Football vs. Manchester (Ind.) -- Week 5 Game Notes
DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets travel to North Manchester, Ind. for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game against Manchester University at Carl W. Burt Memorial Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets travel to North Manchester, Ind. for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game against Manchester University at Carl W. Burt Memorial Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
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COMPLETE GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT: [CLICK HERE]
Series History
Saturday's meeting will be the 47th meeting in the history of the two rivals. Defiance leads the series standings with a record of 28-19. Manchester has won two out of the last three meetings, but the two teams are deadlocked at 5-5 in the last 10 matchups.
Last season the Yellow Jackets defeated the Spartans, 27-12, at Coressel Stadium. The Yellow Jackets scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. Quarterback Alex Larson threw for 192 yards and had three TD completions, each to different receivers.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
The offense is averaging 284.2 yards per game this season and will be led by senior quarterback Garrett Teague (Webberville, Mich./Webberville). In three games, Teague has completed 43-of-95 passes (45.3 percent) for 523 yards and three touchdowns.
The Yellow Jacket backfield is led by senior Trevon Burrell (Auburn Hills, Mich./Avondale). Coming into Saturday's game, Burrell has carried the ball 49 times for a team-high 167 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and a pair of TD.
In the slot position, look for the duo of junior Daniel Collins (West Springfield, Va./West Springfield) and sophomore Cody Wilson. To date, Collins has rushed for 142 yards on 48 carries (3.0 ypc.). and three TD. He has also caught 11 passes for 117 yards. Wilson is second on the team in receptions with 12 for 136 yards to go along with two TD.
At wideout, look for sophomores Darius Harper (Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee) and Dante Smith (Villa Rica, Ga./Villa Rica) to start. Harper currently leads the team in receptions (22) and yards (308). He also has one TD reception on the year. Smith is fourth in catches with nine for 61 yards.
On defense, Defiance is currently allowing 367.0 yards per game, but has accounted for 11 takeaways already this season with seven interceptions and four fumbles.
The defensive line is led by sophomore Matt DeVore who has 20 tackles (eight solo and 12 assists) so far this season with team-highs of 5.5 tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks.
The linebackers will start All-HCAC senior Eric Strickland (West Palm Beach, Fla./Seminole Ridge) and sophomore Keandre Gilmer (Toledo/Rogers). Strickland is fourth on the team in tackles with 23 (12 solo and 11 assists), including 2.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Gilmer is seventh in stops with 18 (10 solo and eight assists) to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The Jacket secondary will be made up by junior first-team All-HCAC award winner Andrew Feldhaus (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner), freshman Angello Proulx (Warren, Mich./Mott) and sophomore Cody Wiggins (Howell, Mich./Howell) at the safety positions and senior Josh Slayton (Fort Wayne, Ind./North Side) and sophomore Kenny Jones (Toledo/Bowsher) at the corners. Feldhaus leads the team in tackles with 35 (26 solo and nine assists) to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and a forced fumble.
On special teams, senior Spencer Saunders has handled the place kicking duties so far this season. He is currently 0-1 in field goal attempts and has converted eight-of-nine extra-point attempts. Sophomore Tom Woehnker has taken over the punting duties and is averaging 41.0 yards per punt.
Scouting the Spartans
The Manchester offense has been averaging 431.0 yards of total offense (166.4 rushing and 264.6 passing) so far this season. The Spartans are led by junior quarterback Logan Haston. To date, Haston has completed 99-of-161 passes for 1,312 yards with nine TD and five interceptions. He is also the team's second-leading rusher with 271 yards on 56 carries and a team-best six TD.
At the reunning back spot, the Spartans will start senior Austin Adams. Through five games, Adams leads the team in both carries (70) and yards (293) and has found the endzone on two occasions. He is currently averaging 4.2 yards per carry and 58.6 yards on the ground per game. Also look for freshman Hunter Hardee to see his share of carries. Coming into Saturday, Hardee has carried the ball 54 times for 232 yards (4.3 ypc.).
Manchester will feature three wide receivers and a tight end to make up the passing game. Sophomore Dakota Nelson leads all receivers with 40 catches for 548 yards and has four TD. His 548 yards leads the HCAC and his 109.6 yards per game ranks second highest.
On defense, Manchester has been allowing 452.4 yards of offense (206.6 rushing and 245.8 passing). The Spartans will line up in a 4-3 scheme and will start a pair of seniors in Stephen Coble and Jon Scribner on the defensive line. Coble leads all lineman in tackles with 17 (10 solo and seven assists) and has four tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
The linebacking corps is led by senior Evan West who is tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 24 (14 solo and 10 assists), including three tackles for loss. Also look for freshman Tyler Katschke. Katschke leads the team in tackles at 35 (20 solo and 15 assists).
At the secondary positions, the Spartans are led by senior safety Wade Teltoe who is second on the team in stop swith 28 (18 solo and 10 assists). Junior cornerback Taylor Angelmeyer will be another player to watch. He has tallied 26 tackles (21 solo and five assists) so far this season, including a tackle for loss and leads the team in interceptions with two.
On special teams, sophomore Andrew Coe will handle both the kicking and punting responsibilities. Coming into this week's game, Coe has made six-of-eight field goals and has been successful on 13-of-17 extra-point attempts. As a punter, Coe is averaging 35.1 yards in 23 attempts with a season-long kick of 59 yards.