Manteno dominates second half to beat St. Bede 41-14 in Class 3A first-round game
Mark Chen is a seasoned sports journalist with a degree from the University of Chicago and over 6 years of experience covering club sports and recreational activities in the Naperville area. Prior to joining Naperville Current, he wrote for the Naperville Sun, where he leveraged his strong relationships with coaches and athletes.
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After a tight first half between No. 8-seeded St. Bede and No. 9 Manteno, the Panthers turned into a 41-14 rout in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs Friday in Peru.The theme of the second half for the Panthers was breaking tackles and Logan Bufford broke several as he broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run that extended the lead to 22-8.“We definitely broke a lot of tackles tonight against a good St. Bede team,” Manteno coach RJ Haines said. “Our guys run really hard with the ball in their hands and are just a physical group.”Things got worse for the Bruins as the very next play resulted in an interception by Jeremiah Alexander.Then on third-and-20 for the Panthers, Bufford found a wide open Thomas Doyle for a 47-yard gain down the sideline.Another third-and-short saw Bufford keep the ball and rumble for 14 yards to set up a 4-yard touchdown run from Doyle on a sweep that made it 28-7.The Bruins struck back quickly on their next drive as Stuart McGunnigal ran for 8 yards on thir