Manchester rallies for first NJSIAA playoff win in program history on Ian Spicer’s field goal in the final seconds

MANCHESTER — This fall has been a season of firsts for the Manchester Township High School football team. What the Hawks accomplished on Friday night took their historic year into the stratosphere.

Trailing by two points with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter and the ball inside its own 15-yard line, senior quarterback Aidan Lunn led Manchester into field goal range and senior Ian Spicer did the rest by drilling a 37-yard field goal with 2.7 seconds left in the game to lift the Hawks to a dramatic 30-29 victory over West Deptford for the first state playoff win in program history.

Last week, Manchester won its first outright division title and secured the first home playoff game in program history. In just their third playoff appearance all time, the Hawks delivered an unforgettable ending to advance to the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 semifinals and continue the best season in program history.

“Making a game-winning field goal is any kicker’s dream and to do it for our first playoff win ever is just amazing,” Spicer said. “I was definitely nervous because the game is coming down to me but my coach on the sideline said it’s in God’s hands now, so I sent up a prayer real quick, and God pulled through.”

“No one gives up on this team, everyone keeps fighting,” Lunn said. “We had to go 90 yards in two minutes and nobody put their head down. We just kept working and then, Ian Spicer, best kicker in the Shore Conference.”

Lunn completed 7 of 11 passes for 198 yards and ran for 51 yards and two touchdowns, while senior running back Avery Phillips ran for 42 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 90 yards. Senior wide receiver Dom Rekus had two huge catches for 64 yards and senior wideout MJ Goins made his only reception count with a massive 44-yard catch on the game-winning drive.

The Hawks will travel to face No. 2 seed Point Boro (8-2) in the sectional semifinals next Friday night.

 

The Drive

“Just get me to the 30.”

That was Spicer’s message to head coach Tommy Farrell before Manchester’s offense took the field with 87 yards of open field ahead down 29-27 with just over two minutes on the clock. It was a bold statement by a high school kicker, but it wasn’t bombastic.

“He was kicking 48-yarders in pregame and I felt really good if we got the ball to the 25 and were on the right hash,” Farrell said. “You couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

The heavy lifting of getting into field goal range was done on the first play when the offensive line gave Lunn time and Goins, the team’s leading receiver, got a step on the West Deptford defensive back. Lunn slid to his left and dropped in a perfect pass over two defenders and into Goins’ arms for a 44-yard gain to the Eagles’ 43-yard line.

A 7-yard run by Phillips brought up second-and-short, but a holding penalty pushed Manchester back to face a second-and-13. Lunn scrambled for 11 yards on second down, then ran for 10 more on third down to move the chains and put the ball at the West Deptford 25-yard line. The offense raced to the line of scrimmage to get set and Lunn spiked the ball to stop the clock with under 20 seconds to play. On second down, Lunn scrambled for a five-yard gain and Farrell called timeout with 9.7 seconds remaining.

“Right after the first play when I hit MJ on the post I knew we just needed about 20 more yards and Ian Spicer can make this kick,” Lunn said. “I was telling coach that they were in a 3-man front and it was wide open, so I’m going to get some yards on a run and then Ian will make the field goal, and that’s what happened.”

Rather than run another play, Farrell elected to attempt the go-ahead field goal on third down. Spicer exhaled and took the field for the biggest kick of his life. The snap by senior Anthony D’Antonio was on the money and the hold by Lunn was clean. Spicer swept his right leg and struck the ball as true as ever, splitting the uprights with plenty of distance to spare to give Manchester a 30-29 lead with 2.7 seconds on the clock. It was pandemonium.

“As soon as I made contact with the ball, I knew it,” Spicer said. “I was jumping up and down and screaming.”

“I put the snap down, looked up and saw it going right down the middle,” Lunn said. “I immediately grabbed the tee and started jumping in the air. It’s amazing. I don’t even know what to say.”

Spicer’s performance throughout the game epitomized Manchester’s do-what-it-takes attitude. He began the game wearing jersey No. 4 and playing outside linebacker in addition to handling the kicking duties. When senior offensive lineman Jaeshon Smith went down with an injury in the second quarter, Spicer quickly swapped jerseys to No. 55 so he could step in and play right guard.

“Ian Spicer is a special kid,” Farrell said. “He trains for moments like these. That kick was good from 50.”

 

Act 1

West Deptford opened the game with a 9-play, 72-yard scoring drive to take a quick 7-0 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior running back Bryce Wright. The standout playmaker didn’t play when Manchester and West Deptford met in Week 0 at the season-opening Battle at the Beach (a 26-21 Manchester win) because he had to sit out the first four games after transferring from Penns Grove. His presence was an X-factor for the Hawks and they didn’t have an answer early when Wright ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on four carries to open the game.

Manchester responded on a drive that began late in the first quarter and started at the Hawks’ 16-yard line. A 20-yard catch and run by Phillips on 3rd-and-9 moved the ball into West Deptford territory and a 12-yard gain by Phillips on a throwback screen pushed the Hawks closer. Later on the drive, Phillips had a 15-yard reception followed by a 12-yard run, and Lunn capped the 14-play, 84-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, tying the score 7-7 with 5:06 left in the first half.

The Eagles answered with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that took up nearly all the remaining time to take a 13-7 halftime lead. Their Delaware Wing-T rushing attack featured Wright, sophomore Zamir Davis, sophomore Cole Paskiewicz and junior Bryce Wynn, and steadily moved the ball down the field with the assistance of two Manchester penalties.

West Deptford converted a 4th-and-6 from the 17-yard line when junior quarterback Isaiah Brunner hit sophomore wide receiver Michael Joseph for seven yards, and two plays later on 2nd-and-goal, Brunner connected with Paskiewicz for a 15-yard touchdown with 6.3 seconds left in the half. West Deptford decided to go for the 2-point conversion, but the pass was incomplete.

 

The Hawks Dig Deep

Manchester came out on fire in the second half and needed just three plays to take the lead. West Deptford used a squib kick to begin the third quarter and Manchester began a drive at its own 43-yard line. After a short gain by Lunn on first down, he fired a pass downfield to Rekus for a 32-yard gain. On the next play, Phillips spun out of a tackle and then muscled his way through three defenders for a 13-yard touchdown run. Spicer added the extra point for a 14-13 lead.

West Deptford came right back with a quick scoring drive of its own to take a 21-14 lead. Two runs by Wright brought up 3rd-and-short, where Paskiewicz busted loose for a 53-yard touchdown run and then ran for the 2-point conversion.

Unfazed, the Hawks punched back to tie the score at 21. Another squib kick and solid return gave Manchester excellent field position at the West Deptford 43-yard line. Phillips had four carries on the 5-play drive, beginning with a 17-yard run and concluding with a 9-yard touchdown run where he took an inside handoff, kept his balance through a tackle attempt and powered over defenders at the goal line.

Manchester forced a punt on West Deptford’s next series and got the ball back at its own 24-yard line early in the fourth quarter. On second down, the Hawks tried a trick play on a double pass, but the Eagles pressured the throw and forced a wobbler that was intercepted by Davis and returned to the Manchester 20-yard line. Two plays later, Davis scored from 14 yards out and then ran in the 2-point conversion for a 29-21 West Deptford lead.

Once again, Manchester had an answer. After being sacked on first and second downs, Lunn completed a pass to Rekus for a clutch 22-yard gain on 3rd-and-15. Two plays later, he scrambled back and forth to buy time and then found Phillips for a 43-yard catch and run down to the 2-yard line. Lunn then scored on 1st-and-goal to draw Manchester within two points. The Hawks had to go for the 2-point conversion, but Lunn’s pass intended for Rekus was intercepted by Paskiewicz to preserve West Deptford’s 29-27 lead.

“No. 12 is special,” Farrell said of Lunn. “When you have 12 on the field anything is possible. Those kind of plays are probably the reason I have an ulcer, but he’s special. There’s no words to describe how much Aidan Lunn means to this program and this community.”

There was still enough time with 6:17 left but Manchester’s defense had to get a stop. West Deptford moved across midfield but then hit trouble when a high pitch on a toss resulted in a 2-yard loss, and a penalty for illegal substitution turned a 3rd-and-7 into a 3rd-and-12. Manchester forced a punt to get the ball back and set up the dramatic finish.

“It shows we’re a special group and that we fight until the very last play,” Spicer said. “We’re never going to stop playing. I said to the rest of the seniors, this isn’t going to be our last game. We’re not losing tonight.”

 

The Dream Season Continues

Manchester has now won its first outright division title in program history, hosted the program’s first home state playoff game and earned the first NJSIAA Tournament win. Their prize is a trip to Al Saner Field to face Point Boro, the No. 2 seed and the No. 3 team in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12. The Panthers beat Gloucester City 41-13 in the first round.

It will be as challenging an opponent as they’ve faced this season, including a 42-7 loss to No. 2 Rumson-Fair Haven. The Panthers’ triple-option rushing attack has been unstoppable and is averaging 35.7 points per game. Point Boro finished second in the powerful Class A South division behind top-ranked Toms River North, a team it took to the wire in a 24-21 loss during the regular season.

Manchester’s attention will soon turn to Point Boro, but for now, this team and this community will celebrate a victory they’ve waited for since 1976.

“The Manchester community is built for hard situations, it’s built for adversity,” Farrell said. “It’s a blue-collar community that looks adversity in the face every day and walks through it with their head up high.”

“This was a complete team effort, it was a community effort, and I could not be more proud to be their head coach. It’s an absolute honor.”