Four Turnovers, Red-Zone Woes Costly in Concordia's 30-6 Road Loss to Marysville
The Marysville defense forced four turnovers overall and held the Concordia offense to a single touchdown, beating the Panthers 30-6 Friday, September 23rd in a Class 3A District 5 matchup from Homer Hanson Stadium in Marysville.
The Panthers were their own worst enemy. In addition to miscues, including six penalties in the first half, Concordia recorded two interceptions and lost a fumble through the first two quarters of play. Trailing 15-6, Concordia was just inches from the goal line on their opening drive of the second half when a mishandled snap went horribly wrong. The ball was fumbled inside of the 1-yard line and rolled out of the back of the end zone, allowing Marysville to take over the ball at its own 20-yard line.
The turnover, naturally, played a pivotal role in the final outcome of the game. On the ensuing drive, Bulldogs Senior Quarterback Rook Williams threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Senior Running Back Rhett Williams, one of two touchdowns for Rhett Williams on the night, to extend Marysville's lead to 23-6 with 9:42 remaining. Three minutes later, Junior Fullback Tremont Hornbeak broke through the line and outran the rest of the Panthers en route to the end zone on a 52-yard touchdown run to put the game away.
The loss comes as the third consecutive for Concordia, who sits at 1-3 on the season, 1-3 in North Central Kansas League play, and 0-1 in Class 3A District 5 action. The Panthers return to Harold M. Clark Stadium in Concordia on Friday, September 30th for another district game against the 2-2 Hiawatha Red Hawks.
After a scoreless first quarter that featured two turnovers by Concordia, Marysville struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Rook Williams with 7:37 to play in the second period to take a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive, facing fourth-and-ten, Concordia Junior Quarterback Braeden Primeaux connected with Senior Wide Receiver Alec Francis over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown with 2:09 remaining in the first half.
The nine play, 58-yard drive took 5:19 off the clock. The Panthers converted on fourth down twice during the drive, but failed to punch in the two-point conversion run. Concordia trailed 7-6.
Following the touchdown, Concordia successfully recovered an onside kick. But four plays later, Sophomore Linebacker Will Ottot intercepted a pass and returned it 29-yards to the Marysville 46-yard line.
On their first play from scrimmage, Bulldogs Quarterback Rook Williams delivered a quick hit to Senior Wide Receiver Deavon Tommer. Tommer then turned and pitched the ball back to Rhett Williams who broke free down the Marysville sideline for a stunning 54-yard touchdown to put Marysville up 15-6 at the intermission.
In the second half, Concordia was plagued by missed opportunities and an inability to convert in the red-zone offensively. The Panthers ran 11 plays inside the red-zone over the final two frames but were unable to score. Concordia finished 3-for-8 on third downs and were stopped twice inside the 10-yard line in the second half.
Concordia returns home on Friday to host the Hiawatha Red Hawks, who have dropped back-to-back games following a 49-7 home loss to Holton on September 16th and a 61-0 road loss to Clay Center on September 23rd. Kick-off is slated for 7 pm from Harold M. Clark Stadium. Live coverage of the game can be heard on 1390 KNCK, 98.3 FM and NCKToday.com.