3 observations: Manual football shuts out Ballard to win battle of unbeatens

Manual linebacker Miles Rhodes had a lot on his mind when he jumped a screen pass with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Friday night against Ballard.

"I was thinking about (assistant) coach (Erik) Dandy," Rhodes told the Courier Journal. "He always talks about in practice — I used to always drop interceptions in practice — he said, 'Son, you want to get on the news?' And I was like, 'Yes, sir.' So that was just going through my head. I want to be on the news."

Sure enough, Rhodes got his wish. The senior snatched the ball out of the air and proceeded to run 26 yards untouched to the house to put an exclamation mark on the Crimsons' 21-0 victory over the Bruins in a battle of unbeaten teams at Manual Stadium.

Rhodes' pick-6 was the second touchdown of his high school career — the first coming in Manual's 47-14 win against Ballard in 2021 — and served as a fitting end to Friday night's defensive battle. Ranked third in Class 6A, the Crimsons improved to 6-0 with their 10th consecutive victory against the No. 2 Bruins, who fell to 5-1 with the loss.

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"We put in the work all week," Rhodes said, "so it just paid off."

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Ballard's botched snap looms large

Both Manual and Ballard's defenses came to play Friday night. With less than three minutes to go in the second quarter, the game appeared to be headed to a 0-0 tie at halftime.

The Crimsons caught a break, however, when Ballard's long snapper sent a ball soaring over his punter's head. Manual's offense took over on the Bruins' 15-yard line, and junior running back Zah’Ron "Zeek" Washburn punched in the game's first touchdown from about 5 yards out with 43 seconds until the intermission.

That first score was a big one, because the Crimsons weren't able to find the end zone again until Washburn crossed the goal line for a second time with 6:44 to play in the fourth quarter. With the slightest of cushions, coach Donnie Stoner's team proceeded to milk the clock for most of the second half until it broke the game open late.

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In 'Zeek' Manual trusts

Another Friday night, another stellar performance for Washburn running behind Manual's offensive line.

The 5-foot-11, 182-pound tailback amassed the bulk of the Crimsons' 129 rushing yards against a Ballard defense that entered the evening allowing an average of 67 yards on the ground per game.

"We're always gonna ride the train in with 'Zeek' running the football," Stoner said. "When nothing else is working, we're gonna give the ball to Z."

Washburn iced the game with his second touchdown run, this one from 37 yards out, with less than seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Stoner was the first person to greet the tailback on the sideline after the score, and the two shared a hug.

"Coach Stoner, he's like a father to me," Washburn said. "Our bond's like real tough, so every time I score, it's like he scores. Like, he feels it through him."

A rough night for Ballard's offense

To bounce back from his team's first loss of the season, Ballard head coach Adrian Morton said he plans to start with the basics.

"Getting first downs," Morton said. "We've gotta do a better job at it."

The Bruins' offense entered Friday's game averaging 32 points per contest but were shut out and held to 54 total yards by a stout Manual defense. As Morton walked off the field, he pointed out an alarming trend.

"In two big games, against Manual and Male, we haven't scored any offensive touchdowns, and that's frustrating," he said. "Our defense is playing lights out, but our offense has got to help them."

Ballard threatened early on two first-quarter drives that were kept alive when the Crimsons were penalized. The Bruins got within striking distances both times but had only two missed field goals to show for their efforts.

The second half was more bleak, with Manual's defense putting its foot down to keep its shutout alive — and scoring a touchdown to boot. Ballard finished the game 1 for 14 on third-down conversions and surrendered four sacks.

"I thought we had a good week of practice," Morton said. "We just didn't come out and execute tonight. That's just the bottom line. Offensively, we didn't move the ball well enough, and it showed — it came back and bit us in the tail."

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What’s next

Ballard has a bye week before traveling to Trinity on Oct. 7.

Manual will also take next week off before hitting the road Oct. 7 to face St. Xavier.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: Manual shuts out Ballard, wins battle of unbeatens