Marion ready for Warrior football
Marion Warriors approach the 2002 football season with a significant number of returning starters, good size, and excellent team speed. While giving nothing away, head coach Grant Thierolf is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for a good season.
For a team with the outstanding football tradition of the Marion Warriors, what might seem to be a great season just isn't quite enough. Last year's Warrior squad posted a 6-3 record and brought home the Cottonwood Valley League championship. One gets the impression the failure to advance into post-season playoffs motivates this year's squad.
Coach Thierolf reports that pre-season workouts have gone well. There currently are 36 players on the Warrior roster, including nine seniors and nine juniors. All returning seniors have played and contributed to the Warrior football program with the exception of Jake Adkins, who is new to the program.
When asked to assess his team, Thierolf feels good about the fact that he has good kids who are good students and good citizens. He said the team veterans are intelligent players, which always is helpful, but they need to become more intense in order to rise to the next level. Thierolf expects a lot from the returning seniors, not only in their performance on the field, but in how they provide leadership to the underclassmen.
Lineup
Leading the Warrior charge will be lineman Alan Vogel, a solid player who "plays hard all the time," Thierolf says.
End and defensive back Jason Matz is an all-around player who catches, runs, and blocks well. As all Warrior fans know, Matz is feared as a fierce hitter. Thierolf describes him as "as good a hitter as we've ever had defensively."
Speedster Jarvis Whiteman returns as running back, and has improved his balance and added moves to his arsenal of weapons.
Eric Smith and Bronson Shipman both are two-year starters who are expected to continue to anchor the line and provide solid play and excellent leadership.
Mitch Enos, Matt Rhodes, and Joel Versch all have contributed to Warrior squads in the past, but this year will be looked to for more playing time and a higher level of performance. Thierolf expects all three to answer the call and play well.
Of the seniors, only Adkins hasn't played in the past. He is an excellent athlete who has excelled as a wrestler, and still is expected to contribute. Adkins currently is suffering from a wrist injury, but once healed Thierolf expects him to get significant playing time at the defensive end position and provide the type of defensive attack the Warriors haven't had.
Anyone familiar with Marion football under Grant Thierolf knows that year in, year out, they run an effective option-based offense. Expect no changes this year, but Thierolf does have a desire to have more balance between the run and pass. He jokes that he says this every year and still ends up running the ball most of the time.
He has the personnel on this year's squad to have a successful passing game. The Warriors have good size on the offensive and defensive lines. A defensive strength will be great squad quickness.
One source of worry is that many of the interior linemen are dealing with nagging injuries. While the seniors and returning veterans such as Jimmy Shipman are ready to lead the Warriors on another charge for the league championship, and perhaps playoff glory, Thierolf is concerned about the team's lack of depth.
He specifically noted younger players such as Dale Vogel, Cody Childs, and Drew Looper are going to have to work hard and provide the type of solid depth a successful team needs.
Alan Vogel and Eric Smith are the starters at defensive end, but both backups, Adkins and Steven Shiplet, are injured. Once those two are cleared to play, the team will have good depth and outstanding performance from the end position, especially if sophomore Kevin Costello continues to progress.
The Cottonwood Valley League provides more questions than answers. Council Grove and Herington each have new coaches. Wichita Independent is a new league member. Chase County might be hurt by graduation, but the Chase County/Marion rivalry is such that either team is capable of stealing a win. Once again, Sacred Heart appears to be very strong. The Knights played the Warriors in a close game in Marion last year, and are returning most of their key players. The Sept. 20 Sacred Heart game in Salina might be one to watch.
New system
The state has adopted a new playoff system. It assigns schools to a four-team district and contests with other district teams are scheduled for the last three games of the regular season.
In the past, the district team with the best record after all had played, advanced to playoffs. This year both the first and second-place teams in each district advance, doubling the number of teams in the playoffs from 16 to 32.
The winner of each district then plays the second-place team from another district in the first round of playoffs.
Marion's district opponents will be Leon-Bluestem, Eureka, and Wichita Independent. Since Wichita Independent also is a league member, this game will have extra significance.
In recent years, Marion's district opponents have been familiar area schools such as Herington, Chase County, Hesston, and Hillsboro. Both Leon-Bluestem and Eureka have been members of the CVL at various times. The Warriors haven't played them for a number of years.
Wichita Independent is a league member this year but the two squads have never played before. Thierolf believes it will be an interesting district and the fact that the teams don't know much about each other "ought to make it fun."
The Warriors have all the necessary ingredients for a truly successful 2002 campaign. Thierolf indicated he doesn't think his squad is quite as intense as it needs to be. It's safe to assume they can develop that intensity as it makes its way toward district play.
The opening contest is Friday on the road against the Minneapolis Lions. The first home game is Sept. 13 with the Warriors hosting Southeast of Saline.
MHS football facilities are in great shape. The pads are popping and the players are getting tired of scrimmaging. While pro athletes squabble about money, local high school kids are playing for the love of the game. It's time for high school football!
