Manchester football

Aidan Lunn, gritty defense help Manchester seize first place in Class C South

Scott Stump|September 28, 2024|Last Updated September 30, 2024

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP – As Manchester senior quarterback Aidan Lunn absorbed the scene at the Hawks’ packed home field after a win over Barnegat on Friday night, he could only marvel at how far they’ve come during his career.

“It was awesome. The whole community showed out today,” Lunn said. “My brother used to play here, and I would come as a little 7-year-old running around. It was nothing like this.”

The Hawks are now on the precipice of history after Lunn finished with 216 total yards and two touchdowns and the Manchester defense bottled up a Barnegat team coming off three straight 40-point games in a 24-12 win that put them alone in first place in Class C South.

Manchester (4-1, 3-0) now controls its own destiny in a bid to win its first division title in the program’s 48-year history. The Hawks can clinch no worse than a tie for the title with a win over Lakewood on Oct. 12.

“It’s not official yet, but it’s looking pretty good for us winning the division,” senior linebacker Dante Mortellite said. “We knew Barnegat and Pinelands were going to be games where we had to show out, and we did our thing.”

“Manchester is playing in big games, and that’s what it’s all about,” head coach Tommy Farrell said. “We just want to bring excitement to this town and this community.”

The Hawks gave Farrell’s blood pressure a rest on Friday night by playing in front for the whole game. It marked the first time this season that Manchester wasn’t trailing heading into the fourth quarter.

A milestone for Aidan Lunn 

The defense set the tone from the outset by forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession of the game. Lunn then got things rolling immediately with an 18-yard strike to senior wideout M.J. Goins, who had three catches for 85 yards in the win. Lunn, who is already the school’s all-time leading passer, cracked 3,000 yards for his career with the throw to Goins.

“I was just worried about coming out here and getting the win, but I got the completion and I was like, ‘Oh, I forgot about that,’” he said.

Manchester made Barnegat pay for a roughing the passer penalty on third-and-16 by scoring two plays later. Lunn spun away from multiple tacklers and found Goins streaking down the sideline for a 36-yard touchdown catch with 2:59 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

 

“I saw someone and I spun, I saw someone else and I spun, and when I was rolling to the side, someone ran across my face and I cut back across. I don’t know how I did it,” Lunn said. “(Goins) is that type of receiver where if he’s in one-on-one coverage, give him a shot, and he’ll make the play.”

“Sometimes I get mad at him, but Aidan’s best plays are broken,” Farrell said. “I almost want him to be more of a pocket quarterback and go through his progressions, but if it works, it works. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Barnegat answered with a 9-play, 63-yard drive highlighted by a 30-yard pass on fourth-and-2 from junior quarterback Jack Haviland to senior wideout Stephen Griffin, who made the catch while falling backward. Two plays later, senior tailback Myquan Rush-Esdaile scored on a one-yard run, but the extra point was blocked to keep Manchester in front.

Manchester slows down the Barnegat rushing attack

Barnegat star linebacker Cole Toddings sacked Lunn twice to kill Manchester’s next drive, but the Hawks thwarted Barnegat when senior Avery Phillips picked off Haviland with only 53.3 seconds left in the half.

Manchester seized on the opportunity by driving 69 yards in eight plays to set up a 25-yard field goal by senior Ian Spicer as time expired for a 10-6 lead at the half. One big play was a 31-yard pass to Goins, who made a leaping catch on third-and-10 with a defender right on him, and then a 25-yard catch and run to the 8-yard line by senior wideout Dom Rekus.

Much of the storyline coming into the game involved whether Manchester’s defense could stop the Barnegat rushing attack of Rush-Esdaile and senior Johnnel Johnson. Rush-Esdaile finished with 107 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, but never was able to get free for any game-breaking runs, while Johnson was held to 10 yards on four carries.

“The wing told you where they were going,” Mortellite said. “You follow the wing, that’s where they’re going. Their running backs are really good at bouncing it out, but overall I think we stopped their run game for the most part.”

“We called out our defense the last two weeks,” Farrell said. “Our defense is trending up. (Barnegat) was  a two-headed monster, but whether it was No. 6 or 25, it was reading your keys. We were on the defense all week on Hudl. When you get tendencies, it lets you play a little freer.”

Manchester’s ground game shines 

It was actually Manchester’s rushing attack that was more formidable, outgaining the Bengals 193-108 on the ground. Lunn, who was 6-for-9 for 129 yards in the first half, didn’t even attempt a pass in the second half as the Hawks controlled the clock with the run game, only allowing Barnegat to get three possessions after the break. Lunn had 82 of his 87 yards in the second half to lead the way, and Phillips chipped in 61 yards after halftime.

Manchester opened the third quarter with a nine-play, 69-yard drive that featured a 37-yard run by Lunn on fourth-and-1, and four carries for 26 yards by Phillips. The senior running back capped the drive with a 1-yard run for a 17-6 lead with 4:47 left in the third quarter.

Barnegat answered with an eight-play, 58-yard drive that featured a 25-yard catch by Griffin and five carries for 37 yards by Rush-Esdaile before Johnson scored on a 3-yard run. The Hawks once again blocked the extra point, keeping the lead at 17-12 with 40.7 seconds left in the third quarter.

Manchester then put the game away with an eight-play, 63-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown run by Lunn on a bootleg for a 24-12 lead with 7:06 left in the game.

 

It added up to a victory that put Manchester right on the doorstep of school history. The Hawks were close to achieving their first division title last year but dropped a 35-33 barnburner to Keyport to come up just short. A senior-laden group is focused on not letting that opportunity slip through their hands again.

“This was big,” Lunn said. “Last year it was heartbreaking, that loss. Just coming away with this win, meaning we’re one game closer to getting that division (title) is awesome.”

“This whole season we have not said the word ‘championship,’” Farrell said. “We’ve said ‘win.’ I don’t want them to focus on the championship. I want them to take it play by play, series by series, and the process and results will take care of itself.”

What’s next for both teams?

Manchester has its tallest order of the season by far when it welcomes No. 2 Rumson-Fair Haven for a nondivisional game. Barnegat has a stiff challenge of its own when it travels to face unbeaten Central in a nondivisional game.

 

Box score

Manchester 24, Barnegat 12

 

.                                   M                   B

First downs               15                 15

Rushes-yards         31-193         29-108

Passing                     6-9-0           9-14-1

Passing yards           129              115

Fumbles-lost           0-0                3-0

Penalties                10-70             5-40

Barnegat (3-2, 2-1)            0   6   6  0 – 12

Manchester (4-1, 3-0)      7   3   7  7 – 24

Scoring summary

M: Goins 36-yard pass from Lunn (Spicer kick).

B: Rush-Esdaile 1-yard run (kick blocked).

M: Spicer 25-yard field goal.

M: Phillips 1-yard run (Spicer kick).

B: Johnson 3-yard run (kick blocked).

M: Lunn 12-yard run (Spicer kick).

Individual statistics

Rushing – M: Phillips 13-76, Pharmes 8-30, Lunn 10-87. B: Rush-Esdaile 16-107, Haviland 8-(-20), Johnson 4-10, Santero 1-11.

Passing – M: Lunn 6-9-0 129. B: Haviland 9-14-1 115.

Receiving – M: Goins 3-85, Phillips 1-14, Rekus 1-25, Smith 1-5. B: Griffin 2-55, Muhammad 2-15, Gonzalez 3-29, Toddings 2-16.

Interceptions – M: Phillips 1-17.

Scott Stump is an award-winning reporter, newsletter writer and editor who first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.  

Email: [email protected]

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