Final

I thought it might have been worse. Any details?

I thought it might have been worse. Any details?

Sure, I'll take a stab.

 

Manual was tough...in the first half. They frustrated Colerain's offense and the Cards were out of sync mainly due to the Crimsons attacking style. The Cards were not executing at a good level.

 

Second point, the logistics of the trip was not good for Colerain. This is a program that has never, to my knowledge, traveled to Louisville for a game. The furthest this program has ever traveled for a game was Columbus back in '05. That's it. The Colerain program is simply not used to making trips like this. They didn't leave when they wanted and you could tell in warmups something was off.

 

The three lost fumbles were the key. Colerain had done a great job of managing turnovers in the first two games but this game was a nightmare. This was also the first game Colerain has played on grass since 2004...no joke. Their cleats were not long enough and they were skating all over the field all night.

 

That being said, credit the Manual defense...in the first half. They did an OUTSTANDING job of containing the Cardinals. Kudos to them.

 

The Cards punched one TD in late in the first half to go into halftime 7-0. Manual played well enough to be up 7-0.

 

However, as bad as the Cardinal offense played, the Colerain defense played that well. They were absolutely stiffling the Manuel offense. Manuel finished with 139 yards...TOTAL...FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. They had 2 yards rushing...let me repeat that...2 yards rushing, total.

 

The second half saw Manual receive the opening kickoff. And about 3 seconds into the 2nd half, it all came tumbling down for Manual. Colerain pooch kicked it to an upman on the sidelines and it bounced off his chest and Colerain recovered. From there, it was all Colerain all half. The Cardinals rattled off 4 more TD's before calling off the dogs mid-way through the 4th quarter, where, Manual scored a late garbage TD.

 

No need to go into scoring specifics other than to say that Colerain showed in the second half why we win so many games. Colerain's athleticism and strength/conditioning program kicked it in full gear. I have no idea what Manual does for conditioning in the off-season so I can't comment on it other than to say it isn't as good as Colerain's. Which is the case for probably almost anyone as Colerain has one of the toughest and most demanding off-season conditioning programs anywhere.

 

I enjoyed my trip to Manual. I really enjoyed the stadium. It's a special place that Manual fans should be proud of. I was glad to make the trip and I was especially glad to have met the Old Goats of Manual. Buzz Frank, John Wright and David Wright bleed Manual Crimsons. The love the school, they love the community, and they love Manual Crimsons football. They are tremendous individuals who were incredibly generous with their time and their talents. Take care of these guys Manual fans and alumni...they are the best ambassadors for duPont Manual you have.

 

And with that, I will Manual the best of luck the rest of the season (and that's not about Harbins. :lol: ). This game officially ended Colerain's two year agreement with Manual and the Cards are booked solid the next two seasons. I doubt the series will pick up again anytime soon but it was a lot of fun for both years.

 

Good luck Manual...GO CRIMSONS!

 

-CardinalsFan

Manual's schedule is nuts.

Manual's schedule is nuts.

 

Trinity, Highlands, and Cole-train in the first 4 games and they still have to play St. X and traditional power, Male.

Trinity, Highlands, and Cole-train in the first 4 games and they still have to play St. X and traditional power, Male.

Manual needs to step the schedule back. There is no need to play that gauntlet. With Colerain now off the schedule, hopefully things can get a bit more normal for the Crimsons.

 

-CardinalsFan