Manhattan hoists football state championship after beating Olathe Northwest
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Manhattan captured the Class 6A state championship, blanking Olathe NW 20-0.
- Finn Watson rushed for 132 yards and connected with JJ Dunnigan on two long TDs.
- Manhattan dominated the line, rushed 280 yards and finished with a 15-play drive.
For the second time in four years, the Manhattan High School football team departed Emporia with the Class 6A state championship trophy.
Manhattan quarterback Finn Watson rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two touchdown as the Indians blanked Olathe Northwest 20-0 at Emporia State’s Welch Stadium on Saturday afternoon, claiming the program’s first state title since 2022.
Manhattan (11-2 this season) lost last year’s title game 36-33 to Gardner Edgerton.
“Every time you get to this game it’s special, and this one means a lot,” Manhattan coach Joe Schartz said. “You got to get that experience and then it becomes an expectation to get here every season.”
This year’s title tilt was no nailbiter. Manhattan held off Olathe Northwest’s opening drive with an interception. Worse for the Ravens, quarterback Brody Comfort sustained injury on the play and returned only sparingly.
Manhattan controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage, racking up 280 rushing yards while allowing 9-4 Olathe Northwest — appearing in its first state-title football game — to run for just 49 and accumulate only 132 overall.
Watson opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Along with having a hand in every Manhattan TD Saturday, the senior QB led all rushers with 132 yards.
Watson’s touchdown pass not long after, to senior JJ Dunnigan, covered 68 yards and made it 14-0 at halftime. The duo hooked up again for a 50-yard touchdown strike after the break; Dunnigan would finish with a game-high 111 receiving yards on a mere three receptions.
Dunnigan, who will next play safety for the Miami Hurricanes, and other members of the MHS senior class are proud of their four-year run at Manhattan.
“Our freshman year we won it (all) and saw what we’re capable of,” Dunnigan said. “And last year we lost, and that really lit a fire under us. So we came together for this one.
“I think we’re a dynasty now. We come back almost every year and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Olathe Northwest mounted a threat to start the fourth quarter. But the Ravens couldn’t convert a needed fourth-and-4 from the Manhattan 16-yard line.
Manhattan (11-2) nearly ran out the clock on its final possession with a 15-play, 84-yard drive. The march chewed up 9 minutes, 52 seconds, and Watson capped it with a six-yard keeper, his final TD of the day.
Kansas football state championship games
CLASS 6A
Saturday, in Emporia; at Welch Stadium
Manhattan 27, Olathe Northwest 0
CLASS 5A
Friday, in Emporia; at Welch Stadium
Salina Central 51, Basehor-Linwood 34
CLASS 4A
Saturday, in Emporia; at Welch Stadium
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 56, Bishop Miege 21
CLASS 3A
Friday, at Hutchinson Community College
Andale 38, Topeka Hayden 6
CLASS 2A
Saturday, at Hutchinson Community College
Nemaha Central 35, Southeast of Saline 6
CLASS 1A
Friday, at Hutchinson Community College
Sterling 35, Rossville 34
CLASS 8-PLAYER DIVISION I
Saturday, in Greensburg; at Kiowa County HS Stadium
South Central 34, Lincoln 8
CLASS 8-PLAYER DIVISION II
Saturday, in Greensburg; at Kiowa County HS Stadium
Hanover 28, Victoria 20
CLASS 6-PLAYER
Saturday, in Greensburg; at Kiowa County HS Stadium
Cunningham 51, Weskan 8