Warriors surge past Cardinals, claim second MCAA championship in a row
Sports reporter
The battle proved to be as good as advertised.
Despite a low-scoring second half Friday, the Marion High School Warriors and Hoisington Cardinals gave fans their money's worth.
In the end, Marion came out on top 28-13 in a match-up of unbeaten teams.
The victory gives MHS a 5-0 Mid-Central Activities Association, and 6-0 overall record. It also clinched the division title for the Warriors for the second year in a row.
Head coach Grant Thierolf knows there still is a lot of work to do.
"We're 0-0 now," he said. "It's a new season."
The new season would be the last three games of the year, which are the district playoffs.
But he did tell his team to enjoy the latest victory for a little while, after all they earned it.
"The kids just know how hard they work, and they just refuse to give up, and refuse to give in," Thierolf said.
"We've have some very bright, intelligent, motivated kids, who really work very hard at what they do, and when you do that you always have a chance."
Early on Friday it looked like they didn't have a chance when Hoisington's Jacob Deutsch hit Trevor Bieberle for an 11-yard touchdown just 1 minute, 39 seconds into the game. The Cardinals missed the extra point, but still led 6-0.
Thierolf was upset with the lack of defensive execution, but never panicked.
"Sometimes when you give up a score that early it invigorates you because you want to fight back," he said.
That's exactly what his team did.
After a 10-play drive ended with a punt, Warrior Adam Depler recovered a Cardinal fumble on their 32-yard line.
After an incomplete pass, running back Casey Nelson took the ball and cut right, and sidestepped the sidelines for a 28-yard gain down to the four.
Two plays later, quarterback Josh Kelsey plunged in from two yards out. The PAT was no good, and the game was tied at six with 2:09 left in the first quarter.
After a Hoisington punt, both offenses turned to high gear, scoring on three consecutive possessions.
The Warriors took over on the Cardinal 44 and took just two plays to find the end zone again.
After a loss on the first play, Kelsey floated a perfect bomb to Jason Hett for a 45-yard score. Jeff Richmond added the extra point, and Marion led 13-7, 39 seconds into the second quarter.
Next it was the Cardinals turn to put on a show, scoring just four plays later on a 50-yard run by Cameron Horesky. The extra point was good and the teams were tied at 13 with 9:27 left in the first half.
The Warriors ended the first half scoring on their next possession.
The drive started at mid-field with a false start. Kelsey then calmly dropped back and hit senior wide out David DeForest for a 31-yard gain. Four more running plays put the ball at the three-yard line, and Nelson did the rest on the next play, rushing for his 13th touchdown of the season.
Richmond added the PAT and the Warriors led 20-13.
Hoisington then used the final 6:32 on the clock to move 76 yards in 12 plays down to the Warrior six.
The drive was aided when Thierolf was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after a pass interference call on MHS took away an interception in the end zone.
The Warriors pass defense that had been shaky so far, held on four plays from the six after the penalty, keeping the score at 20-13 heading into the half.
"It was a great job by our defense. I was stupid. I gave them a shorter field than they should have had," Thierolf said. "Our kids bailed me out."
The second half looked like a completely different game.
After five touchdowns were scored in the first two quarters, the teams traded punts on six straight possessions to open the second half.
Neither team got farther than its own 47-yard line, until Nelson did something he hasn't done in two years — catch a pass.
MHS faced a third-and-eight at its own 32 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Kelsey dropped back, and every Cardinal defender was looking for a deep bomb.
Instead he tossed 10 yards to Nelson who scampered down the left sideline, eluded would-be tacklers, added a hurdle inside the 10, before crossing the goal line for a 68-yard touchdown catch.
It was the first reception for Nelson since he hauled in three passes his sophomore season.
"We tried that play two other times this year and it didn't work either time," Thierolf said. "They were coming so hard on the outside we just thought it was time probably to try it again."
The huge play was the final blow to the Cardinals who were unable to move the ball at all in the second half.
They were forced to punt inside their own 20 on the next possession with less than five minutes remaining.
They got the ball back one more time, but it was too late as Marion celebrated the league title with parents and fans at the middle of the football field.
Thierolf credited the win to his defense and special teams, especially in the second half.
"We were in good field position virtually all night long," he said. "They had a long field every time they got the ball [in the second half]."
Emmanuel Jackson and Michael Brookens anchored the defense that shut down the potent Cardinal offense.
Jackson, who recorded nine tackles and a sack, was impressive on special teams, using his speed to keep Cardinal punt returners from going anywhere.
Jackson said he was motivated after failing to execute on a defense earlier in the game.
"I took the wrong gap," he said. "So I had to make up for it on special teams."
Brookens was a part of 12 tackles and now leads the team with 74 total tackles.
"We just started figuring out their offense," he said. "We made a couple of small adjustments at halftime, and just flat got after them."
Friday the new season begins at Southeast of Saline, a team that dominated Marion at home last year 34-7.
"They came here and we weren't ready for them last year. We'll be ready this time," Brookens said.
The Trojans and Warriors will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday in Gypsum.
