After watching Manhattan High junior quarterback Ian Trapp run away from Free State’s defense for long touchdowns twice in the third quarter, turning a FSHS shutout into a tie game, the Firebirds reminded themselves of Friday night’s stakes.

A home win against the Indians meant a spot in the Class 6A playoffs. Correspondingly, the Free State defense got back to bottling up MHS runners and applying pressure in the backfield, and the Firebirds’ offense made critical plays late in a 31-14 victory.

“We didn’t want to be one of the few Free State teams that don’t make the playoffs,” happy senior outside linebacker Drew Tochtrop said after FSHS won its fifth straight game, “so I think that’s what motivated us the most.”

Trapp took off for touchdown runs of 38 and 62 yards exactly six minutes apart in the third quarter, forcing the Firebirds (5-3 overall, 2-0 district) to re-evaluate their level of focus.

“We were just out of position on those two,” Tochtrop said. “It was the same play, both touchdowns.”

In a tie game to start the fourth quarter, and facing a precarious second-and-14 from their own 35-yard line, the Firebirds began to swing momentum back toward their sideline with a 30-yard rush from senior quarterback Bryce Torneden. Two plays later, senior running back Sam Skwarlo ran left, saw a massive opening on the right side of the field, and bent his rush back the opposite direction for a 35-yard touchdown run, putting Manhattan (4-4, 0-2) back in a deficit less than a minute into the final quarter.

Manhattan’s next drive wouldn’t go nearly as well as its previous two. Junior FSHS linebacker Jay Dineen met Indians senior running back Jamel Richardson in the backfield for a five-yard loss to open the series. On third down, Trapp fumbled the ball on a carry and Free State senior Darian Lewis recovered it near midfield.

Those were the kind of plays Free State coach Bob Lisher expected from his defense, as opposed to what went down in the third quarter.

“It kind of turned into the Twilight Zone for a little bit. We just weren’t in the right dimension,” Lisher said. “We went back to what we did earlier (in the season), just getting out of position, not making the right reads. When we finally got our discipline back, they didn’t move the ball on us.”

The Firebirds capitalized on the late turnover, too, as Torneden’s powerful legs picked up consecutive first-down runs to get his team down near the goal line. On third-and-goal at the MHS six-yard line, Torneden rolled right, then threw a low pass near the front pylon, to keep the ball out of reach for the Indians’ defenders crowded into the short side of the field. Before the pass could get to the turf, junior running back Zion Bowlin swooped in to grab it and carry it across the goal line.

Torneden, who picked up his third passing TD of the night on the throw and also rushed for 154 yards, admitted it was a difficult play for both he and Bowlin, and it was a new wrinkle they had worked on all week at practices.

“The whole game we were rolling out and we’d have our back just blocking,” Torneden said. “I think we kind of shocked them when he went out for a pass.”

It also helped that Torneden had connected all night with receivers, especially junior Zack Sanders, who hauled in four receptions for 50 yards and a score.

Lisher called the play of Bowlin, who also came up with a 38-yard reception that set up a late 34-yard field goal from freshman Kameron Lake, “outstanding.” The coach left the field pleased with Torneden’s decision-making in the second half, as well.

“But I felt like we should have been playing like that the entire game and we just couldn’t get it rolling,” Lisher said, “both offensively and defensively.”

Free State shut out Manhattan in the first, second and fourth quarters, and made two crucial goal-to-go stops on defense in the first half. But Tochtrop agreed the Firebirds could’ve done better.

“I think we have one of the best defenses in the state as long as we just play the whole game,” he said.

FSHS plays host to undefeated Topeka on Friday. The winner will earn the district championship.

MAN FS

First downs 15 18

Rushes-yards 42-221 41-202

Passing yards 91 129

Total offense 312 331

Return yards 71 64

Fumbles-lost 2-2 0-0

Penalties-yards 2-12 5-30

Score by quarters

Manhattan 0 0 14 0 — 14

Free State 0 14 0 17 — 31

Individual statistics

Rushing

Manhattan: Ian Trapp 24-159 2 TDs, Jamel Richardson 16-55, Blake Wewer 1-4, Jon Chen 1-3.

Free State: Bryce Torneden 23-154, Sam Skwarlo 15-54 TD, Zion Bowlin 1-minus-4, Team 2-minus-2.

Passing

Manhattan: Trapp 10-16-91, interception.

Free State: Torneden 9-13-129, 3 TDs.

Receiving

Manhattan: A.J. Pablo 3-60, Tariq Gerald, 2-14, Reece Kohn 1-8, Chen 2-5, Johnathan Taylor 1-3, Wewer 1-1.

Free State: Zack Sanders 4-50 TD, Bowlin 3-55 TD, Logan McKinney 1-3, Jack Flynn 1-11 TD.

HOW THEY SCORED

Second quarter

9:49 — Zack Sanders 23 pass from Bryce Torneden. Kameron Lake kick. (FSHS 7, Manh. 0.)

5:27 — Jack Flynn 11 pass from Torneden. Lake kick. (FSHS 14, Manh. 0.)

Third quarter

8:14 — Ian Trapp 38 run. Andrew Scott kick. (FSHS 14, Manh. 7.)

2:14 — Trapp 62 run. Scott kick. (FSHS 14, Manh. 14.)

Fourth quarter

11:34 — Sam Skwarlo 35 run. Lake kick. (FSHS 21, Manh. 14.)

7:51 — Zion Bowlin 6 pass from Torneden. Lake kick. (FSHS 28, Manh. 14.)

5:40 — Lake 34 field goal. (FSHS 31, Manh. 14.)