WICHITA – As a transfer in his second season with Wichita Northwest, Augie Fast’s personal count against Manhattan was only at two.
 
But the Indians had defeated Northwest five times over the last three seasons, including a pair of Class 6A playoff victories.
 
That kind of one-sidedness can leave a mark.
 
“You can say it hasn’t been in your head, but of course it has been,” Fast said. “You lose to a team a lot and it starts to play with your head if you’re a competitor.”
 
The Grizzlies entered Friday’s homecoming matchup with Manhattan with a higher ranking, and left feeling like a nemesis no longer had their number. Fast, a senior running back, did his part with 15 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns in Northwest’s 40-13 victory.
 

While explosive offense is typically a calling card for the second-ranked Grizzlies, Northwest’s defense basked in the spotlight, as well. Senior middle linebacker Ja’Mari Bland had two pivotal interceptions and a fumble recovery, and junior Cordale Johnson – who, like Fast, transferred to Northwest from Maize – matched Bland’s third-quarter pick six with one of his own in the fourth.
 
“It just feels good, you know,” said Bland, who also halted Manhattan’s opening drive by intercepting Manhattan quarterback Finn Watson’s slant pass near the goal line. “Those losses are past years, but to finally get one on them feels pretty great.”
 
Manhattan, last year’s 6A runner-up, continued a season-long trend of playing at less than full strength. After missing nine starters in last week’s 41-6 victory at Emporia, the Indians’ group of players in street clothes Friday included Kansas commit JJ Dunnigan and his senior defensive back cohort Nisbyc Johnson.
 
On the field, the Indians’ bigger problem was turnovers. Manhattan, which committed six in a 28-14 loss to Junction City two weeks ago, had four on Friday.
 
“We just have to protect the ball a lot better, especially in big games,” Manhattan coach Joe Schartz said. “That’s been the recipe for our demise in both losses. But it goes all the way around. Defensively, we had our opportunities to make some stops, and we’re going to need to tackle better.”
 
The speedy Fast made that difficult. He broke loose for 36 yards on his first carry, a play that set up senior Johnmichael Fountain’s 14-yard touchdown run to give Northwest a 7-0 lead. A year ago, Manhattan held Fast to 40 yards on 15 attempts and forced him to fumble in its 38-17 regular-season victory.
 

“He was extremely hungry,” Northwest coach Steve Martin said. “After watching that film from last year, I felt like I did a bad job of not getting him the ball in rhythm. Tonight, we were going to make sure we got Augie into a rhythm and we were going to supplement that with Johnmichael and our freshman Zy’Air (Burton).”
 
With Fast breaking long runs and Northwest’s defense scoring two touchdowns, the Grizzlies ran just 39 plays to Manhattan’s 66. Bland’s first interception left the Indians empty on a 14-play drive, but Manhattan was able to tie the score at 7 early in the second quarter on a 58-yard dash by junior Joe Mortenson.
 
Northwest regained the lead for good later in the quarter. After quarterback Jaylen Mason pinned the Indians at their own 1 with a 45-yard punt, the Grizzlies got the ball back in Manhattan territory. Fast went untouched on a 29-yard touchdown run that put Northwest up 14-7 with 5:31 to play in the first half.
 
The Indians pulled within 14-10 before the break on the first of Prescott Balderson’s two field goals, a 25-yarder that capped a 12-play march. Manhattan tried to keep the momentum going with a fake punt near midfield on its opening drive of the second half, but the Grizzlies tackled junior Max Evans-Pryor one yard shy of a first down.
 

That play didn’t hurt Manhattan, but its first snap on its next possession did. Finn’s pass over the middle went right to Bland, who sprinted 17 yards into the end zone to make it 21-10.
 
“The first one, I saw he was kind of throwing it low so I knew I was going to have to get into my drop a little quicker,” Bland said. “And it came right to me.
 
“The second one, I didn’t even see it coming. I couldn’t see him because there was a lineman right there. Then I saw the ball, got it, saw the gap and took it.”
 
While Manhattan answered with a 35-yard field goal from Balderson, Northwest had started to find its groove. Fast’s 49-yard touchdown run sent the Grizzlies to the fourth quarter with a 27-13 lead.
 
After the Indians went three-and-out on their next possession, Fast delivered a dagger, capping a seven-play drive with a 40-yard scoring run that put him within reach of his first 200-yard rushing game this season after posting four a year ago. He got it with a 6-yard run on the Grizzlies’ final possession.
 
“The guys we have make me better,” Fast said. “This being my second year here, I see we’ve got guys all around the field – linebackers, DBs, o-line, d-line. That competition – dog going against dog – just makes us so much better. It forces you to be better.”
 
Northwest, which is a one-point overtime loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel from being undefeated, showed its ability to be a complete team to the end. Johnson pulled in the defense’s third interception near the Manhattan sideline and took it into the end zone for the game’s final points with six minutes remaining.
 
On Manhattan’s final possession, Bland, who had two interceptions last year in a season-opening victory over Bishop Carroll, registered his first three-turnover game by scooping up an Indian fumble.
 
“We know that they’re a powerful team and they want to be physical,” Bland said. “We knew we had to match that physicality. I think we did that pretty well.”
 
Martin reminded his players after the game of their stated preseason goal to win a state title. He told them because of that, he was going to continue to hold them to high standards.
 
In Friday’s victory, the coach was pleased with his offensive line’s effectiveness, particularly in the fourth quarter. And Martin loved the defensive effort.
 
“It started at meetings with Coach (Cade) Armstrong and the defensive staff,” Martin said. “They put together a plan that wasn’t confusing for our kids and put them in the right positions.
 
“Coach Armstrong talked about trusting the kids all week. They were dialed in, and you really saw it from Monday’s meeting how cut in on film they were, and then in their prep work out on the field. It was awesome to see that.”
 

WICHITA NORTHWEST 40, MANHATTAN 13
 
Manhattan (4-2) … 0 … 10 … 3 … 0 … – 13
 
Wichita Northwest (5-1) … 7 … 7 … 13 … 13 … – … 40
 
Wichita Northwest – Johnmichael Fountain 14-yard run (Isaac Fetherston kick)
 
Manhattan – Joe Mortenson 58-yard run (Prescott Balderson kick)
 
Wichita Northwest – Augie Fast 29-yard run (Fetherston kick)
 
Manhattan – Balderson 25-yard field goal
 
Wichita Northwest – Ja’Mari Bland 17-yard interception return (Fetherston kick)
 
Manhattan – Balderson 35-yard field goal
 
Wichita Northwest – Fast 49-yard run (kick failed)
 
Wichita Northwest – Fast 40-yard run (kick failed)
 
Wichita Northwest – Cordale Johnson 45-yard interception return (Fetherston kick)