Warriors trounce Sacred Heart
n Marion takes first Cottonwood Valley League win during homecoming festivities
By ERIC CLARK
Sports Editor
To defeat a team that socked you by more than 30 points a year ago, and to do it the way the Marion football team did in the waning moments of a football game, says a lot about the maturity and development of a team — and a lot about Marion's class.
The Warriors elected to run out the clock Friday night, rather than punch in one last touchdown to defeat Sacred Heart, 14-7.
The Knights, who won the Cottonwood Valley League title last season, and who are expected to repeat this season, met up with an unrelenting Warrior defense that may have evaporated premature speculation of a CVL title repeat.
The Warriors continued to show why they shouldn't be overlooked.
"In the newspapers this week, (Sacred Heart) was saying that all the other CVL teams feared them," senior quarterback Clayton Chamberland said. "That fired us up, and we wanted to send them the message that we don't fear anyone."
Chamberland and Co. showed little fear early in the game, pouncing on the Knights from the onset of the kickoff.
Marion coach Grant Thierolf said the quick start and aggressive play made for an exciting football game.
"(The quick start) gave us a lot of momentum," Thierolf said. "This was a good win for our football team. I was proud of them."
As the Warriors watched a long snap sail over the head of Sacred Heart's punter early in the first quarter, thoughts of last year's blow out were quickly erased on the next play.
Chamberland pounded it in from two yards out at the 10:32 mark to give Marion a 7-0 advantage after Steven Boone split the uprights on the extra point.
Sacred Heart's next possession stalled and the Knights were forced to punt.
In Marion's next series, Chamberland hooked-up with speedster Casey Nelson on a 28-yard pass to give Marion solid field position.
Several plays later, Tyler Smith rumbled in from four yards out to give the Warriors a 14-0 lead after the Boone PAT.
Neither team scored in the second quarter.
With a 14-point lead, the Warriors headed into the locker room at intermission.
But the momentum of the Cottonwood Valley League contest quickly shifted to the Knights.
Sacred Heart connected on a 14-yard pass play to close the margin to seven points after a successful extra-point kick.
But it was Marion defense that took center stage in the final quarter of the game, breaking up several Sacred Heart drives in mid-stride.
Sacred Heart turned the ball over on downs on their two-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the game. With the game in hand, Thierolf elected to "take a knee" in the final seconds of the game to "win the game with class," he said.
The Warriors held on, and came away with the 7-point win and their first CVL win of the year.
The Warriors racked up 277 total yards of rushing to Sacred Heart's 147 yards.
Boone led the rushing attack for the Warriors with 116 yards on 24 carries, while Chamberland finished with 57 yards on 15 carries. The Marion quarterback also connected on seven of his 16 passes for 98 yards, including 42 yards that Tyler Stubenhofer hauled in.
Boone and Stubenhofer spearheaded the Marion defense. Boone finished with eight tackles and three assists, while Stubenhofer finished with five tackles and one assist. Jordan Trapp had a pair of sacks, and Neil Waner had an interception in the Warrior victory.
The Warriors are now 2-1 with the win and will travel Friday to Chase County. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
