Manual's defense dominates Central for interim football coach Josh Gillispie's first win

“Unexpected and cold.”

Thrust into a spotlight he wasn’t seeking, Josh Gillispie used those word to describe the postgame water-bucket dousing he received Friday night after his Manual High School football team whipped visiting Central 26-0 in its season opener.

Gillispie was named Manual’s interim coach July 14 after Donnie Stoner was temporarily removed from his coaching duties. Earlier this month, Stoner pleaded not guilty to 20 counts, all related to allegations of sex with a female juvenile student.

Gillispie is a 1996 Manual graduate who previously had served as offensive line coach. Now he’s 1-0 as a head coach.

“I really don’t want to make it about me,” Gillispie said. “It’s an honor for me to be here. I try to connect with the kids, and I try to make it about them, which is maybe why they gave me this bath. I think they feel the love I have for them.”

Quarterback Eli Creech ran for two touchdowns and running back Zeek Washburn rushed for 82 yards on 17 carries to lead Manual’s offense.

But Manual’s defense was the story.

“If I’m being honest, I thought we played very sloppy,” Gillispie said. “I was underwhelmed from the offensive standpoint. Defense played amazing. We definitely have some stuff to clean up. We’ll improve.”

Here are three things we learned from Friday’s game:

Jessee a two-way star

Junior Cameron Jessee plays both tight end and defensive end for Manual and made his mark on the defensive side of the ball Friday night.

Down 19-0 early in the fourth quarter, Central had driven into Manual territory and was facing a fourth-and-2.

Manual’s Braydon Underwood hit Central quarterback Steven Smith, forcing a fumble. Jessee picked up the loose ball and raced 78 yards for a touchdown that gave the Crimsons a 26-0 lead with 10:16 remaining.

“We have this drill – scoop and score – every single day,” Jessee said. “I knew I had to pick it up, and nobody really knows about my speed. I was gone. I knew I wasn’t going to get caught.”

Jessee (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) caught 11 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns on his way to all-district honors last season and has an offer from Eastern Kentucky University.

He said his future likely is on the defensive side of the ball.

“He’s a special player,” Gillispie said. “We go back and forth and debate over which side of the ball is going to get more use from him. If he gets the ball, he can break it at any time.”

Manual's defense solid

Along with Jessee’s scoop and score, Manual got solid defensive performances from several others.

Senior Spencer Jones had a forced fumble and later sacked Smith in the end zone for a safety that gave the Crimsons a 5-0 lead in the second quarter.

Senior lineman Christopher Jones had a fourth-quarter sack.

Manual returned just four starters from last season’s defense. But the newcomers didn't skip a beat.

“We showed that even though we lost a lot of starters, we have a lot of new people showing up and showing out,” Jessee said.

Central struggles on offense

Junior running back Cortez Stone carried 18 times for 105 yards, but Central managed little else on offense and finished with four turnovers.

Yellow Jackets coach Marvin Dantzler found a silver lining in his team’s defense.

“But you can’t turn it over four times on offense, on the road, and have a touchdown called back and expect to win,” he said. “It’s all self-inflicted. I’m not going to say it’s easy, but it’s fixable.”

Dantzler noted his team’s only preseason scrimmage – against Scott County – was canceled because of the transportation issues that forced Jefferson County Public Schools to be closed earlier this month.

With Smith the only new starter on offense at quarterback, Dantzler said he missed a chance to “get the nerves” out before Friday’s regular-season opener.

“He’ll play better,” Dantzler said. “First time on a stage, it showed. But we’d rather it happen in August than November. There’s not many people in 3A that’s going to look like Manual. Cortez Stone will be Cortez Stone. We’ll be OK.”

CENTRAL            0            0            0            0 - 0

MANUAL            3            9            7            7 - 26

First quarter

M – Parker Friedman 21 FG

Second quarter

M – Safety, Steven Smith tackled in end zone by Spencer Jones

M – Eli Creech 1 run (Friedman kick)

Third quarter

M  - Creech 6 run (Friedman kick)

Fourth quarter

M – Cameron Jessee 78 fumble return (Friedman kick)

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football scores: DuPont Manual High School beats Central, 26-0