Warrior Voice: Roller coaster on track
Thank goodness! The Marion Warriors thrashed Council Grove 39-7 Friday night. Coming off their defeat of Chase County the week before, the two solid efforts in a row are a welcome sign of consistency and a team coming together.
At the mid-point of the season, injuries and illness, outstanding play followed by nightmare quarters, big wins and crushing losses, have made following the Warriors a bit like riding the roller coaster at a cheap amusement park. You think you will survive, but you're not totally sure. With this win the team has announced they are safely on track and the rest of the season ought to be a fun ride.
The Braves entered this game with one league victory under their belt. They are a veteran team with excellent size. It was important to jump on them early and not allow them to gain any confidence. The Warriors did just that as Joel Versch intercepted the Braves' first pass attempt giving Marion great field position.
The offense responded quickly as Steven Boone went in from the seven- yard line. Boone obviously wasn't satisfied with the short touchdown run, so he showed power and speed to score from 31 yards out on the next Warrior possession. Jake Smith converted on both PAT kicks, and with less than four minutes gone in the game, Marion was already up 14-0.
Council Grove was down but they weren't out. Putting together their best drive of the game, the Braves moved to mid-field where they elected to go for it on fourth and short. Senior running back Bar Macy took the ball around the right end.
The Warrior defenders were up tight to stop the short yardage play and after Macy broke through the line, he had clear sailing the rest of the way for a 53-yard touchdown run. The quarter ended with Marion leading 14-7.
Council Grove had a ray of hope but the Warrior defense stepped up and the Braves never threatened again.
Coach Grant Thierolf praised his team's pass defense as being "very solid" and the numbers back him up.
The Braves had only one first down in the air against four interceptions, two each for Versch and Jason Matz who took one 23 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Warrior offense wasn't flashy, but it was deadly efficient. Quarterback Clayton Chamberland had a solid game, rushing 11 times for 71 yards, and hitting four of nine pass attempts for 66 yards with no interceptions.
When the Warrior drives got near the goal line, the Braves had no answer for Boone, who scored second quarter TDs from the four and the one.
Thierolf was particularly pleased with his team's offensive balance and the ability of the offensive line to block the multiple defensive fronts Council Grove threw at them.
While Boone ran well as always, gaining 111 yards on 16 carries, the linemen did their part, not only opening holes, but holding their blocks well down field as Boone rumbled past would-be tacklers.
Marion didn't let up in the second half, scoring on another Boone run in the third quarter and the Matz interception in the fourth.
Once again, the Warrior defense was outstanding. Alan Vogel had a big night with nine tackles and superior play on both sides of the ball from start to finish.
In fact, the whole Marion line deserves mention. Jake Adkins consistently contained all Council Grove attempts to run outside, turning their runners back inside to be leveled.
Jimmy Shipman played well in the middle while Eric Smith, Neil Waner, and Tyler Smith continued to be headhunters as they inflicted damage all over the field. While Matz played well on offense, his defense merits a letter to Grandma: eight tackles (two for losses), two interceptions (one for a TD), one fumble caused and one pass break-up that was really a catch and fumble due to Jason's big hit. Countless bruises, and total intimidation all added up to one heck of a night.
Drew Looper who seems to see more action each week performed well as did Tyler Stubenhofer who was in on four tackles while pulling in two Chamberland passes for 32 yards.
The defensive backfield earned high praise from Coach Thierolf and defensive coordinator Jerry Smith. While Versch and Matz were picking off Council Grove passes, Mitch Enos and Matt Rhodes blanketed the Braves receivers and came up strong to stuff the run. Rhodes finished with seven tackles and a fumble recovery.
Leading big and not wanting to run up the score, Thierolf substituted freely in the fourth quarter saying "it's always fun to get everybody in the game." Taking advantage of the opportunity, the "killer Bs" held the Braves in check and behind Kevin Costello's running were mounting a drive of their own when play ended.
Marion now stands at 3-2 on the season and travels to Herington Friday for what appears to be a meeting of two evenly-matched teams. If the Warriors maintain the level of play we have seen the past two weeks, we will know the roller coaster ride is over and they are primed and ready to begin district play.
TEAM STATS
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
Marion 14 12 7 6 39
Council Grove 7 0 0 0 7
Council
Marion Grove
First downs 18 5
Rushing, yds. 49-282 33-151
Passes 10 12
Comp.-Att.-Int. 4-66-0 4-48-4
Total yards 348 169
Punts-avg. 2-31 4-34.8
Passes Int. 0 4
Fumbles Lost 2 1
Touchdowns: Steven Boone, 7-yard run, Jake Smith, kick. Boone, 31-yard run, Smith, kick. Boone, 4-yard run, kick failed. Boone, 1-yard run, run failed. Boone, 6-yard run, Smith kick. Jason Matz, 23-yard interception return, kick failed.
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing: Boone, 16-111. Matz, 13-51. Clayton Chamberland, 11-71. Mitch Enos, 1-8. Casey Nelson, 3-11. Kevin Costello, 5-30.
Passing: Chamberland, 4-9-66. Josh Kelsey, 0-1.
Receiving: Joel Versch, 1-4. Matz, 1-30. Stubenhofer, 2-32.
Punting: Tyler Smith, 2-62-31.
Leading Tacklers — Tyler Stubenhofer, 1-3. Enos, 3-1. Matz, 5-3. Jake Adkins, 2-2. Boone, 3-2. Jimmy Shipman, 2-1. Eric Smith, 3-6. Alan Vogel, 4-5. Neil Waner, 3-2. Tyler Smith, 4-4. Joel Versch, 2-2. Matt Rhodes, 3-4. Casey Nelson, 1-2. Kevin Costello, 1. Jake Smith, 1. Dale Vogel, 3 assists.
SCORES OF INTEREST Warrior Opponents (in bold):
Minneapolis 28, Clay Center 27
Sacred Heart 61, Herington 0
S.E. Saline 25, Russell 21
Fredonia 29, Eureka 21
Wichita Independent 27, Chase Co. 24
Medicine Lodge 48, Bluestem 0
Area Scores:
Hillsboro 49, Ellsworth 0
Peabody 14, Inman 0
