Manteno's 41-14 victory over St. Bede marks end to 8-3 season

Manteno outscored St. Bede 33-6 in the second half to win 41-14 in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs on Friday in Peru. The result ends the season for the No. 8-seeded Bruins, who finish with a 7-3 record, while the No. 9-seeded Panthers, now 8-3, advance to the next round.

The game started close. St. Bede tied the score early after a drive that included a 19-yard screen pass to Landon Marquez and a 1-yard run by Brennen Hirst. The Bruins converted a two-point try to make it 8-8. However, the momentum shifted when St. Bede’s offense stalled on a punt, followed by a blocked punt by Manteno that set up the Panthers at the 25-yard line.

Manteno capitalized on the blocked punt immediately. Quarterback Logan Bufford threw a touchdown pass to Briggs Cann on the first play of that drive, giving the Panthers a 16-8 lead. The lead extended further in the second quarter when Bufford broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run, putting Manteno up 22-8. St. Bede coach Jack Brady noted that the Bruins kept fighting all night despite the deficit.

The second half was defined by St. Bede’s missed tackles. Manteno coach RJ Haines said his team ran hard with the ball, and the physicality showed in the yardage gained after contact. On one drive, Jeremiah Alexander intercepted a St. Bede pass. Later in the drive, Thomas Doyle broke free for runs of 13 and 15 yards. Doyle also scored on a 4-yard sweep to make the score 28-7. St. Bede responded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Stuart McGunnigal to Niko Pappas, cutting the deficit to 14 points.

The scoring continued in the fourth quarter. After a dropped pass on fourth down led to a turnover on downs for St. Bede, Bufford slipped through the defense for a 20-yard touchdown run. That score set the final margin at 41-14. Brady acknowledged that several wide open plays were dropped or missed, which changed the outcome of the game.

Bufford finished with 197 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with three rushing scores. Hirst rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown for St. Bede. McGunnigal completed 15 of 32 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown.

Manteno will play the winner of the Class 3A game between No. 1 Richmond-Burton and No. 17 Princeton on Saturday. Richmond-Burton holds a 9-0 record, while Princeton is 5-5.

The game took place at Peru High School. The final score was 41-14. The Panthers led for the majority of the second half following Bufford’s 44-yard run. The Bruin defense forced a turnover on downs in the first half, but the offense could not sustain drives in the second half against the Manteno front seven.