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Prep football: Mansaray’s huge game leads Bonneville to road win at Northridge

By CHAD PRITCHETT - Special to the Standard-Examiner | Sep 27, 2024

LAYTON — He may be listed as No. 0 in the game program, but Bonneville’s Isaac Mansaray put up some colossal numbers Friday evening.

The senior did a lot of everything and accounted for all four Lakers touchdowns while also hauling in three interceptions to lead Bonneville to a 29-21, Region 5 win over Northridge.

The loss was the second straight for the Knights after starting the season 5-0. Meanwhile, the Lakers earned their second win of the season and fourth straight over Northridge.

“I played OK … it was really just my team,” Mansaray said. “They made every block, they played great.

“My QB was slinging the ball … our O-line played great. We were just moving the ball around good. Our defense held up. It was a good win.”

On paper, it looked like Northridge (5-2, 2-2 Region 5) would have an opportune chance to bounce back after last week’s loss to Bountiful. The Knights offense — which averages more than 30 points per game — would be facing a Lakers defense that allows more than 42, one of the worst marks in Class 5A.

But from the opening kickoff, Bonneville (2-5, 2-2) made its presence felt defensively.

After failing to convert an onside kick to open the game, the supposedly hapless Laker defense coerced three straight punts, forced the ball over twice on downs and garnered a turnover. The ratcheted-up effort earned Bonneville a 9-0 lead at the intermission.

“Our coach came up with a great game plan and then we executed,” Mansaray said. “Our DBs played good. We got pressure which helped a lot with the coverage.”

The Northridge defense was equally effective against Bonneville’s counterattack throughout most of the first half.

Bonneville broke through with 1:46 left in the first half when Cole Lueders lofted a 17-yard pass, which Mansaray managed to secure while staying in bounds in the back corner of the end zone to make it 6-0.

Mansaray then stymied a Northridge drive by picking off Tre Nye, which set up a 35-yard Ashton Nicholls field goal as time expired.

Any regrouping the Knights did in the locker room was disheartened when Mansaray took a teammate’s lateral on the second-half kickoff and raced 94 yards down the right sideline for his second touchdown to extend the lead to 16-0.

Jaxon Fresques set Northridge up with great field position with his own long return on the ensuing kickoff. But seven plays later, with the Knights knocking on the door at the Laker 3-yard line, Mansaray came to the rescue again with a diving interception in the end zone.

Fresques cut the lead in half just after the midway mark of the third period when Nye found him alone downfield. After securing the catch, he outran the Laker defense for the remainder of the 68-yard pass play for Northridge’s first points.

It took less than two minutes of action for the Lakers to regain the momentum. Facing third down, Lueders tossed a short flip pass to Mansaray while rolling right and his teammate did the rest of the work. Mansaray eventually found a lane that led him to the opposite side of the field for a touchdown.

He got another interception on a tipped ball early in the fourth and then — of course — played a pivotal role in frantic final minutes.

Northridge cut the lead to a single score at 22-14 on a Nye to Anthony Martinez connection late in the game.

With Bonneville trying to bleed the clock, Mansaray took a handoff straight into the heart of the Northridge defense and wound up 55 yards downfield scoring his fourth touchdown.

The consequential two-score advantage rendered a Chase Harris TD reception with 40 ticks left meaningless after the Knights couldn’t pounce on their onside kick that followed.

Along with the three interceptions and special teams score, Mansaray unofficially caught 12 passes for 166 yards and carried the ball eight times for 107 yards.