Tale of two halves: Warriors come out on top
Second-half dominance seals Warrior victory
Sports reporter
Going into Friday night's game against the Ellinwood Eagles, Marion High School coach Grant Thierolf knew it would be tough.
The Eagles had a lot more size, and were sitting atop the Mid-Central Activities Association division.
Trailing just 14-13 at halftime should have eased his mind. Marion had only allowed seven points in the second half all season, while scoring 41.
That didn't change Friday night as the Warriors outscored Ellinwood 19-0 after halftime, to claim a 32-14 victory. The Warriors improved to 3-1 in the MCAA, and 4-1 overall.
"I thought the second half was maybe our best half defensively," Thierolf said. "Simply because we saw in the first half how dangerous Ellinwood was."
The Eagles racked up 180 yards on offense in the first half, compared to just 53 in the second.
Junior defensive back Jeff Richmond had his second interception of the year, and knocked down another pass.
"He's done a nice job," said Thierolf. "I think playing baseball, and being an outfielder helps because you kind of read the ball well."
As good as the defense was, the offense might have been a little better.
Marion racked up 402 yards rushing, the bulk of them coming from juniors Casey Nelson and Josh Kelsey.
Nelson averaged 99 yards rushing per game going in, and apparently the Eagles knew that. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Kelsey faked the handoff to Nelson, causing the entire defense to jump on him, as Kelsey streaked 80 yards down the field for the score. Senior Tyson Heidebrecht added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.
"I didn't really expect it to open up that much," Kelsey said of the huge hole he had to run through.
What Kelsey may not have realized was it would open up again later in the game.
As Nelson continued to run the ball well, the Eagles turned their attention back to him. He scored on a 16-yard run in the second quarter, sandwiched in between two Ellinwood touchdowns.
With one minute until halftime Marion tried to take the lead on a trick play.
Trailing by one and facing a fourth and goal inside the Ellinwood 10-yard line, the Warriors tried a halfback-pass from Jason Hett to Josh Smith. Smith was open in the endzone, but the ball landed just past his out-stretched arms for the turnover on downs.
As the second half started, it was more Nelson. On a crucial third-and-six, Nelson broke through for a 32-yard gain into Eagle territory.
Kelsey added a 25-yard run to the five, and Nelson punched it in on the next play for a 19-14 lead with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter. The two-point attempt failed, but the Warriors had set the tone for the second half.
"Casey came up with big run, after big run, after big run," Thierolf said.
Nelson finished with 158 yards and two touchdowns.
After two Ellinwood punts and a turnover on downs, Marion found the end zone again. This time it was Kelsey doing the damage.
He knocked over a would-be-tackler at the Warrior 47, and pounded his way to the Eagle 38. The Warriors continued to pound the ball with Kelsey and Nelson. With just over four minutes left Kelsey plunged in from three yards to up the lead to 26-14.
Kelsey wasn't done. After an Ellinwood turnover, the Warriors had the ball again in Eagle territory. Another huge hole opened for Kelsey, as he scored from 34 yards out to seal the victory with 1:05 remaining. The Warriors' 402 rushing yards out-gained the Eagles 233 yards of total offense.
"The story of the game then goes to the offensive line," Thierolf said.
He was pleased with all aspects of the game except one.
Marion was 0-4 passing, but Thierolf acknowledged the strong wind and success running the ball had a lot to do with that.
"Our passing game has got to get better," he said. "And we can throw the ball better."
Thierolf knows it's only a matter of time before that happens.
"It will be interesting to see what happens when we get everybody going."
It could translate into a league title.
If the Warriors defeat Hoisington Friday they will be the outright division champs.
The MCAA is split into two six-team divisions. One division consists of four 4A schools, and two larger 3A schools, called the upper division. The other consists of all 3A schools, and is called the lower division. Each division crowns a champion at the end of the year.
A victory for Marion will give them a 4-1 league record, and the 2004 championship.
