Marshall, Ill. — Marshall won its ninth straight football game Saturday afternoon, defeating Westville 27-6 in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs in Illinois at Bush Field.
The Lions will be at home for a second-round contest, meeting Williamsville, another 9-1 team. Marshall is seeded No. 4, Williamsville No. 5 in the upper bracket.
Marshall and Westville both scored their first touchdowns on big plays but the Lions stifled the Tigers the rest of the way, holding them to 155 yards in total offense. The Lions finished with 271 in the game played in sunny, cool conditions on a muddy field.
“We had to make a lot of adjustments for Westville’s running game. We were well-prepared. The defensive line was just unbelievable … we’ve come a long way,” said Marshall coach Todd Evers following the game.
Senior Taylor Duncan passed for 148 yards and rushed for 68 and had a touchdown pass — one for 41 yards to brother Jacob that put the Lions up 7-0.
Marshall picked up a first down on its first possession and Westville went nowhere after starting its first drive from its own 1-yard line and the Lions had good field position, at the Tigers’ 41, to begin their second possession.
Taylor Duncan hit Jacob with the pass on the first play and Luke Nelson converted the first of three conversion kicks to put the Lions ahead for good.
Westville got its only score on the next possession with Matt Maser hooking up with Brandon Pratt for a 76-yard play but the Tigers were unsuccessful on a 2-point conversion play and trailed 7-6 with less than two minutes left in the first period.
Marshall wasted no time in scoring again as Andre Strohm broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown run on the Lions’ first play of their third possession.
The Lions got their final touchdown of the game with just over six minutes left in the half. Strohm scored again, going eight yards for the score. Taylor Duncan’s 28-yard pass to brother Jacob gave the Lions a first down at the Westville 10 after Marshall had been called for offensive pass interference.
Nelson was good on two of three field goals to close out the scoring for the day, booting one from 28 yards in the second stanza and one from 32 yards early in the fourth frame.
“That was the first one he has missed this year. This environment is not very kind for kickers. That is a testament to how much he practices. I’ve seen him on weekends with his mom holding for him,” said coach Evers.
Strohm finished with 137 yards rushing and needs just 14 to go over 1,000 for the season. Jacob Duncan caught four passes for 94 yards.
Dalton Sanders had his 16th sack of the season to tie Eric White for the Marshall school record for sacks.
“Westville caught us in one big play. They caught us in man coverage. We don’t run that very often . . . our guy slipped and [the Westville receiver] ran by him,” said Evers.
He complimented on the work done by the Westville coaches. “That running game is one of the best we have seen this year . . . hey, when our defense is playing like this, we can play with anybody,” he said.
“In [close games], it comes down to special teams and turnovers, two things we are doing well. Our turnover ratio was plus 14 going into this game,” said the coach.
“We can play with anybody right now. That’s the way we feel,” he concluded.
Westville 6 0 0 0 — 6
Marshall 14 10 0 3 — 27
M — J. Duncan 41 pass from T. Duncan (Nelson kick) 8:04 1Q
W — Pratt 76 pass from Maser (pass failed) 1:50- 1Q
M — Strohm 66 run (Nelson kick)
M — Nelson 28 FG 3:41 2Q
M — Nelson 32 FG 11:19 4Q
W M
First downs 6 14
Rushes-yards 26-57 34-223
Passing yards 98 148
Comp-Att-Int 7-17-0 9-19-0
Return yards 0 0
Punts-avg 3-23 2-30.5
Fumbles-lost 2-2 4-2
Penalties-yards 8-55 7-45
Individual leaders
Rushing — Marshall: Taylor Duncan 14-68, Strohm 15-137, Jacob Duncan 3-12, Combs 1-5, Chubb 1-1
Passing — Marshall: T. Duncan 9-19-0, 148 yards
Receiving — Marshall: J. Duncan 4-94, Strohm 1-8, Littleton 2-24, Morey 2-22
Next — Marshall (9-1) will host Williamsville in a second-round playoff game. Westville finished 6-4.
High School
Red-hot Marshall football advances in Illinois 2A playoffs
- High School
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It’s a rivalry-filled Memorial Day for sectional contenders
Longtime rivalries figure to determine high school baseball sectional champions throughout the Wabash Valley today, with semifinal and final games scheduled at four sites and a stand-alone championship game at a fifth.
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South tops Oldenburg to win tennis semistate
There was no evidence of rally caps, rally towels and certainly no rally squirrels, but Terre Haute South’s No. 1 singles player Maddie Kesler needed a rally in the worst way.
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New route leads to same place for South girls tennis
For so many years, the road to the IHSAA girls tennis state finals for local teams ran through Vincennes (regional) and Jasper (semistate). In other words, south and more south.
This year, their trip was re-routed through Greencastle (regional) and Center Grove (semistate). So it cnahged to east and more east. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Robinson tops Greenville in sectional semifinal
Robinson jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then cruised to a convincing 12-3 victory over Greenville in a IHSA Class 2A Vandalia sectional semifinal game on Thursday.
Ashlyn Sullivan was 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the winning Maroons. -
West Vigo baseball falls in sectional to Owen Valley
West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
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South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
South takes second, North third at boys track regional
Terre Haute South finished second and Terre Haute North third on Thursday night at the boys track and field regional at Evansville Central, with 11 individuals and three relay teams qualifying for the state finals June 2.
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PREP ROUNDUP: White River Valley baseball holds off Eminence
Three Eminence errors in the top of the sixth inning finally enabled White River Valley to score in high school baseball Thursday night, and the Wolverines went on to a 5-0 win in Class A Shakamak Sectional action.
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Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
Terre Haute South softball is not even close to being as cursed as a certain northside baseball team in Chicago, but it might just seem like it.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
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Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
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North Vermillion avenges losses
North Vermillion avenged two high school softball losses during the regular season to win the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional championship Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over the host Panthers.
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Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
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South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
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Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
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Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
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North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
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Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
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Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
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Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
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Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
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Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
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Northview sectional groups 3 20-win teams
Three teams with 20-plus victories will attempt to claim the Class 4A Northview Sectional crown for high school softball this week, and most of the other Wabash Valley sectional fields also appear to be wide open.
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Terre Haute South softball takes Riverton Parke tournament
Terre Haute South is going into the Class 4A Sectional at Northview on Monday with momentum, confidence, a deep bench and a healthier pitching staff than it has had in quite a while.
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North baseball splits doubleheader with Indy North Central
Some of their incentive could have been sapped a couple of nights earlier, when Center Grove achieved an eight-inning victory over Warren Central to clinch the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball championship.
- More High School Headlines
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