Hardy, Central Stun Manchester

It would be easy to sum up Central’s victory over Manchester on Friday night with Kalyph Hardy’s stat line: 22 carries, 219 yards, three touchdowns.

But that would hardly do justice to Hardy’s effort, or to the game for that matter, as Central Regional overcame a three-touchdown deficit to edge Manchester, 21-20, in a Shore Conference Class B South match-up on Friday night at Joseph J. Boyd Memorial Stadium. With the victory, Central (4-1, 3-1) moved a step closer to its first division crown since 1994.

The Golden Eagles’ senior running back, who is the state’s leading rusher, scored an 8-yard touchdown with 32 seconds left, and Austin DeRose’s successful point after kick sent the Central sidelines and faithful into a frenzy.

And while that drive – in which Central marched the ball 75 yards in just over two minutes, with Hardy carrying the ball on all but one down – gave Central the victory, the touchdown that may have been the turning point was Hardy’s score six minutes earlier.

With 8:25 left in the game and Central starting a drive at Manchester’s 43, Hardy lined up behind his cousin, Javon. Javon Hardy took the snap but the handoff to Kalyph Hardy wasn’t clean, and caused Kalyph Hardy to delay slightly as he settled the ball in his arms before taking off. He tried to go right, cut back to the left, and through sheer will pulled away from would-be Manchester tacklers, including one who came very close to pulling him down short of the goal-line.

It was a touchdown built on one young man’s desire to win. And it was even more spectacular given the fact he sat out of practice all week with a groin injury.

“That’s making something out of nothing,” one of his teammates shouted on from the sidelines.

“At halftime, Kalyph told us, ‘Give me the ball, I’ll win it for us,’ “ Central head coach Vinnie Casale said. “I never doubt Kalyph for a second.”

As easy as it would be to attribute the victory to Hardy’s running alone, the Central defensive effort was just as important. After letting Manchester’s Joe Johnson run seemingly at will in the first 18 minutes of the game as Manchester (2-3, 1-3) took a 20-0 lead, the Central defense closed ranks and shut him down.

The linebacking corps of Blake Jambor, Ernie Ropas, Jon Azaceta and Kalyph Hardy eliminated the lanes Johnson – who rushed for 214 yards – and Manchester quarterback Tim Rogers had been exploiting.

Ropas in particular was a menace, especially late in the game, short-circuiting a Manchester screen pass on third-and-5 from the Hawks’ 30 that forced the punt that preceded Hardy’s second touchdown, and stopping Johnson on consecutive plays on a Manchester fourth-quarter drive that reached the Central 20 before stalling.

“Ernie Ropas became a man tonight,” Casale said.

“We never give up,” Ropas said. “When the offense had the ball with less than a minute left, we knew we were going to do it.”

“They (Manchester) came out with a different style than we expected,” Kalyph Hardy said, but the coaching staff made the adjustments to respond.

Central also eliminated the mistakes it had been making early in the game, where the Golden Eagles were twice intercepted and lost the ball on an onsides kick following a Manchester touchdown. That allowed Rogers to throw for his second touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Manchester made its share of mistakes as well, with two touchdowns called back due to penalties. The Hawks also were hurt by the absence of placekicker Tom Sokol, as they were unable to convert a point-after kick on Rogers’ first touchdown and opted for conversion plays on the second and third scores, but only one succeeded.

“I feel bad for our kids,” Manchester head coach Gerry O’Donnell said. “If we had converted both of those, it would have made the difference.

“We know who Kalyph Hardy is, and he’s who he is for a reason,” O’Donnell said. “These were two very good teams, and two very good running backs. Their running back just made one more play.”

And it was Kalyph Hardy who made the final play to seal it, intercepting Rogers at Central’s 30 to end the game and set off the final celebration.

“I’m proud of the boys. They worked their butts off,” Casale said.

Next up is rival Lacey, with the division crown in the balance. The hard work continues.