It was a great day for a football game Saturday as the Marshall Lions hosted the Tri-Valley Vikings. There were banners everywhere and the Marshall fans packed the stands for the afternoon game.

The Vikings scored the first touchdown, but Marshall soon moved ahead and led the rest of the game, though the Vikings were always on their heels. The Vikings came on strong late in the game but were not able to close the gap.

 

For the first time this season, the Lions battled without the help of running back Andre Strohm, who was sidelined all but two plays with an injured foot.

 

Tri-Valley started out with the ball but were kept to minimal gains by the strong Marshall defensive line. They were forced to punt, but lost ground when the snap went over the quarterback’s head. Marshall took over on their own 30 yard line, but lost the ball one play later due to a fumble.

 

A 20-yard carry by Jimmy Roach brough the Vikings to the one yard line. The Lion defense fought back hard. Zach Bartnick pulled down the ball carrier, but on the next play running back Bradern Herman, who would be a thorn in the Lions’ side all day, zipped around the end for a TD.  The extra point was good, and the Vikings led 7-0.

A cluster of Vikings lined up for the weak onside kickoff of barely ten yards.

 

The Lions wasted no time in scoring. Quarterback Jacob Duncan connected with Taylor Sanders for a long 50-yard pass play. The Littlejohn extra kick was good and the teams were tied at 7 with 5:12 on the clock.

 

Tri-Valley turned the ball over on downs after a big tackle by Rodney Troutman and Shaun Ahlers took the Vikings for a 10-yard loss. The Lions didn’t fare any better and were forced to punt.

 

The first quarter came to a close with an unbelievable blocked pass by Taylor Maurer.

 

The Lions took over to start the second round and moved into passing gear. After a couple of incomplete passes, Jacob Duncan held onto the ball for a 14-yard gain. Then on the next play, he threw a long pass to Shaun Ahlers, who ran for a 45-yard touchdown. The Littlejohn kick was good and Marshall led 14-7.

 

The Marshall defense held strong and after a 10-yard penalty, the Lions were again in possession.

 

Duncan connected again with Sanders for a 49-yard pass play that brought Marshall to the Viking 25 yard line.  It took only a couple of plays before Duncan wove through the Viking line to score.  The extra point was good and the Lions led 21-7 with 6:33 on the clock.

Herman received the kickoff and was pulled down on the 31 yard by Brock Hook. And no sooner had the Vikings begun their campaign, they fumbled it and it was recovered by Adam Kendall, who would prove to be quite a menace to the Tri-Valley line throughout the game.

 

The Viking defense held Marshall to a loss and after a bad snap, took over on the Viking 29. In spite of a 10-yard penalty, The Vikings were able to cover the 39 yards to the goal line in two carries by Herman. The extra point kick was good and Tri-Valley trailed 14-21 with 2:43 left in the half.

 

Thanks to another teeny onside kick, the Lions took over on the 49 yard line. They started with a nice gain of 22 by Duncan but fumbled on the next play, and the Vikings took over on the 27, Justin Lewis held them to a couple of yards on the next play, and they fumbled and recovered the ball. Herman broke several tackles and zoomed down to the end zone, but a penalty was called on the Vikings and the ball was brought back to the 46. They earned a first down and attempted a pass into the end zone, but it was intercepted by Duncan to close out the first half.

 

The third quarter started out with Tri-Valley kicking off. Sanders ran it to the 49 yard line. Andre Strohm entered, faking a carry while Duncan ran 47 yards to the two yard line. One more play and Duncan burst over the line. The extra point was unsuccessful, and Marshall led 27-14.

 

The Vikings were determined to score again. Though the Marshall defensive line held them to small gains, but after ten plays, they were on the one yard line. With one more push, they scored. The extra point kick was good, and they trailed by only 7 (21-27).

 

Ahlers received the kickoff and took it to the 23. Strohm carried for 5 yards, and was down on the field because of his injured foot. In an unbelievable display of poor sportsmanship, the Tri-Valley fans cheered when he was down. The same thing happened when Duncan went down a few plays later due to a cramp.

 

This started a string of misfortunes for the Lions. Duncan was caught behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 5, then a 15 -yard loss due to a bad snap. This forced the Lions to punt near the goal line. To make matters worse, the Vikings blocked the punt and recovered the ball on the five yard line.

 

But the Lion defense’s adrenalin kicked in, and they held firm. Maurer, Bartnick and Kendall led the tackling effort, and the Vikings were forced to give up the ball on the one yard line.

 

The Lions machine that we’ve all come to love, rolled down the field, beginning with 10 big yards by Duncan. He charged forward with Vikings hanging on him right and left. Brock Hook added another 36 yards on three carries to bring Marshall to the 46.

 

From that point, the Lions pounded toward the goal with repeated first downs on carries by Hook and Duncan. Finally, Duncan faked a hand off and ran around the end for a touchdown. The extra point was good and Marshall led 34-21 with 5:14 to go.

 

 But the Lions weren’t in the clear yet. It took only three plays for the Vikings to score with a 59-yard pass play. The extra point was good and they were still within striking distance with Marshall leading 34-28 and  four minutes left to play.

 

Those last four minutes were tense. Logan Goldsberry received the kickoff and the Lions began their assault from the 35 yard line, but the Tri-Valley line held firm and Duncan was forced to punt. The Vikings controlled the ball for the last couple of minutes. Hook pulled down ball carrier Blake Cowden, and Maurer knocked down his second Viking pass. Cowden got loose for 15 yards and a first down. Jared Boyll dashed Tri-Valley hopes with an interception with 1:32 on the clock.

 

The Lions will host the Blue Devils of Bismarck-Henning this Saturday at 1pm at Bush Field for more exciting state playoff action.

 

 

 

Andre Strohm - 1/4; Jacob Duncan - 26/101, 3TDs; Brock Hook - 16/120.

 

Shaun Ahlers - 1/45, 1TD; Taylor Sanders - 2/100, 1TD.

 

Jacob Duncan - 3/8, 145 yds, 2TDs.

 

Shaun Ahlers - 4, 1 fum cause; Taylor Maurer - 6, 2 pass brk; Logan Goldsberry - 1; Jacob Duncan - 7, 1 int; Cole Rice - 2; Brock Hook - 4; Taylor Sanders - 5, 1 sack; Zack Bartnick - 7; Nolan Miller - 1; Jared Boyll - 10, 1 int; Dalton McNeely - 1; Adam Kendall - 9, 1 fum recov; John Kun - 1; Rodney Troutman - 8, 1 fum cause.

 

Daniel Littlejohn - 4/5, 1punt/26 yds; Jacob Duncan - 2 punts/38 yds; Shaun Ahlers - 1 punt return/13yds, 1 kickoff ret/12yds; Taylor Sanders - 1 kickoff ret/26yds.

 

Score: Marshall - 34, Tri-Valley - 28; First Downs: M - 16, TV - 18; First Downs Rushing/Passing/Penalty: M - 13-3-0, TV - 16-2-0; Rushing yards: M - 190, TV - 260; Passing Completions/Attempts: M - 3/8; TV - 4/14; Passing yards: M - 145, TV - 92; Passing TDs/Interceptions: M - 2/0, TV - 2/2; Total Plays: M - 53, TV - 68; Total Offense: M - 335, TV - 352.