Yellow Jackets Post Strong Performance at Manchester

NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. - The Defiance College football team opened Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday evening as they traveled to Manchester for their first road test of the season. The Purple and Gold fell in the contest 57-26.

The Defiance (0-3 overall, 0-1 HCAC) defense made a stance early as they forced a Spartan four-an-out on the opening drive running just a minute off the clock.

DC looked to get something going on the following possession as they handed the ball off to senior Corey Bennett (Tampa, Fla./Blake) who made it back to the line of scrimmage before being met by a gang of Spartans. On the following play sophomore Logan Mico (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South) went to the air that resulted in an interception by the Manchester secondary.

Manchester capitalized on the Yellow Jacket miscue traveling 17-yards on four plays for the games first score with 12 minutes remaining in the opening quarter. 

The Spartan offense continued to fire on all cylinders scoring two more times in the opening period for the 20-0 advantage.

The Black and Gold would tack on two more scores to open the second period extending their lead to 34-0.

However, the Yellow Jacket offense, piloted by Mico, finally found a rhythm as they took the ball 95-yards on 18 plays for the score. They opened the drive on their own five yard line as Mico rushed for four-yards followed by a seven-yard scamper for a DC first down. 

He then airred it out as he connected with junior Jacob Vorce (Paw Paw, Mich.) for a 18-yard gain that ended on the DC 35-yard line. He continued on the ariel attack as he found senior, wide receiver, Nate Roberts (St. Petersburg, Fla./Boca Ciega) for a 29-yard pickup that ended on the DC 46-yard line. The Yellow Jackets broke into the Spartan territory on the following play as Mico connected with Bennett to the MU 44-yard line.

Mico continued to drive the DC offense as he again went to the air connecting with freshman Demarquis Cummings (Orlando, Fla./ Dr. Phillips) to put the Yellow Jackets inside the MU 15-yard line. They would score on the following play as Bennett rushed for 2-yards for the go ahead score, 34-7.

However, Manchester responded finding the end zone on the following drive traveling 65-yards on seven plays to push the lead to 40-7.

The Purple and Gold didn't fold as they responded taking the ball 75-yards in 23 seconds for another DC score. Mico piloted the drive as he found Vorce streaking the sideline for the 59-yard completion and score, 40-13.

Defiance entered the break with 217-yards of total offense including 193-yards through the air. 

The Yellow Jackets got the ball to open the second half and looked to set the tone early as they took the ball 75-yards on 10-plays for another DC score. Mico wasted little time establishing the ariel attack as he found Roberts for a 20-yard hook-up putting DC on the Defiance 25-yard line. He then went to work himself rushing for 10-yards and a DC first down. The strike happened seconds later as Mico found Vorce in the corner of the end zone for the score, 40-20. 

The Black and Gold stole the momentum back finding back-to-back scores and pushing the lead to 50-20 midway through the third period.

However, the Purple and Gold continued to dominate the second half as the defense stepped up and forced a Manchester four-an-out inside MU's own 20-yard line. 

After taking over on downs, the DC offense wasted little time traveling eight yards on a quarterback keeper by Mico for another Yellow Jacket score, 50-26.

The second half explosion continued for the DC offense as they traveled 66-yards on 15 plays before being shutout at the goal line by a huge stance from the Spartans. 

Manchester would run out the clock on its final drive to secure the 57-26 victory.

Defiance finished the contest with a season-best 395-yards of offense, including 321-yards through the air. Vorce led the wide receiver core registering 157-yards on nine targets. On the defensive side of the ball senior Cody Brown (Grass Lake, Mich.) and sophomore Steven Lucas (Warren, Mich./Center Line) recorded a team-best 12 tackles. 

The Yellow Jackets return to action Saturday, Sept. 22 as they play host to Anderson at Justin F. Coressel Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 pm.