Manson received the opening kickoff at our 19 yard line and put together an eight play drive that ended with an interception at the Soap Lake 25. I thought we had finally ripped the turn over monkey off our back. Schuyler Neff hooked with Carlos Pineda for some great gains in that first drive.

Following our first turnover Soap Lake found the end zone quickly. Our defense over all played a very physical game. We had three new starters this week and a number of players aligned it new positions. Alex Escalera, Horacio Alonzo and Casey Sorenson put a lot of pressure on Soap Lake's quarterback Kyle Moats. Pinada, Rolando Alejo, and Marcus Vanderholm also made some touchdown saving tackles through out the game.

Manson's only score came on its final drive in the fourth quarter. Safety, Ty Harding scooped up a forced fumble near our goal line and advanced in to the 25 yard line. Following the turnover, Alex Escalera broke a tailback counter for 59 yards, lead by pulling freshman guard Travis Pittman. Pinada's extra point was good.

Overall the O-line did a good job pass blocking for Neff. We made a few blocking adjustments at half-time that seemed to help. We seem to be getting better as a team; we had some letdowns on both sides of the ball that let our opponents' off the hook.

Looking forward, Manson hosts undefeated Oroville, Friday at 7pm. There's a chance both of our offensive tackles, Nate Coggins and Javier Valenica with be released to play this week. Both had symptoms of concussions from the physical game two weeks ago against White Swan.

Thanks to all the parents and fans that followed us to Soap Lake, hope to see you all this Friday night, Oct. 2^nd  at home when the Trojans play Oroville.

We appreciate your support.  

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By Sue Neff

Manson Trojans VS. Soap Lake 9.25.09