Sheldon Boone tries to put a move on Hoisington’s Alex Lomas during the first half of Friday’s game. Boone picked up seven yards on the play on the way to 41 yards for the night. Andrew Ottoson / Free Press.
Highly touted Hoisington spoiled Marion High’s homecoming, 35-14, on Friday.
The Cardinals scored before either team ran an offensive play when Adam Sullivan returned the opening kickoff 87 yards. Adam Demel nailed the first of five extra point kicks for a 7-0 lead.
Marion advanced the ball to its own 44-yard mark before attempting its first punt, which was blocked and recovered by Hoisington. The Cardinals returned the ball 37 yards, setting up a 7-yard touchdown run by Cameron Horesky for a 14-0 Hoisington lead with 6:13 to play in the first frame.
The Warriors got their ground game going on the next possession and broke into Cardinal territory for the first time on a 29-yard shake-and-bake by Mitchell Leppke. But Hoisington recovered a fumble on the next play, taking over 67 yards from the Marion goal line with 5:02 left in the period.
The Warrior defense promptly pushed the Cardinals into a third-and-7, but Horesky set up Hoisington’s third score of the quarter with a 30-yard run. Justin Heidebrecht made the tackle, but Demel scored on an 11-yard blast four plays later.
Hoisington got the ball back after a Marion punt and went for the jugular. Chase Carlson broke up quarterback Dylan Demel’s first pass attempt of the night, but Horesky escaped containment on the next play, rumbling 73 yards for a 28-0 lead.
The score was unchanged at halftime, but Marion made it interesting after intermission.
Having lost heavy-hitter Eric Vogel to a lower body injury moments before halftime, the Marion defense forced Hoisington’s first turnover of the night.
Austin Hager barely got off a line-drive punt, and Horesky took it on one bounce near the Hoisington sideline. Tylor Neil met him an instant later, and Mark Kukuk recovered the loose ball at the Cardinal 35.
Hager, fresh off a 21-yard run on the previous series, converted two first downs before smashing into the end zone from eight yards out with 6:07 to play in the third quarter. Brian Fruechting added the PAT, making it 28-7.
Horesky totaled 39 yards on the next drive and set up Sullivan’s second touchdown, a 5-yard run for a 35-7 lead with 2:02 left in the third.
The Warrior defense kept Hoisington from scoring in the fourth quarter and the offense added one last touchdown to cap the scoring at 35-14.
Hager set up the score and generated cheer when he converted a fourth-and-short by a whisker seven seconds into the frame.
Boone converted a fourth-and-1 moments later, then blasted into the end zone, emerging from a stacked line of scrimmage and trotting 14 yards into the end zone with 9:00 left in the fourth quarter.
Marion, playing for pride, forced and recovered another fumble on Hoisington’s next possession. Brad Klenda came out of the pile with the football with 7:09 left.
Hoisington ran out the clock on its next possession. Sullivan led the Cardinals with 216 yards, including 129 rushing yards on 11 carries. Horesky totaled 182 yards on 16 carries.
Hager led the Warriors with 126 yards on 24 attempts. Boone and Leppke each carried 12 times, totaling 41 and 44 yards, respectively.
Coming—Marion (3-2) plays at Lyons (2-3) next Friday. Lyons is coming off a 14-0 loss to Ellinwood, whom Marion defeated 28-6 in the second week of the season.
