Having more than 10 penalties in a game is bad for a football team.

Marion had 10 in the first half on Friday against Anamosa.

Thankfully for the Indians, 10 is the same number of total yards they allowed the Raiders in the first half.

They will take the good with the bad.

Marion’s smothering defense held Anamosa scoreless and, generally, yard-less in helping the Indians defeat the Raiders, 28-0, at Thomas Park.

Marion (2-1, 1-0) was dominant in every category, and controlled the line of scrimmage the entire night, holding Anamosa (0-3, 0-1) to 74 total yards.

“The defense played well,” said Marion coach Tony Perkins. “They run to the ball very well. We are playing a good mix of seniors and juniors in there and Coach VonBehren had a great game plan for them.”

That game plan made life hard for Anamosa quarterback Connyr Lewis. Lewis was sacked six times by Indian pass rushers, and was never was able to get into a rhythm. He passed seven times for 69 yards, with 30 of those yards coming in the final seconds against Marion’s second team.

“The defensive line gets in there and get pressure on the quarterback and we just do our job and fly to the ball,” said Marion linebacker Trev Biery.

The overmatched Raiders were just trying to keep up.

“We rotated and tried to keep them as fresh as we could, we ran eight different guys on the defensive line,” said Perkins. “They don’t have the numbers to do that so I think we kind of wore them down.”

That bode well for Marion on the offensive side of the ball as well. Marion’s offensive line pushed the weary Anamosa defense off the ball nearly every time, and running back Biery did the rest. The bulldozing back rushed 17 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

“The line played great,” said Biery. “Last week they didn’t come out so well, but we had a good week of practice and came out strong tonight.”

The Indians got started right away on their first possession. After a 47-yard scamper by fullback Brandon Hornback got Marion down to the 7-yard line, Biery trotted into the end zone to put the Indians up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

The ensuing Raiders possession was one that encompassed their entire night. First and second down were no-gains, and a quarterback sack on third down forced them to punt from inside their own 10. Marion’s Isaac Frazier dove through and blocked the punt, setting the Indians up on their own 3-yard line.

Three plays later Marion quarterback Trevor Hardman connected with Ethan Herren for a 10-yard score.

While the Indians were scoring, they also shot themselves in the foot. A missed field goal and a lost fumble deep in Anamosa territory were squandered scoring opportunities early in the game. But a constant negative that came from the Indians were the penalties.

Marion was called for 15 penalties for the game, all of which slowed play and halted momentum.

“We just go completely mental sometimes,” said Perkins. “They get so wound up in doing the right thing that we jump offside’s, fumble, or have a holding. Just a complete mental breakdown."

Biery registered his second touchdown late in the second quarter and Colton Mowry scored late in the fourth to put the final pin in the game for the Indians.


MARION 28, ANAMOSA 0

ANA              MAR
First Downs                     4                  18
Rushes-yards             27- 5            46-356
Passing                      7-14-1           4-10-0
Passing Yards               69                  64
Punts                        7-31.2             2-28
Fumbles/Lost               0/0                 3/1
Penalties                    7-50            15-100


Anamosa        0     0     0     0  --   0              
Marion          13     8     0     7  --  28

MAR -  Trev Biery 7 run (Dalton Ott kick)
MAR -  Ethan Herren 10 pass from Trevor Hardman (kick failed)
MAR -  Biery 3 run (Andrew Davis 2-pt conversion)
MAR -  Colton Mowry 4 run (Ott kick)

Individual Statistics

Rushing
Anamosa: Logan Hewitt 9-24, Lewis 9-(-23), Austin Holub 3- -9, Dylon Kula 3-2, Michael Maruga 2-12, A.J. Lenger 1-(-1)
Marion: Biery 17-160, Mowry 11-65, Nick Connolly 8-53, Tyler Gunderson 5-27, Herren 2-4, Hardman 1-(-4), Logan Fuller 1-4, Hornback 1-47.

Passing
Anamosa: Lewis 7-14-1, 69 yards
Marion: Hardman 4-10-0, 64 yards

Receiving
Anamosa: Josh Schulte 3-24, Kevin Schepanski 2-42, Demetrik Brown 1-3
Marion: Herren 2-24, Daly Quinn 1-31, Gunderson 1-9