it would be a tough game, but I did not expect this score,” Branning commented. “That was a surprise.”

Manor's victory came despite missing three starters, out for academic reasons.

“What hurt them was bringing the ball down twice and not scoring,” Branning observed.

Eldred coach Gem Rosenstein made note of those failed drives adding, “Our blocking stopped… and never came back. The Manor defense was able to penetrate a lot. Our intensity was lacking out there.”

Rosenstein had no answers as to how his team, once 3-0 and with playoff aspirations, now faces a hard struggle to make post-season play.

“We can still have a successful year. We'll have to keep our players focused and work harder in practice,” Rosenstein said. “The season is far from over.”

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