Marmion hits smooth stretch in this roller coaster season

It's apropos that Marmion -- a football program accustomed to playing its home games on Saturday afternoons -- would host its first night game in more than 40 years this season.

It certainly provides a good analogy for how the Cadets' season has progressed thus far. Like night and day, Marmion has been a study in contrasts -- triumphantly conquering peaks one moment, dejectedly picking up the pieces in defeat the next moment.

"Confusing," coach Dan Thorpe said.

Where to start? Offense? The new-look Cadets were an unstoppable juggernaut to open the season, then didn't score a single point for 15 consecutive quarters, nearly four full games. From hot to cold in a heartbeat.

Maybe it's because the run-oriented, Wing-T formation of the past has been replaced by a pass-happy spread offense. But the high-powered aerial attack -- which averaged 43.5 points in those first two games -- went into hibernation thereafter, scoring just seven points in the next four games with no TD passes.

And then, a defense that surrendered an average of 32 points in the first five games transforms itself from porous to powerful, allowing a mere three points to St. Francis last week in a crucial victory that sparked Marmion's turnaround and re-ignited its playoff drive.

Playoffs? Yep, that's another stark difference. The Cadets, who appeared to have qualified last year, only to be denied on Selection Saturday due to a numbers game, are in prime position to secure a berth this year.

Unless, of course, something changes in this season of surprises.

But there won't likely be a repeat of the cruel twist of fate that left Marmion sitting home during the playoffs despite a 5-4 record. Normally, five wins is enough to get in. But the bubble was historically huge last year; the Cadets were one of 18 teams with a 5-4 mark that was denied. The previous high was five.

It was your classic bubble-bursting scenario -- the eager anticipation of playoff football suddenly replaced by the deflating news that your ticket won't be punched.

At least that day -- Oct. 21, 2006 -- provided a starting point.

"We've been pointing to six wins ever since then," Thorpe said. "Six wins sounds about eight games better than 5-4."

It would be a turnabout in more ways than one. Marmion's transformation from a three-pronged running offense that featured 1,000-yard rusher Bryan Petrando, complimented by Jake Walker and Hayes Cooper, has been a complete switch.

But the transition became complicated when Manny Juarez -- who looked terrific in those season-opening wins -- came down with mono. He soldiered on as well as he could, playing while sick, but was forced to the sidelines for two games before returning Sunday in the Cadets' 33-7 victory over Immaculate Conception.

The overhaul in philosophy made sense on a series of fronts. Even with a terrific running game last year, the Cadets were no match for SCC heavyweights Driscoll, Montini and Marian.

"We felt we needed to spread things out and make those big, Division I linemen those schools have to run around," Thorpe said. "So we went to the spread."

But the new scheme brought different challenges, particularly under center.

"Trying to incorporate the spread offense puts a lot of pressure and expectations on your quarterback," Thorpe said, "and if he has any brain cramps…well, your offense is at the mercy of a 17-year-old boy.

"The beauty of the Wing-T is that the pressure is divided between four guys -- the quarterback, fullback and two halfbacks."

Defense is where Thorpe and the Cadets will hang their helmets. They've held their last two opponents to a combined 10 points (not including an intentional safety vs. St. Francis). They'll look to continue tightening the screws in their final matchups against St. Edward and Aurora Central as they draw closer to that coveted 6-win mark.

And with the return of Juarez and emergence of fullback Bobby Winkel, the Cadets just may find some consistency -- you know, a sustainable pattern. If it happens, it would signify continued improvement under Thorpe, who led the Cadets to a 4-5 mark in 2005, 5-4 last year and, hopefully, 6-3 this year.

Then they won't be worrying about playoff points and bubbles. They'll be strategizing on how to get that seventh win amid a playoff atmosphere.