Despite her team trailing by 26 points in the closing moments of the fourth quarter, Cary-Grove senior Kennedy Manning did everything she could to keep the Trojans alive during their IHSA sectional semifinal game against Harlem.

Playing with a bandage wrapped around her left leg, Manning intercepted a pass over the middle and sprinted downfield for an 85-yard touchdown with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

It was the final touchdown of the game and the season for Manning, who racked up 364 total yards and two scores on offense during Cary-Grove’s 38-18 loss to the Huskies on Monday evening.

“I’m infinitely proud of her leadership and her pushing through that injury to make things happen and be a playmaker,” Cary-Grove coach Cara Neff said. “She pretty much has a target on her back by every other team and she’s still able to make things happen and not let them shut her down, which has been incredible. Those are some big shoes to fill for next year, but having her as a leader has inspired our juniors and underclassmen to be like her.”

Harlem (15-3, 8-1 NIC-10) advances to the sectional championship game against Antioch at McHenry’s McCracken Field on Tuesday evening. The loss ends the season for Cary-Grove (11-5, 5-3 FVC), which outlasted McHenry 28-27 last week to earn its first IHSA regional championship in program history.

Manning passed for 227 yards and one touchdown on 18 completions while rushing for 137 yards and a score on 14 carries against the Huskies.

“We had to fight through a lot of bruises, injuries and last-minute changes,” Neff said. “The girls did a really good job of fighting through adversity and stepping into roles they weren’t used to... This season has been eye-opening in terms of what our program can be. We have a lot of talent that will be graduating, but we have a lot of people who can step in for that talent.”

C-G moved the ball across midfield on its first series of the game, but a stop by the Huskies on a quarterback scramble forced the Trojans to punt the ball away. Shortly after, Harlem took the lead on a 26-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Giada Nowling to wide receiver Taelar Washington. Nowling threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Huskie offense in the game.

“Harlem has incredible speed and their quarterback is a true quarterback,” Neff said. “She can see and she can place the ball. We were impressed with their scrappiness and defensively, I thought we struggled adjusting to some of their key plays. We couldn’t beat them with our spins or our speed and that was something I was impressed with. Their defense beat our defense.”

Washington reeled in six catches for 75 yards and three touchdowns for Harlem, which saw its lead cut to one on the first play of the second quarter, where Manning connected with wide receiver Aria Stanton on an 8-yard touchdown throw. Stanton was the top threat for the Trojan passing attack, finishing with 119 receiving yards on nine catches Monday evening.

But C-G was unable to contain the Huskie offense, which responded with another 26-yard touchdown strike from Nowling to Washington midway through the second quarter. The Trojans went on a promising drive late in the second quarter, but an errant throw over the middle was bobbled by multiple Harlem players before Washington settled with the ball for an interception.

The Huskies capitalized on the turnover, gaining a 60-yard chunk on a deep pass to wide receiver Madison King, who brought in an 8-yard touchdown grab soon after to give Harlem a 19-6 advantage with 35.3 seconds remaining in the first half. King, who went for a team-high 120 receiving yards on five catches Monday, intercepted a Manning pass as the first half concluded.

“Now that we’ve been to sectionals, the girls know what it takes to get there,” Neff said. “Some of our girls are new to watching film and new to the strategy of the game of football. Understanding that part of the game and how to take that film and apply it to the game will be one of the biggest things for us.”

Harlem continued to gain large chunks of yards in the second half, where a 55-yard pass play set up a 3-yard Nowling touchdown run with 7:07 left in the third quarter. Trailing 25-6, C-G marched down the field and answered after Manning broke through the middle of the Huskie defense for a 21-yard touchdown run. A 40-yard pass led to a 3-yard touchdown throw from Nowling to Washington that put Harlem ahead 31-12 with 10:37 left in the game.

C-G’s last chance to respond fell short, as an incomplete pass on fourth down resulted in a turnover that gave possession back to the Huskies, who then scored on a 62-yard sprint by running back Hari Young. Young finished with 127 rushing yards for the Huskies, who compiled 468 yards of offense in the game. An interception by Mel Ellis effectively iced the Harlem victory.