On a basic level, Friday’s non-league, Class 6A battle between Manhattan and Wichita Northwest seems somewhat routine. Both come in ranked, with Manhattan at No. 4 and Northwest at No. 2.
 
But both teams’ journeys to 4-1 records have another defining characteristic that neither side particularly relishes.
 
“It’s a battle of the MASH units,” Northwest coach Steve Martin said.
 
The health status of both teams may not be clear until the 7 p.m. kickoff in Wichita, where the host Grizzlies will try to change their recent luck against Manhattan. The Indians went 5-0 against Northwest the past three seasons, including a playoff victory last year on their way to the 6A final and another in 2022, when Manhattan won its third state championship.
 
But Manhattan coach Joe Schartz has had more pressing matters recently. The Indians had to reset after committing six turnovers in a 28-14 loss to No. 3 Junction City two weeks ago. Manhattan did so with a strong rushing attack in last week’s 41-6 victory at Emporia, but the Indians also won with nine starters sidelined by injuries.
 
“I can’t recall that we’ve had everybody available for any game this season,” said Schartz, whose team still defeated two ranked teams in 6A No. 5 Free State and 5A No. 3 Hays. “We’ve had some pretty good runs and avoided injuries both seasons we made it to the state championship game. We’ve had multiple, two-way players and managed to avoid injuries.
 
“This year has been pretty unique. Even last week we lost a guy at the Thursday practice during the last five minutes of practice.”
 
Manhattan’s missing for the Emporia game included Kansas commit JJ Dunnigan, leading receiver Ja’Marcus Vornes and senior running back Kha’Mario Davis. Schartz declined to comment on injury specifics, but said he expected most of the nine who sat out the Emporia game to return Friday.
 
On the same night Manhattan’s offense sputtered in its loss to Junction City, Northwest surrendered a 28-point lead in a 43-42 overtime loss to 4A No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Grizzlies’ own injury woes came to a head in that game, particularly in the backfield.
 
Already missing Zy’Air Burton, a freshman who had cracked the rotation, Northwest lost starter Augie Fast and fellow senior Johnmichael Fountain to injuries during the third quarter as Kapaun chiseled away at its deficit.
 
“We had to move Johnmike over from defense to run the ball, and when we had to take him out it also left some holes on defense,” Martin said. “We were battling attrition in that Kapaun game. But it’s a mature group and when we get healthy, we feel we’re in a good spot.”
 
With all hands on deck, both are certainly among the state’s best teams.
 
Manhattan, which defeated Free State 47-7 in Week 2 and followed with a 10-8 slugfest win over Hays, flexed its muscle last week. The Indians churned out 321 rushing yards and had three players – senior quarterback Finn Watson and junior backs EJ Massenburg and Max Evans-Pryor – score two touchdowns apiece. Massenburg finished with 16 carries for 141 yards, while Evans-Pryor, the Indians’ second leading tackler this season, added seven carries for 109 yards.
 
“That’s kind of the way football is,” Schartz said. “We have had some kids step in there and gain some good experience. Now that we are getting a few guys back, we are gaining some depth back there.”
 
No less important for Manhattan was the cleansing effect last week’s victory had after the loss to Junction City, a rival it blistered 52-0 a season ago. The Indians held Junction City to 170 total yards, but were intercepted five times and lost a fumble.
 
“We talked about valuing winning and doing the things you have to do in practice and in a game to win,” Schartz said. “We talked about becoming a better teammate. For the most part, we’ve done a good job since then of accomplishing those things.
 
“You’ve got to have that edge and going into that Junction City game, we didn’t have that edge.”
 
Northwest, which rebounded from the Kapaun loss with a 76-7 walloping of Wichita West, has plenty of players who understand the Grizzlies’ struggles against Manhattan. With nine returning starters on both sides of the ball, Martin entered the season with one of his most experienced teams.
 
Senior quarterback Jaylen Mason, a KU commit, has completed 62 of 92 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Mason has established a good connection with senior Griffin Baker, who leads the receiving group with 25 receptions for 432 yards and three scores.
 
Fast, another senior, leads the Grizzly ground game with 474 yards and 13 touchdowns.
 
That experience served Northwest well three weeks ago in a 31-21 victory at Junction City. The Grizzlies trailed twice in the final quarter, at 14-10 and 21-17. But Fountain stepped up, sealing the victories with touchdown runs of 28 and 57 yards on the way to finishing with 131 yards on seven carries.
 
Even after losing its lead against Kapaun, the Grizzlies regained the advantage on two occasions before the Crusaders won with a touchdown run and two-point conversion.
 
“That’s the No. 1 thing with an experienced group,” Martin said. “You’ve got guys who have been through the storms and had moments where things don’t always go right. It’s the team that responds to those adverse moments that succeeds. We have some of those seniors who’ll put their foot down and say it’s not going to end this way.”
 
Martin is aware some of Northwest’s best postseason runs have been aided by extra home games. Schartz understands that as well, as two of the Indians’ regular-season victories against Northwest yielded higher seeds that forced the Grizzlies to travel to Manhattan for rematches.
 
The stakes could be similar Friday.
 
“I haven’t mentioned that too much to the kids, but we understand that whoever wins this game will probably be able to host again in the playoffs,” Schartz said. When you look at it that way, there’s a lot on the line for both teams.”