ANDERSON, Indiana — As has been the case throughout the 2014 campaign, Manchester University’s offense provided plenty of fireworks Saturday, Nov. 15.

The Spartans, concluding their season at 4-6 overall and 3-5 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, amassed 487 yards and roared out to a 16-0 lead en route to a 40-21 victory over rival Anderson University. The win marked MU’s fourth straight in the annual Bronze Ball series.

Coach Shannon Griffith’s squad was able to march over the field at Anderson’s Macholtz Stadium by land and by air.

Senior running back Austin Adams (Dowagiac) compiled a personal single-game high of 189 yards on 29 carries, which included an 84-yard burst from scrimmage that put Manchester up 23-7 in the third period.

Adams had two touchdowns on the day.

Junior quarterback Logan Haston (Avon, Indiana), despite seeing his run of nine straight 200 yard-plus passing contests end, threw for 198 yards on a 16-of-24 day, senior wide receiver Collin Huffine (Centerville, Indiana), in his final game for the Spartans, hauling in seven receptions for 109 yards.

Manchester University’s defense also played a key role in the season finale win. The Spartans sacked Anderson signal caller Brady Cavinee six times with senior defensive end Jon Scribner (Fort Wayne, Indiana) putting an exclamation point on his collegiate career with three of them.

Fellow senior defensive end Stephen Coble (Edwardsburg) also wound up his final collegiate game in a big way with a sack and interception, while freshman linebacker Tyler Katschke (Winamac, Indiana) topped the unit in tackles (six).

 

NOTES

• Manchester’s senior class closed with 17 victories over four years including a 6-4 mark in 2012 that saw the program reel off six successive wins.

• The Spartans’ offense laid siege to the school record book with six marks falling and one other being tied. Haston wound up with single-season all-time bests in individual touchdown passes (21), a total that also tied the team record of 21 set in 1997; completions (208); passing yardage (2,722); and total offense (3,147 yards) as well as single-game total offense (476).

• Sophomore wide receiver Dakota Nelson (Fairland, Indiana) became Manchester’s first 1,000-yard single-season receiver (1,116) and was just one reception shy (76) of tying the single-season mark held by Brandon Tugmon (2003).

• Manchester’s 4,463 yards of total offense wiped away the old mark of 3,974 set in 2008 due to seven games of 400-yards-or-more and two of 500-or-better.