Hall of Fame

Mario Manningham - Warren Harding
Michigan

By David Baugh
On October 19, 2002, Warren G. Harding (8-0) matched
up with Massillon Washington (7-1) in the USA Today
Game of the Week.  The match up was the first meeting
between these two great programs in twelve years, so
everybody in attendance surely expected to see a great
game.  It was a great game alright, but everybody left
the game in awe.  A star was born that night in “Super
Mario” Manningham, and his emergence changed the face
of Warren football for the next two years.  Seeing his
first legit playing time of his high school career,
Manningham, then a sophomore, scored 4 touchdowns (2
receiving, 1 punt return, 1 kickoff return) as Warren
Harding erased a 10 point fourth quarter deficit to
stun the Tigers 31-27 in front of a sold-out
Mollenkopf Stadium.  Manningham’s big plays may have
came late in the season, but they were far from over.
In a round two playoff game against Lakewood St.
Edward, Manningham caught a 52 yard bomb from
quarterback Mike Kokal, setting up a game winning 39
yard field goal by Joe Spain, as the Raiders stunned
the Eagles 18-16 at Parma Byers Field.  Manningham had
2 catches for 113 yards 1 touchdown (73 yard
reception) in the state championship game against
Cincinnati Elder, his sophomore season ended in defeat
as Warren G. Harding dropped their only game of the
year by the score of 21-19.  Despite the loss,
Manningham’s career was just getting started.

Manningham’s career includes many standout
performances against some of the elite programs  in
Ohio.  Cleveland St. Ignatius, Lakewood St. Edward,
Youngstown Boardman, and Canton McKinley are just a
few of the schools that come to mind., but his most
memorable performance came in his senior season
against Cleveland Glenville in September of 2004.  On
that night, Manningham caught 7 passes for 257 yards
and 3 touchdowns against a Glenville squad that was
loaded with Division 1A recruits.  He added the icing
on the cake by intercepting a late fourth quarter pass
and returning it 50 yards for a touchdown as the
Raiders defeated the Tarblooders 30-26.  He finished
his senior season with 52 catches for 821 yards and 10
touchdowns, adding 138 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24
carries.  His efforts earned him a scholarship to the
University of Michigan.