Marion mauls Eureka to clinch district title
By Eric Clark
Sports Editor
There was little imminent danger when the Warriors stared down a pack of Tornadoes Thursday night.
In their final game of district play, Marion calmed the wild winds of Eureka and cruised to their eighth straight victory of the year with a 41-14 blowout.
"We still haven't played a complete game yet, but that is good," Thierolf said. "We are ready to play a very fine team from Medicine Lodge. They will present some problems for us in that they are a 50-50 run-pass team. We haven't seen a team that can throw as well as they do since the Sacred Heart game so it will be good for us to see how we react. We look forward to the game."
Marion's Steven Boone scored in the first quarter of the game on a one-yard dive play, one of two touchdowns the senior would have on the night. After his kick sailed through the uprights, the Warriors took a 7-0 lead.
Minutes later, Casey Nelson scored one of his two touchdowns on a five-yard run that netted a 14-point lead after Boone connected on the PAT kick.
The Warriors last score of the first quarter involved athletic speedster Calvin Riggs who took a blocked punt 17 yards for the Marion TD. Boone's kick was successful and before the final horn sounded to end the first quarter, Marion led 21-0.
The Tornadoes added a six-yard touchdown in the second quarter to cut the Warrior margin to 14 after the PAT kick, heading into intermission.
The Warriors added a trio of scores in the final two quarters. Boone hit paydirt on a five-yard dive and split the uprights to extend the lead to 21.
In the final quarter, Nelson added his second touchdown from three yards giving Marion a 34-7 lead after the Warrior PAT failed.
Meantime, Russell Ploutz got into the scoring jamboree scoring his first varsity touchdown on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter for Marion. Boone added the PAT kick.
The Tornadoes would score in the final quarter and add the extra point, but the Eureka winds were tamed as the Warriors walked away with a 41-14 victory.
Boone led Marion rushers with 130 yards on 20 carries. Quarterback Clayton Chamberland turned in another noble performance racking up 102 yards on 11 carries.
A host of Warriors carried the ball against Eureka. Nelson finished with 14 yards on three carries; Jordan Trapp, one carry for two yards; Jason Hett, two carries for three yards; David DeForest, one carry for one yard; and Ploutz, one carry for six yards.
Boone also paced the defensive squad for Marion, compiling seven solo tackles, four assists, and two tackles for a loss. Jimmy Shipman finished with two solo tackles, four assists, two tackles for a loss, and one fumble recovery. Tyler Smith and Trapp each had four solo tackles and five assists. Dale Vogel finished with three solo tackles and three assists.
With the win, the Warriors improve to 8-1 and earned the right to host Medicine Lodge Tuesday night.
