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Warriors beat Herington, 61-6

Sports editor

Six different Warriors score touchdowns in blowout

For the Marion High School football team, a 61-6 victory is something to celebrate.

However, even more so, is the fact the Warriors are now 1-0 in district play after defeating Herington on its home field, with two games remaining.

“It’s big just because it sets us up to control our own fate in the district,” MHS head coach Grant Thierolf said. “That is how you want your season to go.”

The first game in five years between the two former Cottonwood Valley League members got off to a fast start when MHS quarterback Mitchell Leppke hit slot back Marc Washington for a 52-yard touchdown on the first play of the game.

Washington caught the ball at the Herington 20, spun around two defenders and charged into the end zone.

“We wanted to go deep early and set the tone for the game,” Thierolf said. “We knew they would expect us to come out running, and they would be ready for that, so we just went with a pass play.

“Mitchell made a nice throw and Marc did the rest.”

From there the onslaught continued.

In the first quarter alone the Warriors scored on four of their 14 plays from scrimmage, all drives lasting less than four minutes long.

After forcing a Railer punt on their first possession, Marion took over at its own 32 and ran the ball three times to the Herington 33.

From there, Leppke lobbed a screen pass to the left side for Drew Maddox, who hauled it in and sprinted down the sideline for a score.

The touchdown passes were the first two of the season for Leppke, who also has run for eight scores.

“We have been very efficient in the passing game for the past three weeks,” Thierolf said. “We are taking advantage of what we can do, and it’s a combination of our receivers getting better and our quarterback throwing the ball better.”

On the Warriors next possession Washington scored on a 44-yard run, and Leppke added a 27-yard score for a 27-0 lead at the end of the quarter.

For all of the scoring the Warriors were doing, their eventual touchdown leader for the night hadn’t even touched the ball yet.

Senior Andy Kelsey, a linebacker who had run the ball just once all season, ended the night with six carries and team-highs of 93 yards and three touchdowns.

After Sheldon Boone rushed for his sixth touchdown of the year three minutes into the second quarter, Kelsey went to work.

With Herington (1-6, 0-1 district) punting inside its own 20, Eric Vogel blocked the kick, which ended up in Mitch Cady’s hands, and he returned it to the Railer 20.

On the next play Kelsey found pay dirt for his first score of the season.

After a turnover on downs, Marion took over on the Herington 34.

A seven-yard run by Adam Regnier set up a second-and-two on the 22.

Kelsey then took the handoff and scored right up the middle on his second straight run attempt to give Marion a 48-0 lead.

He wasn’t done.

However, he would wait until the second half to make his final mark.

After forcing another Railer punt, Boone took the high-arching kick and returned it 49 yards for a score and Marion took a 55-0 lead into halftime.

Both teams agreed the second half would be managed with a running clock that only stopped for touchdowns and timeouts.

Herington went three-and-out on its opening possession of the half, and Marion took over on the Railer 43.

Runs by Regnier, Kelsey, Maddox, and Leppke brought the ball to the Railer 28.

Kelsey again busted through the line for his third, 20-plus yard touchdown of the night.

“We know that Andy is a good football player and we were excited for him to get some carries and touchdowns,” Thierolf said. “He has played well for us this year on special teams and is a good linebacker as well.”

Kelsey didn’t go into the game thinking he would score three touchdowns, but was happy, nonetheless.

“It felt really good. I was surprised,” he said. “My line did a really good job of blocking, I just had to run.”

The Warriors final touchdown gave them a 61-0 lead, and it stayed that way until the final minutes of the game when the Railers scored on the Warriors second-team defense for a final score of 61-6.

Thierolf loved the way his team played (seeing 400 yards of offense on 34 plays), but also thought there were some things it needed to work on.

While the Railers only rushed for 53 yards on 30 carries, they did complete 10-21 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought early in the game we were pretty soft in our coverage, but from the second quarter on we tightened up and played pretty well,” the 21st-year coach said.

Behind Kelsey on the ground was Boone with 76 yards, Washington 64, Leppke 41, and Maddox 31.

Leppke was 2-3 passing for 85 yards and the two scores.

Matt Thierolf, and Nick and Brad Klenda each had six total tackles, while Boone recorded his second interception of the season.

The Warriors play Southeast of Saline Friday at home.

A victory against the 4-3 Trojans, who knocked off Hillsboro in first-round district action, would ensure Marion a trip to the state playoffs.

Last modified Oct. 22, 2008

 

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