Warriors halt Panther momentum
The weather and the Wichita Independent football team had a lot in common Friday night. Both appeared threatening, but in the end neither produced much. Marion traveled to Wichita for their first district contest and faced a team on the rise on a night when storms were predicted. The rain never fell, but the Panthers did, losing 46-16 to a Marion squad that is poised to make a legitimate playoff run.
Independent has played 11-man football for three years. Their three wins this season equal their win total for the first two seasons combined. They recently defeated Cottonwood Valley League opponents Council Grove and Chase County, and had momentum going into Friday night's game.
Their momentum didn't last long, however, when it ran into Joel Versch, Alan Vogel, Tyler Smith, and Jason Matz, who played defense for the Warriors. It switched sides entirely when Tyler Stubenhofer, Neil Waner, Steven Boone, Eric Smith, and the Marion offense took the field. To name all the Marion heroes would require printing of the team roster.
Marion physically dominated the Panthers as completely as they have any opponent this season. From the first series it was obvious the hosts weren't prepared for the intensity the Warriors brought to the game. A Matz sideline hit on the Panthers first possession brought "oohs and ahs" from the Marion crowd, and looks of concern from the Panthers.
While the Warrior defense dominated the Panthers, the offense held themselves in check with a fumble and an interception in the first quarter. However, a beautiful catch in which Versch literally stole the ball from a defender, set up Marion on the one-yard line and Clayton Chamberland took the ball in on the next play, giving Marion a 6-0 lead. Coach Grant Thierolf commented on the slow offensive start. "We didn't come out as sharp as we would have liked, but once we got rolling, things started coming together."
In fact the flood gates opened in the second quarter as the Warriors scored 27 unanswered points. Independent had no answer for Joel Versch. After Chamberland's six-yard run put Marion up 12-0, he hit Versch with a pass for the two-point conversion. The duo then linked up for a 42-yard touchdown as Versch overcame a pass interference call on the Panther defender, caught the ball, and took it into the end zone. The Versch show continued as he pulled in a 36-yard toss from Jason Matz on a halfback option play. Just for good measure, Versch also intercepted a pass. Matz capped a Marion drive with a two-yard touchdown run and the Warriors led 33-0 at the half.
Tyler Stubenhofer had a great game going with six tackles, a forced fumble which he recovered, and a pass reception for 24 yards when he went down with an injured knee late in the second quarter. Corner back Mitch Enos was out with illness, and safety Matt Rhodes was forced from the game after a big hit, causing the Warriors to call on their bench to patrol the defensive backfield. Fortunately, Clayton Chamberland and Calvin Riggs were up to the challenge and the defense never missed a beat. Of course, D-backs always appreciate strong line play and Jake Adkins, Jimmy Shipman, Drew Looper and the rest of the men in the trenches took care of that.
Once again, Coach Thierolf was pleased with the Warriors offensive balance as they rolled up 280 yards on the ground and 163 in the air. Meanwhile, the varsity defense held the Panthers to 12 yards rushing through the first three quarters.
After halftime, Vogel and company continued to control the field on defense, while running backs Matz and Boone pounded the Panthers using up time and rolling up yards. When Boone scored from the one, the Warriors led 39-16 and the "Killer B's" were unleashed as the fourth quarter got underway.
Independent kept their varsity offense in the game, but couldn't line up and overpower the young Warriors. They were finally able to move the ball with misdirection plays, and scored twice, tacking on two points each time to make the score 39-0. Stepping up big defensively for the Killer B's were Cody Chiles, Jake Smith, and Casey Nelson with three tackles each and Russell Ploutz who pulled in an interception. Meanwhile, the offense, which has had several good drives this year, took advantage of the extended playing time and hit pay dirt. Marion appeared to be intent on running out the clock but the Panthers persisted in calling time outs. Given the opportunity, freshman quarterback Josh Kelsey calmly dropped back and lofted a beautiful 31-yard bomb to Calvin Riggs who pulled it in, fought off a defender, and bulled his way to the end zone. Boone kicked his second PAT of the evening, and Marion had a 46-16 win.
"It was fun to see our young players get a chance to play and score," Coach Thierolf said. He was happy with the win. However, he was quick to point out the next two games are against unfamiliar opponents that offer new challenges.
The Warriors will be home next week to face a Bluestem team that was pounded by Eureka. Marion appears to be peaking at just the right time. The bandwagon is picking up speed so if you want to jump on, be at Marion Stadium Friday night as district play continues.
TEAM STATS
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
Marion 7 27 6 7 46
Wichita
Independent 0 0 0 16 6
Marion Independent
First downs 15 7
Rushing, yds. 50-280 32-93
Passes 9 13
Comp.-Att.-Int. 5-163-1 7-97-5
Total yards 443 190
Punts-avg. 0 6-31
Passes Int. 1 5
Fumbles Lost 3 2
Touchdowns: Clayton Chamberland, 1-yard run, kick failed. Chamberland, 6-yard run, Versch pass from Chamberland. Versch, 42-yard pass from Chamberland. Boone kick. Versch, 36-yard pass from Matz, kick failed. Matz, 2-yard run, run failed. Boone, 1-yard run, kick failed. Riggs, 31-yard pass from Kelsey, Boone kick.
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing: Boone, 13-66. Matz, 19-161. Chamberland, 6-24. Josh Kelsey, 1-8. Casey Nelson, 4-12. Kevin Costello, 5-18.
Passing: Chamberland, 3-5-97. Kelsey, 1-2-31. Matz, 1-2-36.
Receiving: Versch, 3-109. Tyler Stubenhofer, 1-24. Calvin Riggs, 1-31.
Returns: Versch, 1-9. Stubenhofer, 2-10.
Leading Tacklers — Stubenhofer, 3-3. Matz, 3-2. Chamberland, 1-2. Jake Adkins, 1-2. Boone, 4-4. Jimmy Shipman, 2-1. Eric Smith, 2-3. Alan Vogel, 6-2. Neil Waner, 1-3. Drew Looper, 1-1. Tyler Smith, 3-5. Versch, 1-2. Matt Rhodes, 2-1. Kelsey, 1-2. Nelson, 2-1. Tyson Heidebrecht, 0-1. Jake Smith, 2-1. Cody Chiles, 2-1. Russell Ploutz, -1. Josh Smith, 0-1.
Scores of interest Warrior Opponents (in bold):
Herington 30, Inman 16
Riley County 20, Minneapolis 15
Sacred Heart 55, Solomon 0
S.E. Saline 35, Belleville 14
Circle 15, Council Grove 7
Olpe 42, Chase County 0
Eureka 54, Bluestem 14
Area Scores:
Centre 60, Goessel 14
Hillsboro 40, Lyons 6
Peabody 7, Hutchinson Trinity 0
