Marmion wears down Marian
It took heart, desire and conditioning for Marmion to do something it hadn't done since 2002 - beat Marian Central.
The Cadets used all three to defeat the Hurricanes, 41-27, Friday night in a Suburban Christian Blue contest at Fichtel Field in Aurora.
Trailing 20-12 late in the third quarter, Matt Pircon, who had missed the past two games with a separated shoulder, found the end zone on a 31-yard sweep to make it 20-18. After missing a kick and failing to convert on pass on its two first half touchdowns, the Cadets turned to quarterback Will Sterne whose 2-point conversion run knotted the score at 20-20 with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter.
Marmion (3-1, 2-0) wasted little time in then taking the game over. After forcing the Hurricanes to go three-and-out on their next possession, the Cadets used 8 plays and nearly 5 minutes of clock to take a 27-20 lead on T.J. Lally's 11-yard run.
"We told the kids all week we're going to win the game late in the second quarter and in the fourth quarter," Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. "My hat goes off to (assistant head) Coach (Kurt) Becker, he's in charge of conditioning and he runs them and he runs them for a reason and the kids buy into it. The kids compete Monday through Thursday on the practice field and carry it over to Friday night."
Marian Central (2-2, 1-1) remained within striking distance until Marian Central quarterback lost sight of Lally off in the distance on a 3rd-down-and-17. Lally intercepted Krol's pass and took it 55 yards into the end zone to give the Cadets a 34-20 lead with just 2:53 remaining.
"I just dropped back in my middle zone and got a good break on the ball," Lally said. "I just cut in front of it and had some good lead blocking."
Marmion added another touchdown when the Hurricanes fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Two plays later and Mike Carbonara scored on a 21-yard run. He also had a 34-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
"At first we were a little slow coming off the ball but in the second half we ran harder," Carbonara said. "Give it up to the line because they did a great job tonight."
That offensive line includes center Mike Hallaway, guards Jeff McLean and Connor English, tackles Jake Winkel and Graham Glasgow and tight ends Tony Tate and Brian Freda.
The defense also did its part, especially in the second half. The Cadets forced punts on four consecutive drives, intercepted a pass and shut out the Hurricanes in the second half, save for a meaningless touchdown with 15 ticks remaining.
"We calmed down in the second half and made some adjustments in our scheme," Lally said. "And then, I think it was heart and desire that made us better."