Staff writer
From the Marion High School football team’s first possession of the game, Warriors returning from injury made a mammoth difference in the outcome of the contest.
The Warriors defeated Southeast of Saline, 28-13, Friday in Marion in the second game of district play.
Les Riggs returned for his first game back from a broken right thumb, his right hand still wrapped in a cast. On his second carry of the game, the middle of the Saline defense parted like the red sea and Riggs ran for a 45-yard touchdown with nary a white jersey within 10 yards of the Marion rusher.
“The line was doing great blocking all night,” Riggs said. “On the first one, I knew I would get the touchdown.”
Riggs was forced to carry the ball exclusively with his left arm. The handicap did not hinder Riggs who ran for a 61-yard and a 46-yard gain later in the first half. He finished the night with 222 yards rushing; the rest of the team ran for 26 yards.
Coach Grant Thierolf said some defensive players play with a cast but he could not remember when a running back played in a cast. Riggs also played as a defensive end and was able to punch the ball away from SES quarterback Nathan Peterson after a high snap hit the turf. The Warriors recovered and iced the game with a Dillon Richmond 8-yard touchdown run.
“He just doesn’t quit,” Thierolf said of Riggs. “Guys that play that way are always around the ball.”
The other Warrior to return made his mark on the defensive side of the ball.
Colten Johnson played in only his second game of the season after suffering a left leg injury against Lyons in the Warriors first contest of the year. He played sparingly on offense but played nearly the whole game at linebacker.
“Me and coach talked about it,” Johnson said. “We decided not to push it and play running back.”
SES scored on their first possession on a 5-yard run by Brock Long. Tyler Harding was good on the extra point attempt.
“He was the most physical runner we played all year,” Thierolf said of Long.
The Warriors got a fourth-down stop on the Trojans next possession when Cole Lewman tipped a pass intended for a Trojan receiver in the end zone.
After a Marion fumble, the Trojans had the ball at their 40-yard line. Peterson dropped back to pass but did not see Johnson drop back into coverage. The Marion defender, who played safety last season, easily intercepted the pass on the run and scampered untouched into the end zone.
In the game against Lyons, Johnson also returned an interception for a touchdown. Richmond then ran in for the two-point conversion.
“It was indescribable. I was so pumped,” he said. “You go from tied to up by six. The momentum was on our side. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“We’re a different team when we have those guys,” Thierolf said of Riggs and Johnson. “They make big plays.”
After the Warrior defense forced SES to punt, Marion made the play that set up the rest of the game in their favor.
Following Riggs’ 46-yard run to the 50-yard line, the Warriors ran a fake reverse pass. Richmond ran to his left and handed the ball to wide receiver, and backup quarterback, Lewman for a reverse.
The play drew all of the Trojan defenders to the ball and the right side of the field opened up for running back Randy Regnier drifting toward the west side line. With the Trojans committed to the reverse, Lewman launched an arching pass that Regnier ran under and caught in stride. He sprinted to the end zone, scoring on the 50-yard play before the Trojans knew what happened.
“We worked on it for six weeks,” Thierolf said. “It’s just a reverse pass. What matters is that Cole made a great throw and Randy made a good catch.”
With the Warriors up 22-7 at halftime, the Marion defense stepped up in the second half to maintain the lead.
The Trojans scored on a 1-yard run by Peterson but the Warriors would not surrender any more points even though SES would set up past the Warriors 20-yard line three more times.
The Warriors got the first of three fourth-down stops with the Trojans threatening at the 5-yard line in the third quarter. The Warriors forced a fumble and then two incomplete passes.
The Trojans then marched to the Marion 4-yard line on the next possession. The Warriors stopped Long on a run up the middle, forced two incomplete passes, and then recorded another stop on a fourth down run.
After Marion ran the ball three times for minimal gain, they punted. On the return, Brody Carroll rocked the Trojan return man forcing a fumble that Marion recovered and allowed Richmond to score.
SES drove into Warrior territory again when they snapped high and Riggs made the play to allow the Warriors to recover the fumble.
Thierolf commended the play of John Tacha, Adam Cope, and Connor Thierolf against the run at the goal line.
“I thought our goal line defense was fantastic,” coach Thierolf said. “We made them earn everything they had. It says a lot about the character of our defense.”
The Warriors play Hillsboro Thursday in a game that will determine which team will advance out of district play.