Staff writer
Sedgwick defeated Marion High School, 35-16, Friday in Marion.
Coach Grant Thierolf encouraged his players after the loss. He said he never questioned the team’s effort at any point in the game.
“We fought hard, played our butts off all game long. We got beat by a good team,” he said. “There’s a lot of season left. What matters most are the last three games.”
The Warriors led the game at halftime, 16-14.
The Warriors set the tone on the first possession of the game. The Marion defense stopped the Sedgwick offense on a fourth-and-two run inside the Marion red zone.
After first down runs by Les Riggs and Mikael Antoszyk, Riggs sprinted between blocks by the Warrior right guard and right tackle for a 39-yard touchdown run. Antoszyk capped the 95-yard drive with a two-point conversion on a left-side end around.
The Cardinals responded quickly, scoring on the next drive with a Trent Stuckey pass to Daniel Vogt. Vogt ran a hitch route near the eastern sideline, caught the pass, and avoided Marion tacklers to cross the goal line.
Undeterred the Warriors marched down the field again, Riggs punched the ball into the end zone on a right side 2-yard dive play. Richmond scored on the two-point conversion making the score 16-7.
Riggs ended the game with 113 yards rushing. Richmond rushed for 61 yards.
“In the first half, Dillon ran the option about as well as he has all season,” Thierolf said.
The momentum of the game changed with a 38-yard touchdown run by Cardinals running back Dylan Todd. Sedgwick ran a handoff sweep play out of shotgun between the left tackle and left guard on the touchdown. Todd ran for a 51-yard touchdown on a similar play on the first Sedgwick drive of the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 245 yards rushing averaging 10.7 yards per carry.
“Number 40 was a little better than we thought he’d be,” Thierolf said.
The Warrior offense was stopped in the backfield, a trend that would emerge through the rest of the contest, on second down to force a third-and-18 play. Marion punted on a long fourth down.
Dakin Ledford recovered a fumble on the next Sedgwick possession. He picked up the ball on the run and sprinted deep into Sedgwick territory. After a Riggs first down run, Richmond dropped back for a play action pass. He threw to Jordan Versch beyond the eastern front pylon but Levi Vogt jumped in front of the wide receiver for the interception.
Thierolf lamented calling the play deep in Cardinals territory.
“We had a chance before half,” he said. “If we would have scored there the outcome of the game might have been different.”
The Cardinals offense continued to gain yards on explosive plays in the second half.
“They came out a little more ready to go in the second half,” Richmond said.
Sedgwick changed strategies and started putting eight or nine tacklers up to the line to stop Marion runs.
“We need to learn how to handle eight or nine people on these runs,” Thierolf said.
Stucky punctuated the victory with a 5-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter and a touchdown pass to Elliott Money late in the fourth quarter.
Thierolf gave credit to what the Cardinals were able to do on offense. The Cardinals used at least three receivers on every play. Defending Sedgwick’s weapons in the passing and running game proved difficult.
“I don’t know if we ever stopped them,” Thierolf said.
Although Marion took the loss, Richmond was hopeful that the Warriors could use their success in the early part of the game to their advantage.
“We learned we could play with them,” the Marion quarterback said. “We just need to sustain that.”
Thierolf also thought there was plenty to learn from the defeat.
“We don’t want them to be happy about it, but we want them to learn from it,” he said.
stats
RUSHING_Rigs 23-113 2 TD, Antoszyk 6-14, Randy Regnier 3-12, Dillon Richmond 7-69.
TACKLES_Connor Thierolf 5, Regnier 5, Adam Cope 5, Brody Carroll 2, Cole Lewman 6, Spencer Fugitt 2, David Helmer 3, Dakin Ledford 3, John Tacha 3, Jordan Versch 2.