The Titans finished off their regular season in style with a convincing 50-12 win over the Newcastle Viking.
The 50 Burger was the Titans’ third in nine games, with the Titans offense hitting their stride just in time for the playoff run.
Manchester started out strongly, with the defense holding an in-form Vikings offense straight out of the gate. The Titans offense meticulously worked the ball down the field on an 11-play drive capped off with Sam Bloomfield finding Adam Bamber for a 3-yard touchdown. Ryan Newton added the two-point conversion for an early 8-0 Titans lead.
The offense didn’t take as long on their next drive, as Ryan Newton outran the Newcastle defense on the opening play of the drive for a 60-yard touchdown.
While the defense kept holding the Vikings, the offense kept scoring. Jonatan Pan Gago dive in from three yards out to start the second quarter. Luc Kinder’s catch on the two-point conversion gave the Titans a 22-0 lead.
Newcastle responded with a long touchdown of their own, but the Titans hit right back. Bloomfield threaded the needle to find James Newnes from 10-yards out for the Titans’ fourth touchdown of the half, with Ryan Newton following up with a two-point conversion. A late second quarter interception by captain Lee Horrocks preserved the Titans 30-6 lead heading into the half.
Manchester came out motivated after their scoring had dried up towards the end of the half. Luc Kinder capped off a long drive to start the second half with a short touchdown to keep the scoreboard ticking at 36-6.
Cornerback and Edge Hill Vikings Head Coach Ryan Allen continued his streak of making important plays by adding another interception to his yearly total. After George Slade took a quick hitter for 44 yards, Alan Mead found James Newnes in the corner of the end zone to enforce the rolling clock.
At 42-6, the Vikings didn’t quit. The North East outfit blocked a punt deep in Manchester territory and punched the ball in shortly after the two-minute warning.
But the Titans came back once again, with Mead leading the offense to the 50-point mark. Adam Bamber found the hole in the Newcastle zone for his second touchdown, with Mead’s pass to Newton on the two-point conversion bringing up 50 for the Titans on the day.
The touchdown also brought up the 50th offensive touchdown scored by Manchester in their nine-game season.
Coach Birds’ side enters the playoffs as the #1 scoring team and the #3 scoring defense, and await either the Nottingham Caesars or Sandwell Steelers in two weeks at the National Speedway Stadium in Belle Vue.