MANHATTAN — After two straight seasons of championship heartbreak, Manhattan finally found a way.
The Tigers defeated Three Forks 28-7 on Saturday afternoon in the Class B championship to lock up their second state title — the first came in 2020 — while also wrapping up an undefeated 12-0 season.
After falling in overtime to Florence 21-14 in the 2023 title game and then coming short against Malta in last season's championship, the third time proved to be the charm.
"It's a surreal feeling, we've been looking forward to this the past two years," said junior wide receiver Brayden Zikmund. "Three Forks is a great team and we knew the environment was going to be awesome. We just had to come out and play our game. Obviously it worked out in the end."
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The Tigers entered the postseason as the Southern B's top seed and beat Joliet 49-22 in the opening round, avenged last season's championship loss to Malta with a 12-7 victory over the Mustangs in the quarterfinals, and then fended off Eureka 14-12 in the semifinals to setup a championship against a Three Forks team making its first appearance in the title game.
"Such a cool experience for both teams involved," said Manhattan coach Wes Kragt. "To have a game that's so close within communities and seeing all the people here for Class B is an amazing experience."
The Tigers entered this season needing to shore up a roster that graduated 14 seniors last season — including starting quarterback Michael Stewart and running back George Stenberg — and only returned four starters.
And so Manhattan carried a reload-not-rebuild mentality throughout this season and it paid off especially on defense with the Tigers surrendering just a combined 26 points in the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship.
"We hang our hat on our defense," said Kragt. "And for this team to come out hold a team like Three Forks and (Wolves quarterback) Kanon Reichman to seven points, it's just their grit, their energy. They were firing on all cylinders."
It was Manhattan's fifth championship appearance since 2019 and with a second title now in hand, they'll look to start pursuing a third.
"We want to keep going," said Kragt. "We set the expectation of trying to get to this game and having a chance. "These kids will work hard in the spring and summer to get back and have another great year."
