By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
On the back of Marshfield’s football helmets is a logo for the Ultimate Warrior, a professional wrestling star in the late 80s and early 90s.
“We talk to our guys about being warriors – we have some fun with the Ultimate Warrior and the classic 80s wrestling stuff,” said Marshfield coach Cody Bull. “Really, what we’re talking about with them is this mindset that you’re always ready on every snap for whatever comes at you.
“Because you don’t know what’s going to happen, so you have to be ready to step in the gap and be the guy who fills a need.”
What came at the Blue Jays in Thursday night’s season opener at Parkview was a massive disadvantage in field position – particularly in the second half.
But Marshfield’s defense stepped up like warriors and answered the challenge as the Blue Jays escaped JFK Stadium with a 7-6 victory in a defensive struggle.
Parkview had six offensive series in the second half. The average starting field position for those six drives was Marshfield’s 46 yard-line.
The Blue Jays never gave in, stopping the Vikings on downs five times (eight total in the game) and making a fumble recovery on the other to preserve their slim lead.
“There were some tough spots, but we have faith in our defense,” said Marshfield senior defensive end Joshua Lambeth. “We’ve been working on it all summer long. We know what to do.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Said Bull: “This was the most fun I’ve had watching our defense and this is Year 9 for me here.”
Marshfield’s defense had to run the gauntlet in the second half. The Blue Jays mustered only one first down on offense after halftime – thanks to a Parkview penalty on 3rd and short.
At the start, it looked like Marshfield was headed for a big day on the ground.
Junior running back Anthony Macrelli capped a 12-play, 97-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run on Marshfield’s opening drive of the game. Macrelli led Marshfield with 63 yards on the ground.
But once Parkview fixed its run defense, the Marshfield offense slowed to a halt.
“Parkview’s super athletic in their secondary, and that was kind of hurting us in the passing game,” Bull said. “Offensively, I felt good about a lot of things. We had some plays negated by penalties and things like that. We just have to clean some things up. There was a lot to like, but there’s plenty to fix.”
Mistakes haunted Parkview all night. The Vikings had two touchdowns negated by penalties.
On Parkview’s opening series, quarterback Willie Otto scrambled for a 19-yard gain on 4th and 3 to reach the Marshfield 1 yard-line. The Vikings fumbled the ball away on the next play.
Adding to the frustration, six of Parkview’s drives ended inside the Marshfield 25 without any points – including a botched snap on 4th and 7 from the Marshfield 17 with 30 seconds remaining in the game.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
“It seemed like we kept shutting them out every time no matter how close they got to the endzone,” Lambeth said.
Otto hit Cordell Davis for an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for Parkview’s lone score.
The Vikings began the game platooning Otto and sophomore Marcus Grube at quarterback. Grube took all the quarterback snaps in the second half after Otto injured his left hand shortly before halftime.
“We saw on film that they’d switch out at quarterback,” said Marshfield senior linebacker Takoda Gritts. “(Grube) was usually their deep ball guy and (Otto) would be in their run game with the read option. We game planned for both guys and executed really well.”
Parkview senior running back Khasye Highley finished with 104 rushing yards on 23 carries while battling leg cramps.
“We really like our run defense,” Bull said. “(Highley) is a fantastic player, definitely one of the better running backs in the state. We tried to smother him before he could get going; once or twice he was able to get loose. With a guy like that, he can score from anywhere on the field. We feel like we’re pretty good against the run.”
Marshfield will host Reeds Spring next Friday, Sept. 5 for the first game on its new turf field. Parkview continues a three-game homestand against West Plains.
Marshfield 7, Parkview 6
Marshfield 7 0 0 0 — 7
Parkview 0 6 0 0 — 6
First quarter
Marshfield – Macrelli 13 run (Daily kick)
Second quarter
Parkview – Davis 11 catch from Otto (pass failed)
MARSHFIELD STAT LEADERS (unofficial)
Rushing: Macrelli 16/63, 1 TD; Rosenthal 9/30
PARKVIEW STAT LEADERS (unofficial)
Passing: Otto 7-for-9 76 yards, 1 TD; Grube 14-for-27 103 yards
Rushing: Highley 23/104
Receiving: Davis 6/70, 1 TD; Hampton 4/35
