Macks grind Loggers into sawdust

Email this story Print this story Archives

No comments posted.

By PAUL HUSET
paul.huset@lee.net
Saturday, October 4, 2008 11:20 PM CDT

Jarrod Martell might have dropped the opening kickoff, but the McDonell special teams had few problems after that.

Martell returned the kick 99 yards along the right side to put the Macks up right away during a 53-20 win over Marawood foe Phillips. It would be one of three touchdowns special teams was responsible for in the homecoming victory.

Coach Todd Brown said he was pleased with his game-changing unit.

“Special teams had some big plays today,” he said. “It had a lot of positives.”

The other scores included an onside kick return and a 3-yard run by Alex Hiess after Phillips (1-5, 1-4 Marawood) muffed a punt in the second.

The touchdowns, along with five other scores, helped secure a 4-2 record for Brown’s crew and brought them a step closer to the playoffs.

Brown called the team’s fourth win in a row a step forward, especially going into tough games against Stratford and Marathon in the next two weeks.

“It was a tougher test today,” he said. “We’re definitely satisfied with the win.”

While special teams may have got the team going, the passing attack followed with a 36-yard pass to Martell on fourth down.  It was one of two touchdown tosses for Andy Davis, who threw for 186 yards.

The defense joined the scoring party on the next Phillips play when a fumble popped into the hands of Landon Bresina, who rumbled 42 yards.

Just like that, McDonell (4-2, 4-2 Marawood) was up 21-0 and Phillips coach Scott Jacquart said his team was put in a tough spot.

“Some of the mistakes we made early gift-wrapped the game for them,” he said.

With the high score, McDonell started feeding the ball to Hiess.

Brown said that’s what the coaching staff likes to see.

“That’s our bread and butter right now,” Brown said. “Our running game has been solid for us.”

Hiess gained 210 rushing yards and gave the Macks two scores in the first half — one a 67-yard run and the other a 3-yard burst.

The second score made it 34-6, though Phillips quarterback Blayze Clapero squirmed out of tackles on a 25-yard touchdown before half.

Hoping to surprise McDonell, the Loggers kicker just tapped the ball on the ensuing kickoff.

 It wasn’t enough of a tap, however, as the ball went a few yards and stopped. With the Phillips players also stopped, Nate Dahl scooped up the ball, ran 43 yards and gave the Macks a 41-12 lead.

Jacquart said his team was the one that ended up surprised.

“The kicker didn’t get all of it and was disgusted with himself,” he said. “He forgot the ball was still alive. A lot of things went chaotic there for us.”

Though the Loggers went into the locker room on a down note, they came back out ready to pass.

The passes led to a 8-yard rushing touchdown early on.

Jacquart said better blocking and keeping away from Dahl allowed the passing to open up late in the first half and into the second.

The aerial attack would continue, but it didn’t lead to anymore scores.

Instead, many Logger drives stalled inside Macks territory, a trend Jacquart found frustrating.

“For whatever reason, when we smell paydirt we just don’t go after it,” he said. “For some reason, the wheels start falling off.”

A 1-yard Hiess run and a 39-yard Martell reception finished off the scoring in the game.

With some mental mistakes, Brown said the team has to step it up in the coming weeks against Marawood heavyweights.

Still, he said he was pleased to see the team come away with a win against some of the tougher competition the team has seen in weeks.

“The momentum is there,” he said. “We’re moving in the right direction. We just have to have a solid week of practice.”