1941. 1958. 1980. The 2011 Marshall Lions joined these three other great MHS football teams Friday when they ended their regular season with a perfect 9-0 record with a 46-27 win over Robinson at Bush Field.

“We didn’t start out the way we wanted,” commented head coach Todd Evers, referring to the Maroons’ touchdown just seconds into the game. However, said Evers, “Our guys showed a lot of character in not letting that bother them, and it let our offense get on the field.”

 

“Offensively, I felt we moved the ball really well,” said Coach Evers. “Robinson’s defense was very tough, and I was really pleased in our offensive effort. Defensively, I felt we could have tackled better, and other than giving up three or four big plays, I thought we played fairly well.”

 

“Beating a team of Robinson’s caliber gave us a momentum boost going into the playoffs.”  The Friday win gave Marshall a #3 seed in the 2A rankings. Due to this high ranking, the Lions will host #16 Downs Tri-Valley this Saturday at Bush Field at 2pm.

 

The Lions got off to a scary start. Andre Strohm fumbled the kickoff reception, and Robinson’s Austin Weck recovered the ball and ran it in for a touchdown - all with only 13 ticks off the clock.

 

The Robinson kicker Ryder Brannon booted the first of several kickoffs into the end zone, and Marshall took over on the 20 yard line. The Lion offensive line of Jared Boyll, Dalton McNeely, Adam Kendall, John Kuhn, Nolan Miller and Justin Lewis pushed the Maroons down to the 45 yard line with carries by Strohm and Jacob Duncan. Then Strohm broke some tackles and ran 55 yards for a  TD. The Littlejohn kick was good, and the game was tied at 7.

 

In their next possession, Marshall denied Robinson a first down with tackles by Jared Boyll, Jacob Duncan and Adam Kendall and were forced to punt. Shaun Ahlers received the punt to the 43 yard line, and the Lions got down to business. They rolled down the field with four first downs on carries by Strohm and Duncan and with one final 2- yard push up the middle by Duncan, they scored and took the lead 14-7.

 

The tough Lion defensive line of McQuaid Peterson, Adam Kendall, Zack Bartnick, Rodney Troutman, Taylor Maurer and Nolan Miller kept Robinson to minimal gains and forced them to punt.

 

The Big Red Machine took only five plays to score on the next series. This time Strohm broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good and Marshall led 21-7 with 10:30 left in the half.

 

The Maroons rolled down the field to the 10 yard line, and Brannon burst through the Marshall line for a TD. The extra point was good, narrowing the Lion lead to 7 (21-14) with 7:58 left in the second quarter.

 

Brannon sent the kickoff into the end zone again,  and Marshall started the next campaign on the 20 yard line. The Lions took only four plays to score in the next campaign with Jacob Duncan bolting down the field for a big 48-yard gain, followed by a gain of 17 yards by Strohm in two carries. Duncan finished the job with a 15-yard run through the Maroon defenders for the score. The Littlejohn kick was good and Marshall led 28-14.

 

Just when the Marshall fans thought their team was safe, though, Brannon got loose and zoomed past the Lions 76 yards for a touchdown. The extra point kick went through the uprights, and Robinson trailed by only 7 with 5:58 to go in the first half.

 

Once again Brannon booted the kickoff into the end zone, and Marshall took over on the 20. Strohm started the campaign with a gain of 6. Then Duncan connected with Taylor Sanders, who rocketed downfield all the way to the Maroons’ 8 yard line. It took only two more plays, and Duncan burst over the line for another Lion TD with only 4:27 on the clock. The Big Red held a 35-21 lead.

 

Robinson worked their way down the field with several carries by quarterback Bill Knust. He made gains of 8-9 yards on several plays, earning repeated first downs but was never able to get through the tough Lion defense to score, thanks to tackles by Strohm, Boyll, Peterson, Maurer and Ahlers. Knust tried a pass, and the receiver was forced out of bounds by Ahlers, leaving no choice but to punt.

The Marching Lions and Marshallettes entertained the crowd during the halftime break.

 

Marshall kicked off to Robinson to begin the second half. The Lions defensive line shut down the Maroon running game, and Cole Rice thwarted their passing attempt.

 

As the offensive line kept the Maroons in check, the Lions began to advance rapidly down the field, beginning with a run around the side by Strohm. Duncan kept the ball in the next play, and it looked as though he was down with a gain of five yards, but - no. He broke through several more Maroons for six more yards and a first down! Strohm carried 10 yards for another first down, and Duncan passed to Hook for a gain of 15 to the 10 yard line. Strohm took it in for a TD. The Littlejohn extra point kick was good for the 6th time, and Marshall led 42-21.

At the end of the third quarter and early in the 4th, the Maroons were able to drive down to the one yard line with carries by Knust, and Derrick Nicholas took it over the line for a TD. The extra point was unsuccessful, and Marshall led 42-27 with 10:57 on the clock.

 

Play was slowed to a turtle’s pace in the next few minutes as a barrage of penalties were called on both sides.  After that, it looked like Robinson might score again. Brannon got loose down the sideline for a 57-yard run to the Marshall 20, and Knust gained 10 on the next play. However, the Lion defense regrouped and forced a turnover after no gains on the next four attempts.

The Lions ended the game with six carries by Hook.

 

On an unusual note, the final score of 42-27 was the identical score in last year’s Marshall win over Robinson.

 

Marshall residents are encouraged to Paint the Town Red this week with signs and banners in support of the Lions.

 

 

 

Andre Strohm - 21/218, 3TDs; Jacob Duncan - 24/159, 3TDs; Brock Hook - 5/30.

 

Taylor Sanders - 2/80; Brock Hook - 1/14.

 

Jacob Duncan - 3/5, 94 yards.

 

Andre Strohm - 11; Shaun Ahlers - 4; Taylor Maurer - 2; Logan Goldsberry - 1; Jacob Duncan - 4; Cole Rice - 2, 1 pass brk; Brock Hook - 2, 1 pass brk; Taylor Sanders - 7, 1 int; McQuaid Peterson - 1; Zack Bartnick - 4; Jared Boyll - 14; Adam Kendall - 7; John Kuhn - 2; Justin Lewis - 2; Rodney Troutman - 3.

 

Daniel Littlejohn - 6/6; Andre Strohm - 2 punts/69 yds, 1 kickoff return/25 yds; Shaun Ahlers - 2 punt returns/26 yds; Taylor Sanders - 3 punt returns/10 yds.

 

Score: Marshall - 42, Robinson - 27; First Downs: M - 24, R - 14; Rushing Yards: M - 407, R - 304; Passing Completions/Attempts: M - 3/5, R - 4/12; Passing Yards: M - 94, R - 47; Total Plays: M - 55; R - 51; Total Offense: M - 501, R - 351