Manning’s 3 TD’s lift Conestoga

By Billy Reardon

TREDYFFRIN >> Despite Mother Nature’s best attempts to put a damper on Conestoga High School’s homecoming, the Pioneers came out firing on all cylinders, dominating Harriton, 49-8, in a Central League football game at Teamer Field.
Conestoga (3-2, 2-1) established the running game early, establishing its star Corey Manning, among others to chew up yards on the rainy evening. The offensive line for the Pioneers dominated the Rams’ (0-5, 0-3) defensive line giving their backs plenty of room to run. The Pioneers’ runners rambled their way for a total of 207 yards.
Manning, who returned from injury after missing last week’s game against Haverford High, led the way for the Pioneers’ attack, gashing the defense for 114 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns, in just over a quarter.
Manning was relieved of his duties after a 70-yard interception return by Peyton Jones, which put the Pioneers up 35-0 with over 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
“I came out hungry after not being able to play last week,” said Manning. “I wanted to make a statement.”
Harriton struggled to get anything going offensively, as their plays were constantly thwarted in the backfield, allowing QB Patrick Stewart no time in the pocket.
Harriton only managed 84 yards of offense, and the majority of that production came in the second half. It was a tough night for Stewart, who found plenty of open receivers and put the ball right on the money, only for the ball to slip through their hands. Stewart finished the game 5-for-22 for 42 yards.
“That’s a dangerous offense when they are on,” said Conestoga coach John Vogan. “(Stewart) threw for 2,200 yards last year. Our defense took care of business tonight.”
The defense forced three turnovers on the night — two fumbles and Jones’ interception. One of the fumbles never touched the turf, as Daquan Perry ripped the ball right out of the hands of Harriton running back Jack Thomas and streaked down the sideline for a 23-yard touchdown. Perry also scored a one-yard rushing TD.
“The biggest thing for us is we are a really young team,” said Harriton coach Justin Mellor. “Some plays we have four freshman and three sophomores in there. We just treat everything as a learning experience for our young guys.”
Evan Tannenbaum spelled Manning, recording 51 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Kyri Berry did the bulk of the work in the second half, carrying the ball 18 times for 41 yards.
Conestoga won the toss at the start of the game, and instead of electing to receive the opening kickoff, opted to force the Rams to go against the wind.
“This team likes to throw the ball, so making them throw against the wind played to our advantage and helped us get good field position,” said Vogan.
The Pioneers took advantage of good field position on every one of their five first-half possessions, scoring a touchdown on each drive.
Conestoga bounced back in a big way after its 6-0 loss to Haverford last week, and a win on homecoming will definitely boost its morale heading into the second half of the season.
“There are three games you can’t lose as a coach during the course of the season,” said Vogan. “The first game, the last game, and homecoming.”

Conestoga 49, Harriton 8
Harriton    0    0    8    0    —    8
Conestoga    21    21    7    0    —    49
First Quarter
C: Manning 5 run (Smith kick)
C: Manning 22 run (Smith kick)
C: Manning 2 run (Smith kick)
Second Quarter
C: Perry 1 run (Smith kick)
C: Jones 70 interception return (Smith kick)
C: Tannenbaum 1 run (Smith kick)
Third Quarter
C: Perry 23 fumble return (Smith kick)
H: Thomas 1 run (Thomas pass)