Marmion: Bring on the bright lights

Friday Night Lights means a little extra at Marmion.

The Cadets played their first night game in 40 years last year. The fact it ended with a 35-0 loss to Marian only told part of the story.

That score didn't tell that Marmion's attendance doubled, the booster club also doubling its normal take on concessions, or the added enthusiasm bursting throughout the football program.

"Friday night lights is going to help us," Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. "We're going to get a better student body. That's going to be exciting."

That's not all Marmion is excited about. The Cadets, coming off their first playoff appearance in 10 years, welcome in a sophomore team that went 7-1-1 a year ago.

"We're very excited," Thorpe said. "The juniors are football players. They have gotten into the weight room. They are strong, they are physical, they are taking on the seniors. They are tough kids, they love to hit, they love football."

This is Thorpe's fourth year, and he said it is important Marmion makes strides against the Big Three in the Suburban Catholic Conference. Driscoll, Montini and Marian defeated Marmion last year by a combined 111-0.

Thorpe pointed to improved depth helping Marmion make the next step.

"For the first time in my four years we have a nucleus of guys who love football," Thorpe said. "We're much stronger, bigger, faster. We've got better team speed, got competition in practice. We've got depth. If guys are not getting the job done we can go to the next guy. In the past if we took a kid out, we'd have to put him back in."

The 137 kids in Marmion's program includes 49 on the varsity. Thorpe welcomes back 9 returning starters, including senior quarterback Ricky Bird.

"All that experience he (Bird) gained last year, he's been in big games, he's going to have a good year," Thorpe said.

Six-foot-3 wide receiver Sean Fichtel gives Bird a go-to target. Swimming star Matt Pircon could lead the team in carries, with Bobby Miles, Bobby Winkel and Ryan Fitzgerald also seeing plenty of action in the backfield.

Look for lineman Juan Avila to be one of the better players.

"The big word we are stressing is physical," Thorpe said. "That's what we have to be. That's what we are trying to complete in practice, with the depth we have. 

"We are putting a lot into this season. The future is now. We have to start competing with the Big Three."