Texas football commit Arch Manning compliments great Many atmosphere despite Newman's loss
MANY – An electric atmosphere reminiscent of a major college football game encapsulated the small town of Many Friday night. The game featured two of the top high school football programs showcasing two of the top recruits in the country.
More than 5,000 packed into Many’s 3,000-seat stadium was treated to Texas commit Arch Manning, the country’s top quarterback recruit facing Tackett Curtis, the country’s sixth-best linebacker and a USC commit. As expected, the defensive-minded Tigers won a close one 25-17 thanks to keeping Manning, the Texas commitment, largely in check throughout the contest.
“It’s fun having these games far away. There were a bunch of people here to see us, so it was a fun atmosphere,” said Manning, grandson of former NFL standout Archie Manning, who attended the game. “They have a bunch of good players and they’re well-coached. We all came out flat off the 5-hour bus ride. We got it together a little bit, but not enough to get it done tonight.”
Under constant duress from the Many defense, Manning missed on his first 10 passes before making a pair of TD connections to keep his team in contention. His last-ditch effort with under two minutes remaining came up short. Still, Newman coach Nelson Stewart was pleased with his star’s effort. He completed 8 of 20 passes for 90 yards.
“Arch really played well. He got the ball out vertically, we just couldn’t win some of those one-on-one matches,” Stewart said. “He was the reason we were in the game. But Tackett was awesome. I really believe that. He’s usually unaccounted for, which makes it tough.”
Jimmy Watson covers Shreveport-Bossier area sports. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Arch Manning high school football: Texas commit's Newman falls to Many
