Warriors tame the Lions
After playing on the road the past two weeks the Marion Warriors were happy to come home Friday night and even happier to host the Bluestem Lions.
Bluestem is suffering through a nightmare season, coming into the game with a record of no wins, seven losses. It was clear from the opening kickoff that they were not going to seriously challenge the Warriors on a cold, damp night in which Warrior reserves were starting to see action in the second quarter.
Marion Coach Grant Thierolf thought his team played well offensively, but was especially happy with his defense. "It was a great night for the Warrior defense. Our varsity held their offense to minus 42 yards total offense."
The theme was set early as Marion defender Jimmy Shipman dominated his opposite number and was consistently in the Bluestem backfield. The Warrior defense just wouldn't allow the Lions any hope, refusing to yield first downs and then disrupting the Bluestem punting game. As a result, Marion started most of their drives in or near the Bluestem side of the 50-yard line. This probably kept the Warrior offensive statistics from being even more impressive since they didn't have far to go before scoring.
The rout began on Marion's first possession which ended in a three-yard Steven Boone touchdown run. Quarterback Clayton Chamberland had a good night running the ball and scored the Warriors second TD on an eight-yard scamper. Lineman Neil Waner had a game to remember and it started when he picked up a Marion fumble and alertly advanced it 13 yards for the team's third score of the first quarter.
The second quarter was a carbon copy of the first as the Lion's offense sputtered and Marion scored twice. Chamberland had an impressive 37-yard touchdown run, aided by a crushing Jason Matz block that was tailor made for the highlight film.
The Warriors scored again when their defense appeared to stop a Lions runner in his own end zone for a safety, but just as the runner was going down he fumbled and Waner fell on it for a touchdown.
Waner has played well all season and Thierolf was happy for the junior lineman. "Neil Waner was in the right place at the right time tonight as he recovered three fumbles and scored two touchdowns."
Leading 35-0 at half time, the Warrior varsity knew their playing time in the second half was going to be limited, so they struck quickly in the third quarter. Jake Adkins has been a solid performer at defensive end, but this game allowed him to show his skills as running back. He opened the quarter with a one-yard TD plunge. Boone followed Adkins' score with one of his classic runs in which he looks like a baby bull shot out of a canon. Lion defenders were practically side stepping to avoid a collision as Boone went in from 16 yards out. Adkins then took a page from Boone's book as he scored again on a similar 15-yard run behind the "Killer B's" offensive line.
The Warriors varsity ended with great stats all around. Joel Versch continued his interception streak as he picked off two Lion passes. Jason Matz led the team with five first-hit tackles and also had an interception. Tyler Smith had six total tackles with two in the Lions' backfield. The most impressive defensive statistics belonged to Eric Smith who had three first hit tackles, two assists, two tackles for a loss, one sack, and one fumble caused.
The "Killer B's" and the Bluestem varsity battled from the middle of the third quarter to the final gun. Once again the Warrior reserves played well. They did yield one score to the visitors, but moved the ball well themselves as they ran effectively to keep the clock moving. Casey Nelson had a nice night, gaining 72 yards on 11 carries. He also had a long touchdown run called back on a penalty.
The "Killer B's" defense was led by Kevin Costello, Michael Brookens, and Tyson Heidebrecht. These three combined for 13 tackles and a quarterback sack. The Lions had no answer for their quickness. The 56-6 final score is a testament to the compassion of the Marion coaches. This one could have been much worse.
The Warriors will be home again this week to face Eureka. Marion is in the driver's seat for the district championship, but Eureka is a much better team than the Warriors recent opponents. Marion will be favored, but can't afford to look past the Tornadoes who are capable of playing good ball. This ought to be a good game. Look for the Warriors to spook the Tornadoes on Halloween night.
TEAM STATS
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
Marion 21 14 21 0 56
Bluestem 0 0 0 0 6
Marion Bluestem
First downs 18 3
Rushing, yds. 63-394 30-57
Passes 6 16
Comp.-Att.-Int. 1-11-2 5-89-4
Total yards 401 78
Punts-avg. 0 4-27.3
Passes Int. 2 4
Fumbles Lost 1 2
Touchdowns: Steven Boone, 3-yard run, Boone kick. Clayton Chamberland, 8-yard run, Boone kick. Neil Waner, 13-yard fumble return, Boone kick. Chamberland, 37-yard run, Boone kick. Waner, fumble recovery in endzone, Boone kick. Adkins, 1-yard run, Boone kick. Boone, 16-yard run. Adkins, 15-yard run, Boone kick.
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing: Boone, 16-105. Jason Matz, 13-73. Chamberland, 7-74. Chris Freeby, 2-7. Josh Kelsey, 3-3. Casey Nelson, 11-72. Kevin Costello, 6-26. Adkins, 5-30.
Passing: Chamberland, 1-5-11. Kelsey, 0-1-0.
Receiving: Josh Smith, 1-11.
Returns: Versch, 1-44.
Leading Tacklers — Mitch Enos, 1-1. Jason Matz, 5-1. Chamberland, 0-2. Adkins, 2-2. Boone, 2-3. Jimmy Shipman, 2-0. Eric Smith, 3-2. Alan Vogel 0-4. Neil Waner, 0-3. Drew Looper, 0-1. Tyler Smith, 4-2. Versch, 0-2. Freeby, 1-1. Nelson, 0-4. Costello, 4-2. Michael Brookens, 2-1. Tyson Heidebrecht, 2-2. Shaun Hayes, 0-1. Jake Smith, 0-2. Cody Chiles, 0-2. Dale Vogel, 1-0. David DeForest, 1-1. Jeffrey Richmond, 2-1. Jeremy Vondenkamp, 0-2. Russell Ploutz, 1-1. Josh Smith, 1-1.
Scores of interest Warrior Opponents (in bold):
Southeast Saline 21, Minneapolis 20
Sacred Heart 56, Bennington 7
Olpe 27, Herington 6
El Dorado 55, Council Grove 0
Lyndon 21, Chase County 18
Eureka 21, Wichita Independent 14
Area scores of interest
Hesston 26, Hillsboro 12
Peabody 34, Moundridge 14
Centre44, Quivera Heights 48
