Following the 2023 regular season, Manual finished with an overall record of 2-7 – with one win being chalked up after Peoria High was forced to vacate its wins – which meant a 12-year postseason drought for the Rams lived on.
But there is renewed hope in Manual High School and specifically within school itself, where the Rams are now owners of a brand new, renovated weight room. A project that was completed during the spring, Manual’s weight room was transformed with new weight plates, dumbbells, weight machines, treadmills, and all new football-specific equipment.
For the last five years, Manual had been working with just a spot rack, a bench press, and dumbbells. But with the help of Manual athletic director Constance Jackson, the Rams have what head coach Dennis Bailey calls “Planet Fitness South”.