Manry Family

 

The BBQ Bowl has become a feature at the annual get-together at Papa Manry’s where he serves mounds of grilled chicken and ribs with his father’s signature sauce.  This years’ much anticipated matchup has been hyped early in the preceding weeks, especially by Daniel, who frequently reminded Paul of his touchdown run in the final minute of last years' contest.  The DLC Kids team has been busy in the off-season, adding rookie Connor Manry (3) to their ranks, who has since been touted by Daniel as the teams’ new secret weapon.  Unfortunately for the Daddys, the hype proved to be the reality as Connor scored the first touchdown for DLC Kids on a fourth down play on the games’ opening drive.  A true north-south runner, Connor surprised the Daddys who were more accustomed to the cut-and-slash running of Daniel and Luke.  The Daddys’ offense stalled on their first drive and they gave up the ball on downs.  Their Fun-and-Gun offensive scheme initially produced a lot of show with  multiple handoffs and laterals, but no points as they constantly seemed to outwit even themselves.

Connor scored his second touchdown of the day on a sprint down the sideline after he was sprung by the downfield blocking of Daniel and Luke, who frequently taunted the Daddys long after plays were over.  Down 14-0, The Daddys looked to be on the verge of closing the gap when they returned the kickoff down the field with a series of tricky lateral passes.  But Mark made one too many and was picked off by Papa when he tipped the ball to himself at midfield.  The Daddys stopped the DLC Kids on downs following the turnover.  Paul finally put the Daddys on the board with a sneaky reverse play.  The DLC Kids didn’t relent.  On their next drive, each running back took turns rushing the ball with their unique style.  But the Daddys smart defense made a key stop on third down, tagging Luke on the one yard line after it appeared he had slipped by.

The Play of the Game occurred on the subsequent forth down when the DLC Kids decided to go for it.  In a surprise move, Papa lined up to hike the ball to Daniel who was positioned in the Quarterback slot.  After a quick snap, Papa clobbered Mark and Paul at the line with a double pancake block, allowing Daniel to walk into the end zone for the go ahead score making it 21-7, DLC Kids.  The Daddys answered quickly on next drive when Paul caught a pass in the middle and flipped a lateral to Mark who ran down the sideline for the score to make it 21-14.  But on their next drive, the DLC Kids ran out the clock on the Daddys’ plans to take home the BBQ Bowl trophy.  “When you play a team like that, with lots of short and shifty players, you can’t make any mistakes,” said Paul Manry of the Daddys.  “You have to move on and try to look forward to the next time.  We left our hearts on the field out there today and we’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.  We’ll get another chance."

Photo Journal Coverage can be found at: http://manryfamily.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=43&catid=6&PageNo=5