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The Dodge City Red Demon defense knew that in order to stop the potent Manhattan offense, it would need to contain running back Ty Suggs.
Unfortunately, Suggs proved to be untouchable Friday night.
The senior back ran the ball 23 times for 164 yards and six touchdowns as the Indians dismantled Dodge City 55-0 in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
For the Demons, it was a night filled with inconsistency on offense, which accounted for 82 total yards and zero third or fourth down conversions throughout the entire game.
The game had an inauspicious beginning for DCHS, as junior quarterback Taylor Murphy threw an interception on third down to set Manhattan up with excellent field position on the Demon 30-yard line.
Dodge would force the Indians to go for it twice for it on fourth down during that short drive, but the second conversion turned out to be a one-yard scoring plunge from Suggs, which wouldn't be the first time.
On the ensuing possession, Dodge went three and out, a theme that became all too common throughout the contest.
With the Demons down seven and having to punt, the game shifted from bad to worse as Manhattan would scoop up the kick off the bounce and weave their way for a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown, beeming with confidence and a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Burton from Manhattan would make it back-to-back heartbreaking drives for the Indians as he would connect on a 51-yard pitch and catch deep downfield on third and 20 to give the home team a dominant 21-0 lead with just over two minutes to go in the opening period.
With their backs against the wall, Dodge was forced to go for it on fourth down during their next possession, failing to pick up the first down and giving the ball to Manhattan on their own 40-yard line. Six plays later and Suggs was in for his second score of the night and a 28-0 lead.
The Demons would not pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter, when Kelan Newton found Trey Hallman for a 16-yard completion. He would finish with two catches for 20 yards to lead the team.
As for the bruising Parker Davis, it would be tough sledding all night for the Western Athletic Conference's second-leading rusher, as he could only muster 25 yards on 11 attempts, a stat that is skewed by Dodge falling behind so early.
After DCHS failed to convert a third straight fourth down attempt, Suggs put a seal on a Manhattan victory, crossing the goal line from 21 yards out for an insurmountable 35-0 lead, which would grow to a 48-0 lead by the halftime buzzer.
Newton, who entered the game because of the score, led the Demons in passing, going 6 of 18 for 44 yards, while Murphy would connect on only two of his six pass attempts, most of them sailing high over receivers.
The Indians also did a good job of shutting down the mobile Murphy on the zone read plays, limiting the junior to one yard on five carries.
Heading into the game Friday night, head coach Dave Foster knew his team would have to control the tempo and score early, and a lack of doing so sealed the fate of his ballclub.
"We knew coming into it we were going to have to strike early and get our kids believing," Foster said during his radio interview. "All week long we talked to them about the confidence factor. When that ball was kicked off we really felt as a staff that we needed to get in the ball game quickly and we were unable to and it just snowballed."
Despite being knocked out of the playoffs, this was the fourth consecutive trip to the 6A postseason for the Demons, which has become the expectation for the team every year.
The loss drops Dodge City to 5-5 overall on the season and will begin the offseason for the Demon players.
Key starters returning for Dodge include the double-headed attack of Taylor Murphy and Parker Davis and the targets for Murphy, Jordan Doan and Dakota Duckett.
On the defensive side of the ball, leading tackler Todd Middleton and corner Isaiah Bradshaw will graduate, leaving the defense with holes to fill come next season.
Regardless of how you read the box score, Dodge City was able to do things a lot of teams wish they could've been doing Friday night — and that is playing with a shot of making a run to the state title game.
Manhattan will move on next week to take on the winner of the Wichita Northwest and Derby contest.
The Dodge City Red Demon defense knew that in order to stop the potent Manhattan offense, it would need to contain running back Ty Suggs.
Unfortunately, Suggs proved to be untouchable Friday night.
The senior back ran the ball 23 times for 164 yards and six touchdowns as the Indians dismantled Dodge City 55-0 in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
For the Demons, it was a night filled with inconsistency on offense, which accounted for 82 total yards and zero third or fourth down conversions throughout the entire game.
The game had an inauspicious beginning for DCHS, as junior quarterback Taylor Murphy threw an interception on third down to set Manhattan up with excellent field position on the Demon 30-yard line.
Dodge would force the Indians to go for it twice for it on fourth down during that short drive, but the second conversion turned out to be a one-yard scoring plunge from Suggs, which wouldn't be the first time.
On the ensuing possession, Dodge went three and out, a theme that became all too common throughout the contest.
With the Demons down seven and having to punt, the game shifted from bad to worse as Manhattan would scoop up the kick off the bounce and weave their way for a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown, beeming with confidence and a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Burton from Manhattan would make it back-to-back heartbreaking drives for the Indians as he would connect on a 51-yard pitch and catch deep downfield on third and 20 to give the home team a dominant 21-0 lead with just over two minutes to go in the opening period.
With their backs against the wall, Dodge was forced to go for it on fourth down during their next possession, failing to pick up the first down and giving the ball to Manhattan on their own 40-yard line. Six plays later and Suggs was in for his second score of the night and a 28-0 lead.
The Demons would not pick up a first down until midway through the second quarter, when Kelan Newton found Trey Hallman for a 16-yard completion. He would finish with two catches for 20 yards to lead the team.
As for the bruising Parker Davis, it would be tough sledding all night for the Western Athletic Conference's second-leading rusher, as he could only muster 25 yards on 11 attempts, a stat that is skewed by Dodge falling behind so early.
After DCHS failed to convert a third straight fourth down attempt, Suggs put a seal on a Manhattan victory, crossing the goal line from 21 yards out for an insurmountable 35-0 lead, which would grow to a 48-0 lead by the halftime buzzer.
Newton, who entered the game because of the score, led the Demons in passing, going 6 of 18 for 44 yards, while Murphy would connect on only two of his six pass attempts, most of them sailing high over receivers.
The Indians also did a good job of shutting down the mobile Murphy on the zone read plays, limiting the junior to one yard on five carries.
Heading into the game Friday night, head coach Dave Foster knew his team would have to control the tempo and score early, and a lack of doing so sealed the fate of his ballclub.
"We knew coming into it we were going to have to strike early and get our kids believing," Foster said during his radio interview. "All week long we talked to them about the confidence factor. When that ball was kicked off we really felt as a staff that we needed to get in the ball game quickly and we were unable to and it just snowballed."
Despite being knocked out of the playoffs, this was the fourth consecutive trip to the 6A postseason for the Demons, which has become the expectation for the team every year.
The loss drops Dodge City to 5-5 overall on the season and will begin the offseason for the Demon players.
Key starters returning for Dodge include the double-headed attack of Taylor Murphy and Parker Davis and the targets for Murphy, Jordan Doan and Dakota Duckett.
On the defensive side of the ball, leading tackler Todd Middleton and corner Isaiah Bradshaw will graduate, leaving the defense with holes to fill come next season.
Regardless of how you read the box score, Dodge City was able to do things a lot of teams wish they could've been doing Friday night — and that is playing with a shot of making a run to the state title game.
Manhattan will move on next week to take on the winner of the Wichita Northwest and Derby contest.
