SHANE SHOEMAKER
Writer
Marion County was hoping to not make its fanbase wait another 29 years to bring home a gold ball. But a 20-7 loss to Huntingdon in the BlueCross Bowl Class 2A state championship had the defending champs relinquishing their title, unable to go back-to-back.
The Warriors started off on the wrong page, with Mason Mays fumbling on the game’s opening possession inside their own territory. The Mustangs then went 36 yards in six plays behind a tough and gritty offensive line that gave them an early lead. A missed extra point kept the score at 6-0.
“I wouldn’t say it set the tone,” coach Tim Starkey said of the Warriors’ opening-drive turnover, “but this just wasn’t the game… and what we preached all week was that you can’t fumble the ball, we couldn’t get bad penalties and we couldn’t play defense all night. We struck out. The three things that we went in saying we couldn’t do, we did.”
It wasn’t just the Mustangs’ offensive front that imposed its will. Their defense was just as dominant, sacking Warriors quarterback Zaiden Humphrey five times and recording another five tackles for loss.
Getting to the quarterback was one of Marion’s best ingredients for success this season. But the Warriors were able to reach Huntingdon quarterback Kenton Smith only once. The result was Smith being named the game’s MVP, running patiently behind his offensive line for 111 yards and two touchdowns at 5.3 yards per carry. He also finished 1 of 3 passing for 41 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
By halftime, the Warriors had gained only 88 yards of total offense, committed three penalties for 25 yards and lost two turnovers. Leading 13-0, the Mustangs had a chance to add more points before the break, but an Ashton Martin sack pushed them back to the Marion 37. Huntingdon then attempted a pass to the end zone but couldn’t haul it in.
Whatever hope Marion carried into halftime quickly faded when the Mustangs opened the third quarter with a 71-yard, 11-play drive that drained nearly five minutes off the clock. Smith finished it with a 4-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 20-0.
It wasn’t until the 8:12 mark of the fourth quarter that the Warriors finally found the end zone, avoiding what would have been their first shutout loss in a state title game since 1982. The drive took 14 plays and required two fourth-down conversions before Humphrey connected with Mays for a 14-yard touchdown.
Humphrey finished 10 of 21 passing for 121 yards with one touchdown and one interception, adding 29 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Mays had 53 total offensive yards and the lone score.
Despite the Warriors tightening up defensively and holding Huntingdon on the ensuing possession, Marion managed just five more plays for 13 yards to close the game. The Warriors finished with 209 total yards to Huntingdon’s 233.
“It was a heck of a year,” Starkey said. “It’s a young team that got better as we went. I think a lot of guys on this team had to go through this to get to the next step. We got a lot of guys returning and I look to be back here next year with them.”
Marion potentially returns 14 seniors next season, along with 13 juniors.
Photos by Andy Mitchell