Blue Crush: Warriors dump Dragons in MCAA match-up
Running back Nelson reaches 200 yards
Sports reporter
A great first quarter, a bad second quarter, and even better second half Friday summed up Marion High School's 42-14 drubbing of Halstead.
A week after MHS dragged its feet through an ugly victory against Nickerson, the Warriors came out gunning from the opening kickoff.
With the Dragon crowd rocking, Florian Schnoor sent the opening kickoff toward Jason Hett.
Unfortunately for Halstead, it was the Marion crowd that was loud when the play ended.
Hett caught the ball at his own 15, waited for a block, cut right, turned the corner, and sprinted down the sidelines for a touchdown.
It was the second big play for Hett in two games after catching an 82-yard touchdown pass against Nickerson.
"They were coming for me and all of a sudden it opened up," Hett said. "I hit the seam right on time and went for six."
Jeff Richmond's extra point made it 7-0 just 14 seconds in, and Marion had the early momentum.
Halstead would then turn the ball over on downs to Marion, but the Warriors couldn't muster any offense. Jeremy Vondenkamp's punt set the Dragons up on their own 21-yard line.
This time a turnover did in the Dragons.
On second-and-nine sophomore end John Barr III recovered a fumble that set up MHS on the Dragon 25-yard line.
When a team gives senior tailback Casey Nelson a 25-yard field, it usually doesn't end up in its favor.
This time was no different.
On Nelson's first touch of the game he scampered 20 yards into the end zone. Richmond nailed another PAT, and with 4:26 remaining in the first quarter, Marion led 14-0.
Halstead shot itself in the foot again on the next possession.
Junior quarterback Austin Ratzlaff was sacked by Emmanuel Jackson on third-and-11. Instead of heading back into the huddle, Ratzlaff chucked the ball and received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Now it was 4-and-32 and Halstead was forced to punt deep in its own territory.
MHS took over on the Dragon 37. A pass to Hett, and a few Nelson runs put Marion on the 10-yard-line. There quarterback Josh Kelsey gave MHS six more points with his first touchdown run of the season. Richmond missed the kick, but MHS still led 20-0 with under two minutes to play in the first quarter.
"We didn't have a great week of practice," head coach Grant Thierolf said. "But I think we have some kids who understood what we were trying to tell them."
It seemed evident early on Thierolf was right.
However, momentum can shift at any time, and it can shift fast.
On Halstead's next possession the Dragons drove down to the Warrior four on a great run by Ratzlaff. But once again the Dragons hurt themselves. A holding penalty brought back the run, and Ratzlaff was called for his second personal foul after taunting Marion's Russell Ploutz.
After Ploutz blasted Ratzlaff out-of-bounds, the quarterback stood over him yelling.
The penalties gave Halstead a second-and-25 from the MHS 40-yard line.
But while the momentum seemed to sway in favor of the Warriors, the Dragons eventually punched in a touchdown on a six-yard run by tailback Justin Calvin.
Two plays later, Kelsey fumbled in Warrior territory, giving the Dragons a short field.
B.J. Bryant caught a three-yard pass in the end zone from Ratzlaff three plays later and all of a sudden it was 20-14.
"The second quarter was ugly on our part," Thierolf said.
Luckily for MHS it wasn't as ugly as it could have been thanks to Nelson.
After the second touchdown, MHS had the ball on its own 27 with under five minutes to play.
A punt and then a Dragon punt gave Marion the ball to run out the clock until halftime.
Or so the Dragons thought.
On first down from the MHS 25-yard line, Nelson ran 67 yards to the Dragon seven, eluding would-be tacklers by waiting patiently for blocks.
"That is what you think your senior all-state candidate ought to do," Thierolf said. "The five guys up front did a nice job blocking for him."
Nelson would score two plays later, and add a two-point conversion run, as the momentum meter swung on Marion's side once again.
With a 28-14 halftime lead, the game was essentially won on that play.
"The timing of it was just such a tremendous thing for momentum," Thierolf said.
The Dragons dug themselves a deeper hole after fumbling on their first possession of the second half.
Kelsey, who recovered the fumble, stood in the pocket just long enough and hit wide receiver Dave DeForest with a perfect touch pass for a 12-yard touchdown.
"That throw Josh made to Dave DeForest was about as pretty a football throw as you'll ever find in high school football," Thierolf said. "That was beautiful."
Nelson would add one more touchdown for good measure in the fourth quarter to make the final score 42-14.
For the game Nelson recorded 200 yards on 23 carries.
Kelsey was 5-9 in the air for 61 yards and one touchdown. For the season he is 8-15 for 155 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
"We're becoming a little bit better [than last year] throwing the football," Thierolf said.
On the defensive side, linebacker Michael Brookens recorded a team-high 14 tackles, including one for a loss.
At 5'6", 179 pounds, the player Dragon coach Matt McKee called Marion's MVP of the game, Brookens leads the team in tackles this season with 28.
Sophomores Barr III and Jackson once again provided depth on the defensive side with seven combined tackles and two sacks.
"They are just like little puppy dogs lapping at things because they want to make a play so bad," Thierolf said of the scrappy linemen.
The Warriors now stand at 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Mid-Central Activities Association. They will host Sterling Friday during homecoming.
"They are physical and fast," Thierolf said of the Black Bears. "I expect a good football game."
