Post by 50yardfan on Jun 8, 2011 21:30:24 GMT -5
Marion's defense takes down Dayton
www.marionstar.com/article/20110608/SPORTS/106080311/Blue-Racers-headed-title-game
MARION - Marion Blue Racers head coach Ryan Terry tasked his team's defense to do something Monday night which is almost unheard of in the high-flying world of indoor football.
Even with a 50-yard playing field in mind, Terry wanted his defenders to clamp down to the utmost against the Dayton Silverbacks in a Continental Indoor Football League semifinal playoff game.
"I challenged our defense to produce a shutout," Terry said after the Blue Racers' 53-18 triumph in the Marion Veterans Memorial Coliseum. "That did not quite happen, but I'm very happy with the performance they gave me. I'm real happy with my veterans on defense."
The Blue Racers (9-2) didn't come up with a shutout, but they were good enough to blank the Silverbacks (5-6) until the final play of the third period. Dayton went on to add 12 fairly meaningless points in the final quarter.
"We did pretty well, but we gave up 18 points, and that's not what we do," said linebacker Ray Saunders. "We'll need to go back to the drawing board and get better."
That drawing board will be full of symbols representing Cincinnati Commandos on the other side of the Blue Racers defensive setup. After each team posted semifinal wins, Marion and Cincinnati will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the CIFL championship in the Cincinnati Gardens.
Defensive end Ryan Palmer led Marion's defense with four unassisted tackles, one assisted tackle and one unassisted quarterback sack.
Meanwhile, the Blue Racers' offense sputtered early in the game before it manufactured 37 second-half points to help the hosts pull away.
"We normally get off to a slow start on offense, but once we put it together, it's only a matter of time before we take off," said running back Christen Haywood, who scored two touchdowns for Marion.
The Blue Racers lit the scoreboard first by blocking a field goal into the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 edge.
Marion added to its first-period advantage with a two-yard touchdown run by Haywood on its ensuing possession and a Tyler Lorenz PAT kick.
Saunders gave the Racers the ball right back with a fumble recovery on the kickoff which closed out the opening quarter with Marion up 9-0.
Marion failed to capitalize on that possession, but Haywood was able to find the end zone from the two-yard line once again with 4:51 remaining in the first half and Lorenz split the uprights for a 16-0 Blue Racers cushion.
The score remained the same at halftime thanks in part to an Andre Troy interception of a Silverbacks pass deep in Marion territory to close out the second quarter.
Marion wasted little time expanding its lead as it scored on the opening drive of the second half.
Mike Tatum lugged the ball in for six points on a one-yard run to cap that march. The point-after attempt by Lorenz was good and the Blue Racers were out in front 23-0.
Bryan Williams moments later picked off a Dayton pass and took it from his own 12-yard line all the way to the Silverbacks' five.
Blue Racers quarterback Josh Harris called his own number from there and bulldozed his way to six points. Lorenz was good on his PAT try and the hosts were in control at 30-0.
Dayton (5-6) got a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Jarvis Taylor to Daniel Stover on the last play of the third period to send the game into the final quarter with Marion on top 30-6. The Silverbacks' PAT pass after that TD was incomplete.
Marion answered in the fourth period with a 17-yard aerial connection between Harris and Marc Huddleston and a Lorenz PAT boot for a 37-6 edge.
Ronald Russell hit paydirt from one yard out for the Silverbacks, who again failed on their PAT try, to make the tally 37-12 Blue Racers with five and half minutes left in the contest.
LaMarr Stewart and Lorenz added to Marion's scoring with a minute remaining as Stewart recovered a Dayton fumble in the end zone for a TD and Lorenz hit the extra-point kick.
Dayton put one more touchdown up in the last minute as Taylor passed 5 yards to Stover. A run for points was not successful following that TD.
Marion's last point production came from Brandon Williams on a 6-yard scoring pass from Harris, a Lorenz PAT kick and a safety.
www.marionstar.com/article/20110608/SPORTS/106080311/Blue-Racers-headed-title-game
MARION - Marion Blue Racers head coach Ryan Terry tasked his team's defense to do something Monday night which is almost unheard of in the high-flying world of indoor football.
Even with a 50-yard playing field in mind, Terry wanted his defenders to clamp down to the utmost against the Dayton Silverbacks in a Continental Indoor Football League semifinal playoff game.
"I challenged our defense to produce a shutout," Terry said after the Blue Racers' 53-18 triumph in the Marion Veterans Memorial Coliseum. "That did not quite happen, but I'm very happy with the performance they gave me. I'm real happy with my veterans on defense."
The Blue Racers (9-2) didn't come up with a shutout, but they were good enough to blank the Silverbacks (5-6) until the final play of the third period. Dayton went on to add 12 fairly meaningless points in the final quarter.
"We did pretty well, but we gave up 18 points, and that's not what we do," said linebacker Ray Saunders. "We'll need to go back to the drawing board and get better."
That drawing board will be full of symbols representing Cincinnati Commandos on the other side of the Blue Racers defensive setup. After each team posted semifinal wins, Marion and Cincinnati will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the CIFL championship in the Cincinnati Gardens.
Defensive end Ryan Palmer led Marion's defense with four unassisted tackles, one assisted tackle and one unassisted quarterback sack.
Meanwhile, the Blue Racers' offense sputtered early in the game before it manufactured 37 second-half points to help the hosts pull away.
"We normally get off to a slow start on offense, but once we put it together, it's only a matter of time before we take off," said running back Christen Haywood, who scored two touchdowns for Marion.
The Blue Racers lit the scoreboard first by blocking a field goal into the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 edge.
Marion added to its first-period advantage with a two-yard touchdown run by Haywood on its ensuing possession and a Tyler Lorenz PAT kick.
Saunders gave the Racers the ball right back with a fumble recovery on the kickoff which closed out the opening quarter with Marion up 9-0.
Marion failed to capitalize on that possession, but Haywood was able to find the end zone from the two-yard line once again with 4:51 remaining in the first half and Lorenz split the uprights for a 16-0 Blue Racers cushion.
The score remained the same at halftime thanks in part to an Andre Troy interception of a Silverbacks pass deep in Marion territory to close out the second quarter.
Marion wasted little time expanding its lead as it scored on the opening drive of the second half.
Mike Tatum lugged the ball in for six points on a one-yard run to cap that march. The point-after attempt by Lorenz was good and the Blue Racers were out in front 23-0.
Bryan Williams moments later picked off a Dayton pass and took it from his own 12-yard line all the way to the Silverbacks' five.
Blue Racers quarterback Josh Harris called his own number from there and bulldozed his way to six points. Lorenz was good on his PAT try and the hosts were in control at 30-0.
Dayton (5-6) got a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Jarvis Taylor to Daniel Stover on the last play of the third period to send the game into the final quarter with Marion on top 30-6. The Silverbacks' PAT pass after that TD was incomplete.
Marion answered in the fourth period with a 17-yard aerial connection between Harris and Marc Huddleston and a Lorenz PAT boot for a 37-6 edge.
Ronald Russell hit paydirt from one yard out for the Silverbacks, who again failed on their PAT try, to make the tally 37-12 Blue Racers with five and half minutes left in the contest.
LaMarr Stewart and Lorenz added to Marion's scoring with a minute remaining as Stewart recovered a Dayton fumble in the end zone for a TD and Lorenz hit the extra-point kick.
Dayton put one more touchdown up in the last minute as Taylor passed 5 yards to Stover. A run for points was not successful following that TD.
Marion's last point production came from Brandon Williams on a 6-yard scoring pass from Harris, a Lorenz PAT kick and a safety.