Super Manns hits record pace

CHARLESTON — Marcus Manns and artificial turf apparently agree with one another.

The Woodrow Wilson senior rushed for a school-record 334 yards and five touchdowns as the Flying Eagles turned back George Washington 55-35 at Laidley Field Friday night.

“We’ve been playing in mud and on wet grass all season,” Manns said. “I was looking forward to coming down here and playing on this turf.”

Woodrow Wilson finished the regular season with a 9-1 mark. The Eagles will finish No. 4 in the state and are assured of two home playoff games at Flying Eagle Stadium.

“We’ll have to see where everything falls,” coach John H. Lilly said. “I thought we played a little nonchalant and a little hesitant.

“But we are 9-1 and we’re proud of that fact.”

Manns retired after the first series of the second half, when he scored on a 59-yard run to make it 48-21 Woodrow Wilson, but he returned late in the game to help secure the win. His new record broke the previous record set by teammate Emeka Eneje, now the Eagles’ fullback. Eneje rushed for 290 yards against Greenbrier East in 2003.

“I’m proud of it,” Manns said of the record. “But if I hadn’t done it, one of my teammates would have stepped up. And the offensive line did a great job. I had a feeling I was going to do something good. I went to my grandmother’s house today and she prayed for me. She always prays for me, but this was the first time I went to her house (on game day).”

Four of Manns’ touchdowns came on runs of 32 yards or longer.

“We just didn’t do a real good job tackling,” George Washington coach Steve Edwards said. “And when you don’t do a good job tackling, people break records.”

“He’s worked hard for us all year, so I’m glad he got it,” Lilly said. “He did a good job.”

Manns finished the regular season with 1,316 yards.

With GW and Woodrow Wilson tied at 21-21 early in the second quarter, the Eagles made their move.

The game turned when the Flying Eagles made a defensive stop. Instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 at the Woodrow Wilson 29, George Washington (1-9) elected to punt.

“As soon as we punted I started thinking that we probably should have went for it,” Edwards said. “I guess in hindsight, we would, but it’s always easier to say that after the fact.”

Especially if he had this little nugget of information:

Manns scored on the first play after the punt on a 60-yard run. That set of a chain reaction for the Flying Eagles, who would score two more times to lead 41-21 at the half.

The Eagles put up 434 yards on the ground against the Patriots. Marquel Ali added 62 yards on 11 carries and Eneje had a rushing touchdown.

Two GW quarterbacks posted over 100 yards passing. Starter Jason Smith had 143, completing 9-of-23. Reserve Drew Kinder completed 7-of-9 for 134 yards. Running back Daniel Barnes had 140 yards rushing and one score.

Manns had 255 yards at the break and did so by breaking off big runs of 61, 60, 32 and 44 yards.

Most of that came in the second quarter, when Manns scored three of Woodrow Wilson’s four second-quarter touchdowns.

But George Washington was able to score and stay with the No. 3-ranked Eagles — mostly on the arm of quarterback Jason Smith.

The junior quarterback set up the Patriots’ first TD — a Chase Keffer 1-yard run — with a 22-yard screen pass to Barnes.

After Bryan Price blocked and recovered a punt to put Woodrow on the board, the Patriots struck back. Freshman Mike Tucker returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards to the Woodrow 27. Two plays later Smith hooked up with Corey Starcher on a 24-yard touchdown.

Manns then struck on a 61-yard run to even the count at 14-14.

Smith then connected with former Beckley resident Tawon Wallace on an 8-yard scoring toss.

A nine-yard Flying Eagles drive ended with Manns’ second TD and again tied the score.

Manns scored on his first carry of the second half, a 59-yard gallop making it 48-21, and then didn’t play on offense again until the last two series of the game.

Tyler Coleman had a 60-yard interception return for the Flying Eagles.

The Eagles were without linebacker Austin Peters, who is out with an unspecified injury.

That pushed freshman Ryan Stafford into the starting lineup. He also made the defensive calls, rare for a freshman, especially on the Class AAA level

“I thought he did a good job,” Lilly said. “He’s done it in practice, so it wasn’t like it was new. Our mike (middle) linebacker always makes the defensive calls.”

— E-mail:demorrison@

register-herald.com



Woodrow 55, George Washington 35

WW (9-1) 14 27 14 0 — 55

GW (1-9) 21 0 0 14 — 35

First Quarter

GW — Chase Keffer 1 run (Mike Lewis kick)

WW — Bryan Price recovered blocked punt in end zone (Chris Yambrick kick)

GW — Corey Starcher 24 pass from Jason Smith (Lewis kick)

WW — Manns 61 run (Yambrick run)

GW — Tawon Wallace 8 pass from Smith (Lewis kick)

Second Quarter

WW — Manns 6 run (Yambrick kick)

WW — Manns 60 run (Yambrick kick)

WW — Manns 32 run (Yambrick kick)

WW — Eneje 2 run (pass failed)

Third Quarter

WW — Manns 59 run (Yambrick kick)

WW — Tyler Coleman 60 interception return (Yambrick kick)

Fourth Quarter

GW — Daniel Barnes 4 run ( pass failed)

GW — Drew Kinder 1 run (Keffer pass from Barnes)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — WW: Marcus Manns 18-334-5, Emeka Eneje 5-15-1, Marquel Ali 11-62, Adam Parkulo 3-8, Blaine Mayo 4-14, Ryan Stafford 1-(minus-10), Ian McCulloch 1-12; GW: Daniel Barnes 18-140-1, Jason Smith 5-1, Chase Keffer 4-15-1, Drew Kinder 3-8-1.

PASSING — WW: Ian McCulloch 0-3-0-0-1, Ryan Stafford 0-0-0-0-0; GW: Jason Smith 9-23-2-143-2, Drew Kinder 7-9-1-134-1.

RECEIVING — WW: none; GW: Barnes 1-22, Corey Starcher 4-102, Tawon wallace 5-80, Keffer 4-51, Zack Rosencrance 1-13, Scott Hardy 1-19.

TURNOVERS — WW: Marquel Ali (2 int), Coleman (int); GW: Barnes (int).