The Veritas Christian football team poses in front of the scoreboard after winning a quarterfinal matchup against Manhattan CHIEF.

Still basking in his team’s win — or perhaps with a smile frozen on his face in the windy, mid-40s conditions — Rick Evans was all too happy to pass off the credit.

Having just watched his squad finish off a 36-24 win over Manhattan CHIEF in the quarterfinals of the Kansas Christian Athletic Association state playoffs, the Veritas coach declined a postgame interview, instead saying offensive coordinator Dain Hammerschmidt deserved the spotlight for his gameplan.

As it were, that gameplan involved a heavy dose of the man standing three feet to Hammerschmidt’s left after the game.

“We got this guy the ball a lot,” Hammerschmidt said, gesturing to running back Trey Huslig. “That’s why we had the win today. Team effort, but this guy contributed big time.”

Huslig spent his day running all over Manhattan, though his biggest play might have been on defense — more on that in a second.

The junior tallied 219 rushing yards on 29 carries. He rushed for four touchdowns and picked up a hard-fought eight yards on the game’s final play, which gave Veritas a first down and allowed the team to bleed off the final remaining seconds.

“Just getting blocks and reading my lead blocker,” Huslig said of his performance. “Coaches get us ready all week. We work so hard on the practice field. It just happens here.”

He wasn’t the only one who made it “happen.”

Quarterback Quinton Donohoe had a modest night through the air, but he made his mark on the ground.

Donohoe rushed for a 65-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but it was called back on a penalty. Three plays later, he ran in from 40 yards out after avoiding four tackles and picking up a block from freshman Matthew Evans.

Still, Veritas needed to find ways to get stops.

In the third quarter, Manhattan had the ball with the chance to drive down the field and score a second-straight touchdown to take the lead. On second-and-long, junior Isaac Shipley got the handoff, but Huslig managed to make a first-down saving tackle.

The Eagles came up with a stop on third down and forced a punt on fourth. The other way, Donohoe threaded a deep pass to Huslig to set up a first-and-goal. Andrew Windheuser would pick up half the remaining yards on first down before Huslig punched it in for the score.

“Huge, huge,” Hammerschmidt said of Huslig’s defensive performance. “He’s one of the leading tacklers on the team, sets the edge. … He does an outstanding job. Great job. Big play.”

From that point on, it was all Veritas.

The Eagles scored the first 16 points of the second half, and the defense came to life.

On a key defensive series with a chance to clinch the game, junior Grant Schuck came up with a sack on first down. Freshman Carter Shaw broke into the backfield on second, allowing Jaylon Hitsman to come up with a tackle and then junior Aaron Evans and Schuck combined for a big third-down stop.

Manhattan would add a late score but the game was already out of reach. Veritas was off and celebrating, albeit not as much as their coaches would’ve liked.

As the Eagles crowded in front of the scoreboard for a postgame picture, Hammerschmidt noticed something and had to comment.

“Act like you guys just won a big game,” he playfully shouted, earning a roar from his team as the photo was snapped.

That scene — at least the one with the roar — was one they’ll hope to replicate in the semifinals, though after his monstrous first-round performance, Huslig wasn’t looking that far ahead.

“Just getting better every day,” Huslig said of his goals.

Hammerschmidt couldn’t help but smile — and agree: “That’s right.”

Veritas 36, Manhattan 24

MAN | VCA

First downs 15 | 17

Rushes-yards 52-220 | 38-291

Passing yards 12 | 43

Total offense 232 | 334

Fumbles-lost 1-0 | 2-1

Penalties-yards 2-6 | 1-2

Score by quarters

Manhattan 0 16 0 8 — 24

Veritas 14 6 8 8 — 36

Individual statistics

Rushing

MAN: Seth Hokanson 25-118 TD, Nathan McNellis 16-44 TD, Blane Fillmore 7-43, Isaac Shipley 3-8, Ryan Schrader 1-7.

VCA: Trey Huslig 29-219 4 TD, Quinton Donohoe 3-54 TD, Andrew Windheuser 6-18.

Passing

MAN: Seth Hokanson 2-2–12 TD, Nathan McNellis 0-2.

VCA: Quinton Donohoe 2-6–43.

Receiving

MAN: Nathan McNellis 2-12 TD.

VCA: Matthew Evans 1-11, Trey Huslig 1-32.

HOW THEY SCORED

First quarter

4:46 — Trey Huslig 10 run. Two-point run by Andrew Windheuser good. (VCA 8, MAN 0.)

1:07 — Quinton Donohoe 40 run. Two-point run by Windheuser no good. (VCA 14, MAN 0.)

Second quarter

8:07 — Seth Hokanson 2 run. Two-point run by Hokanson good. (VCA 14, MAN 8.)

2:39 — Huslig 43 run. Two-point run by Donohoe no good. (VCA 20, MAN 8.)

0:38 — Nathan McNellis 15 pass from Hokanson. Two-point run by Hokanson good. (VCA 20, MAN 16.)

Third quarter

4:37 — Huslig 2 run. Two-point run by Huslig good. (VCA 28, MAN 16.)

Fourth quarter

11:57 — Huslig 2 run. Two-point run by Huslig good. (VCA 36, MAN 16.)

6:32 — McNellis 2 run. Two-point run by McNellis good. (VCA 36, MAN 24)