Sports editor
As the weather got worse, the Warriors got better.
Trailing Wichita Collegiate 28-7 at halftime Friday, Marion High School outscored the Spartans 12-0 in the second half, but still fell short against the fifth-ranked team in 3A, 28-19.
After nearly 36 straight hours of rain, it stopped in time for kickoff.
Unfortunately for Marion (1-1), the WC offense did not.
A 43-yard scoring pass on the second play from scrimmage opened the floodgates.
After a Warrior punt, Collegiate (2-0) scored nine plays later on a 20-yard pass, and less than six minutes in, led 14-0.
The Warriors easily could have folded against a top team like Collegiate, but head coach Grant Thierolf pulled a trick play out of the books to get MHS back in the game.
Six plays after starting the drive on their own 26, the Warriors had a fourth-and-six from the Collegiate 11-yard line.
Quarterback Mitchell Leppke pitched to Sheldon Boone who sucked in the defense, and then pulled up and threw a lob to Luke Gordon in the endzone.
The six-foot, five-inch Gordon out-jumped the defender for a touchdown.
Brian Fruechting’s extra-point kick made the game 14-7.
However, it didn’t stay like that for long.
Tyler Coughenhour returned Fruechting’s kickoff 95 yards for a score, and just like that it was 21-7.
WC added one more score before the half, and led by 21.
As the third quarter began, the rain came hard, and so did the Warrior defense.
MHS continually stuffed the Collegiate offense, forcing a total of five fumbles on the night.
With less than two minutes left in the third quarter Marion recovered a fumble on the Collegiate 33, and marched down to the one with 30 seconds left.
Leppke dived through the pile and into the end zone for the score, and it was 28-13 with 26 seconds remaining in the third.
Punts and fumbles continued throughout, and Marion took over on the Collegiate 15 after a 10-yard punt.
On fourth-and-five from the WC 10, Leppke avoided a sack, ran out of the pocket, and threw to a wide open Nick Klenda.
Klenda, a team leader on defense and sure-handed tight end, dropped the wet ball in the end zone.
It didn’t hurt Marion however, as Klenda and the defense forced another punt and took over on the Collegiate 29.
Four plays later Boone was in the end zone from 16 yards out. The two-point conversion was no good, leaving MHS down by nine with 3:41 to play.
Collegiate recovered the onside kick, and Marion ran out of time for a comeback.
In the first meeting since the 1994 3A state championship game, the Warriors held Collegiate to just 90 yards rushing, and racked up 125 of their own.
Boone led the way with 73 yards, and Adam Regnier rushed for 42 on 15 carries.
Leppke was 4-8 passing for 42 yards and a late interception.
Boone completed his only pass to Gordon.
On defense, Brad Klenda and Matt Thierolf each had eight total tackles, while Thierolf, Brad Klenda, and Boone each recorded a fumble.
The Warriors are at home Friday for a homecoming game against the Nickerson Panthers.
JV moves to 2-0
The Marion High School junior varsity football team remained undefeated on the season Monday after whipping Wichita Collegiate on the road, 34-6.
Colten Johnson started the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Randy Regnier added the two-point conversion.
Regnier came back with an eight-yard touchdown run of his own, but the two-point conversion was no good, and MHS led 14-0.
Johnson gave the Warriors a 20-0 lead at the half with a 12-yard score.
Marion scored on a 65-yard drive to start the half, capped off by a Les Riggs four-yard touchdown run.
Regnier converted his second two-point conversion of the game.
The Warriors poured it on after recovering a Collegiate fumble on the kickoff, with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Matt Sprowls to Jordan Versch to up the lead to 34-0.
Collegiate scored just before the third quarter ended on a 20-yard pass play.
“It was a good win for the Warriors,” varsity head coach Grant Theirolf said.