KINGWOOD – Preston High junior quarterback Slaton Manko is bursting onto the scene in Class AAA football in West Virginia.
The second-year starter has put together back-to-back stellar performances for the Knights, most recently leading his team to a 48-20 Buckwheat Bowl victory over East Fairmont on Thursday at Knights Stadium.
Against the Bees, Manko amassed 487 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. That came just one week after he he ran for 100 and passed for 199 yards and three touchdowns against Robert C. Byrd.
Preston head coach Mark Deep was almost at a loss for words describing how his junior quarterback has improved since the beginning of his sophomore year.
Who could blame him?
“I can’t say enough about him. He is the biggest competitor on the team,” Deep said after Manko threw for 363 yards and ran for 124 more against East Fairmont. “Every day since the beginning of his sophomore season, he has gotten better. He will run the ball; he will throw the ball. He does everything the coaches ask of him. I’m glad he is our quarterback.”
Manko showed flashes of what he was capable of last season for PHS, but the Knights struggled up front, and he wasn’t as big as the typical quarterback.
After putting some hard work together in the weight room, Manko has shown his potential to be an all-around player that Deep and his staff can rely on at any moment.
“Last year, I feel like the game was moving fast, and I was a bit smaller than I am now,” Manko said. “My coaches have gotten me ready mentally and physically, and I know what I’m looking for when it comes to our offense, and when that’s the case, it comes down to making the plays.”
Making plays is precisely what Manko did against East Fairmont, with touchdown passes of 59, 51, 47, and 75 yards and two touchdown runs of 1 and 20 yards. He even caught a pass for seven yards early in the game.
His 47-yard strike to senior wideout Cody Smith with 62 seconds until halftime put the Knights ahead 28-13 at the break, and their defense forced an East Fairmont punt to begin the third quarter.
PHS then struck again as Manko delivered a bomb for 75 yards to sophomore Drake Kelly for another score, putting the hosts ahead 35-13 midway through the third. Manko added his final touchdown of the night on a 20-yard scamper, his second of the night.
“I’ve always thought I wanted to be a running back,” Manko chuckled. “I’m a little bigger now and can hold my own. I’ve gotten better at finding the gaps and fighting through some initial hits.”
“Slaton is a great kid and athlete,” Deep said. “He’s just a kid out there using his God-given abilities and having fun, which is leading to winning football games.”
BOX SCORE
East Fairmont 0 13 0 7 – 20
Preston 7 21 14 6 – 48
SCORING SUMMARY
PHS – Manko 59 pass to Smith (Cole Turner kick)
EF – Blauvelt 7 run (Fleming kick)
PHS – Manko 51 pass to Schmidle (Turner kick)
EF – Cramer 41 pass to VanGilder (XP blocked)
PHS – Manko 1 run (Turner kick)
PHS – Manko 47 pass to Smith (Turner kick)
PHS – Manko 75 pass to Kelly (Turner kick)
PHS – Manko 20 run (Turner kick)
PHS – Kelly 20 run (Kick no good)
EF – Blauvelt 1 run (Fleming kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Preston – Manko 16-124 TD, Miller 6-11 TD, Likens 3-3, Lewellen 1-10. East Fairmont – Cramer 9-63, Fleming 4-12, Blauvelt 17-83 2TD
PASSING: Preston – Manko 11-18 363 4TD, Likens 1-7. East Fairmont – Cramer 11-15 164 TD
RECEIVING: Preston – Manko 1-7, Likens 3-59, Smith 3-117 2TD, Schmidle 1-51 TD, Turner 2-61, Lewellen 1-75 TD. East Fairmont – VanGilder 2-55 TD, Boone 4-56, Biggie 1-(-1), Hudson 3-27, Murphey 1-27.
