Article and Photos by T Ray Henry
The Marshall High School football team hosted the Olney Tigers from Richland County High School at Bush Field in Marshall on Saturday, September 12th. Both teams came in with a record of 1-2.
It was a picturesque late summer evening with a hint of autumn in the air, giving fans in attendance a glimpse of the coming weeks. Marshall won the coin toss and elected to defer to the start of the second half. Olney elected to receive, so Marshall kicked off towards the south goal. Olney began their first possession at their own 18-yard line after Marshall freshman Talon Edmonds and sophomore David Sherrell combined to bring Olney senior Aiden Germak down.
Aided by an aerial drone providing immediate feedback of Marshall’s defensive sets, thus providing a distinct advantage, Tigers’ IT support staff positioned on the track behind the bench used a computer program to provide real time data of Lions formations to spit out a greater statistical probability of success on plays during the Tigers’ offensive drives.
Olney drove down the field where Marshall held strong at their 29-yard line as Olney faced a third and 15. On the play, Olney scored a touchdown on a pass into the end zone, and after the extra point, the visitors led 7-0 with 7:13 to go in the opening quarter. Olney would go on to score 10 more points before the half as they took a 17-0 lead into the break.
Bryce Parker took the second half kickoff back to the Marshall 30-yard line where the Lions started their drive. As tough as yards were to come by in the first half, Marshall made the adjustments and began blocking very well up front to open running lanes for the Lions running backs. Little by little the Lions churned up yardage to get to their own 49-yard line where Marshall running back Max Welsh took a handoff up the middle and ran the ball all the way to the Olney 1-yard line to give the Lions a first and goal. The 50-yard run by Welsh matched his 50-yard pass reception last week at Paris for the longest play from scrimmage this season.
Max Welsh ran up the gut behind the O-line that was pushing the bigger D-line of Olney backwards into the end zone for a Marshall touchdown. On the play, Olney was called for two penalties – twelve men on the field and a dead ball unsportsmanship conduct penalty. With the ball moved to the 1 ½ yard line, Marshall decided to go for two, and Welsh plunged into the end zone carrying two Olney defenders with him into the end zone. With the score, Marshall was now down by 9 points with the score 17-8 with just over ten minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the remainder of the second half became reminiscent of a Little Shop of Horrors, albeit without Seymour or Audrey II seeing any action on the field. Olney went on to score four more touchdowns and kick two field goals, three of the TDs against Marshall freshmen and sophomores as Olney left town with a 53-8 win. Marshall’s lack of depth and experience proved to be the Lions’ undoing.
Max Welsh led Marshall with 137 yards on the ground on 12 rushes. He scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Welsh also had two catches for 22 yards. Wyatt Geltz had five rushes for 18 yards, while David Sherrell had two rushes for 18 yards. Luke Brodie was 5 for 9 passing for 48 yards. Bryce Parker had two receptions for 17 yards, and Silas Dean had one catch for 9 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Rocco Giannavola finished with 10 tackles, while Fisher Bishop had 5.
Marshall (1-2) travels to Crosley Field in Robinson this Friday night to play Robinson High School in an LIC conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
Josef Stafford (51) and Fisher Bishop (55) make a Tiger sandwich while bringing down an Olney ball cafrrier for a loss
Great blocking by Marshall opens up a big hole for Wyatt Geltz (47) against Richland County
Silas Dean (0) brings in a pass from Luke Brodie against Richland County
Max Welsh (23) ran for 137 yards, scoring one TD and one 2 pt conversion against Richland County
Bryce Parker (6) has no problem dropping the Richland County running back during LIC action at Bush Field