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ITS NOT just a game: The 129thmeeting of Male and Manual results in

the Crimsons keeping the barrel.BY RENEE GROULX ON OCTOBER 24, 2011 IN SPORTSThe Male-Manual game could never be described as just a

game. It has 129 years of history behind it. 129 years of transporting

the barrel back and forth; 129 years of school pride; 129 years of

passion and nostalgia. Calling it just a game removes all the

background that is essential to the story the endless hours of

decorating hallways, the days spent searching for the perfect

costume for Red/White week, the school pride, and then finally, the

game.This years game mirrored that energy. With multiple injuries

plaguing both teams, players were forced to play in different

positions, adding the leveling force that made the Male/Manual game

so close and intense.

The most notable switch was Mason Motley (10, #10) for varsity

quarterback Luis Thompson (12, #2). After Thompson dislocated his

kneecap and broke his ankle in the St. X/Manual game two weeks

ago, Motley was brought up from the junior varsity team to fill thevoid. I wasnt worried, said Coach Oliver Lucas. Mason is a sharp

kid and a gamer. He loves competition. We knew he could do a good

job and that even being our number two guy he could still support the

team.

Motley played some time for varsity when he finished the

second half of the St. X/Manual game after Thompson went out with

injuries, but some worried a sophomore quarterback wouldnt rise to

the challenge. Playing in the Male/Manual game I felt ready, said

Motley. I didnt expect it, but I felt ready. Once I got on the field,

practice kicked in. It felt great to help us keep the barrel.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Luis Thompson exchanged his

football pads and jersey to sport a wheel-chair and bandaged ankle.

It killed me not to be out there, said Thompson. It was my last

Male/Manual game and I wanted to finish my career with my brothers

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in this prestigious game. But the team needed Mason [Motley] to

manage the team and he led us and he did that. It was still a game

with or without me, but it would have been more special to me to

have been out there.

In Luis absence, all players had to step up their game.Defensive back Brian Hobbs (11, #5) had two interceptions, and

Dishan Romine (11, #18) had a 60-yard touchdown return to open the

second half.

Each one of those plays elicited a raucous outburst from the

Manual student section an entire section of Papa Johns stadium

that was a solid mass of screaming red. Among this crowd was

Meghamsh Kanuparthy (12), who watched a Manual football game

for the first time. I had just come from a quick recall tournamentwhere we had actually just beaten Male by something like 53 points,

said Kanuparthy. I sat in the front row and screamed until my voice

went out. It was everything I expected. It lived up to the hype, the

passion, the enthusiasm. And of course, the winning.

Coach Lucas said, I was proud of the team. The kids kept their

composure, even with all the injuries. I loved the ambiance of Papa

Johns Stadium. If we played there every year, I know the game

would only grow. And I loved that our crowd really rallied. We had a

bigger student section than Male, and we had the support of thefaculty. We proved again that we are Manual, we are excellence, and

we dont have to be second to anybody.

And as far as the Male/Manual rivalry, Coach Lucas said, That

barrel represents many years of history. You dont just win for the

team, you win for the community, for the current students, and for the

alumni and the history. Its a very high pinnacle.

Just goes to show, you cant call it just a game.