Titans falter at Manhattan Christian, slip into second place

MANHATTAN – In a battle of unbeatens, it was the Manhattan Christian Eagles that came away with a 34-14 win over the Flint Creek Titans.

It started off as a game that closely resembled Flint Creek’s win over Ennis just the week before – two teams with perfect records battling to what looked like a close game. But as the first quarter wore on it became evident that the Eagles might have the upper hand.

And midway into the first quarter, the Titans lost one of their biggest.

Senior lineman Chance Dunkerson emerged from a scrum holding his right arm to his side and headed to the sidelines. The injury proved to be a game-ending dislocation of his right shoulder that took one of the team’s biggest interior threats out of play.

"We’re down a bunch of guys,” observed Titans Head Coach Jason Ostler. “Wyatt (Daniels) is out and Chance going down early … Jake’s a little dinged. We go from having a lot of backups to none at all.

“We try to play as many guys in practice with the looks we want, try to have a backup at every spot. But this is football and injuries happen.”

Dunkerson’s absence took away some of Flint Creek’s size advantage and Manhattan made the most of it. Their streamlined passing attack added a few more rushes, eventually getting them into the end zone as the period ended on a Rance Hamilton two-yard score.

The Titans rallied, moving the ball with some consistency until they got inside the five yard line. Logan Hauptman rambled in from four yards out for a score that knotted the game at 6-6 with 7:50 before halftime.

Manhattan’s next drive lasted 4:23, putting them on the Flint Creek eight before quarterback Christian Triemstra ran the ball in for a 14-6 lead.

The Titans went a quick four-and-out, allowing the Eagles one more shot at scoring. Triemstra hit Jack Scott with an 11-yard strike that resulted in a 20-6 halftime margin.

Flint Creek seemed renewed in the third quarter, maintaining control of the ball and eventually scoring on Jake Dauenhauer 18-yard pass to Eric Pitcher. The touchdown cut the deficit to 20-14.

The Titans regained the ball quickly, but on a fourth-and-one deep in their own territory, Ostler second guessed himself and changed a play to a run. The play failed and Manhattan Christian was on the doorstep of another score instantaneously.

“I didn’t like the alignment,” said Ostler. “We should have ran it the other way. It’s just a missed opportunity. When I saw it, I should have called a timeout."

The Eagles didn’t score, but neither would Flint Creek the remainder of the game. Manhattan added two more scores late in the fourth to seal the deal and claim first place in the MHSA’s South Division.

The Titans have two games remaining on their schedule before the playoffs and are locked into the bracket. It’s just a matter of what position they claim and where that first-round game will be.

Manhattan Christian plays at Ennis next week. A win by the Eagles should pretty much secure second place for the Titans. A victory by Ennis would make both of Flint Creek’s final two games must wins to secure second place and a first-round home game.

Regardless, Flint Creek will likely go into the upper half of the bracket where defending state champion Belt resides.

NOTEBOOK – Friday’s loss to Manhattan Christian snaps a 10-game, regular season win streak dating back to a September 29, 2023 victory over Cascade, 50-32. … The Eagles remain as one of three teams that have a winning record against Flint Creek in Belt (1-2), Thompson Falls (0-2), and Manhattan Christian (0-2). … If Flint Creek wins both of its last two regular season games they clinch a berth in the 2024 postseason. Doing so would make it 11 straight years of the Titans in the playoffs, and 17 straight seasons of a team from Granite County making the bracket. The last time a county team failed to make the postseason was 2008 when both Drummond and Granite went 4-4. … Hauptman’s 92 yards on 24 carries gives home 2,865 yards on 427 carries for his career, leaving him just 35 yards behind Colby Manley at 2,900 yards. Hauptman is also just 30 carries behind Manley with 427.

SCORING

Flint Creek – 0/6/8/0 – 14

Manhattan Christian – 6/14/0/14 – 34

FIRST QUARTER

0:38.4 MC Hamilton 2-yard run TD. Pass failed.

SECOND QUARTER

7:50 FC Hauptman 4-yard run TD. Run failed.

2:37 MC Triemstra 8-yard run TD. Triemstra pass to Scott.

0:56.8 MC Triemstra 11-yard pass to Scott TD. Pass failed.

THIRD QUARTER

1:44 FC Dauenhauer 18-yard pass to Pitcher TD. Hauptman run.

FOURTH QUARTER