It was a tale of two halves for the Marion football team in a shutout victory on Halloween night Thursday against Moundridge.
The Warriors struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, yet took a 7-0 lead into intermission. Marion, however, came out of the locker room and scored on three consecutive possessions to seal a 27-0 victory over the Wildcats and clinch the District 12 title with a perfect 3-0 record.
Moundridge was forced to punt on the game?s opening drive, and Marion showed promise when quarterback Taylor Heidebrecht found running room for a 38-yard gain on second down. But Caleb Williams fumbled the ball away on the next play to end the drive.
Neither team produced much offensively, and the first quarter remained scoreless.
On Moundridge?s first possession of the second quarter, Marion found a spark when Williams recovered a Wildcat fumble on first down.
The Warriors took over at the Wildcat 10-yard line, and Marion was in the end zone following two rushes by Adam Janzen, including the 5-yard score.
With 8:51 left in the half, Marion took a 7-0 lead after Grif Case?s kick, a margin that held until halftime.
Marion received the second-half kickoff and executed a 15-play scoring drive.
Facing fourth-and-6 from the Wildcat 31-yard line, Heidebrecht completed a 12-yard pass to Zach Robson to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, Janzen ran up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown strike. The Warriors covered 67 yards on the drive and led, 14-0, following Case?s kick.
After Moundridge was forced to punt, the Marion offense went right back to work.
On the second play of the drive, Heidebrecht completed a 34-yard pass to Case, setting the Warriors up at the Moundridge 19-yard line. Four plays later, Heidebrecht found Williams in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown strike. Case?s kick made it 21-0 with 11:03 left in the game.
The Warrior defense again forced a Wildcat punt, and Marion added to its lead on the next drive. A 44-yard pass from Heidebrecht to Williams set up a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Janzen, capping a six-play, 69-yard drive. Case?s kick was no good, giving Marion a 27-0 lead with 6:25 to go.
Moundridge could not come up with any points on one final possession, and Heidebrecht took a knee to seal the victory.
Marion will play at home Tuesday. More information will follow when it becomes available.
