Thomas Park football field was alive with excitement Friday night.

A rivalry was born between Marion and Solon, as the schools met for the first time on the football field. Indian Homecoming was in full force, as they crowned a king and queen in front of a standing room only crowd.

The rest was simply great football.

Marion jumped to a quick lead in the first quarter, and recorded four interceptions on defense as they defeated the Spartans 24-14. The win clinched a playoff berth for Marion, which holds a one-game lead in Class 3A District 6 with two to play.

This also was the first installment of what will surely be a colorful rivalry. The Marion players, coaches, fans, and parents flooded the field after the game knowing the magnitude of the victory.

“That was a huge step,” said Indian linebacker Ethan Herren. “Our saying all year has been ‘All In’, and it was there tonight. It is homecoming, Solon is a great ballclub, it was a battle of the trenches, and we came out on top.”

The Indians chose to receive the opening kick, and marched straight down the field on the undersized Spartans. Trev Biery punched it in from two yards out to put Marion up 7-0. Biery was a workhorse again, racking up 185 yards and three touchdowns.

Marion’s defense was next up, and it didn’t disappoint. On Solon’s second play from scrimmage, quarterback Rory Siddell was intercepted by Indian defensive back Quinn Cannoy.

This gave the Indians the ball in Spartan territory. From there, quarterback Trevor Hardman completed a few passes, and the Indian running game did the rest. Biery recorded another two-yard touchdown run, putting the Indians up 14-0 in the first quarter.

“That was huge,” Marion Coach Tony Perkins said of the fast start.   “All of a sudden, they (Solon) took a step back and as soon as we got them on their heels, we were in control.”

Solon showed some signs of resistance, however. The Spartans retaliated with a score of their own on the last play of the first quarter. Scrappy running back Aaron Shulista scuffled in for the Spartans to pull it within 14-7.

In the second, Biery found the end zone again, which is becoming a common theme for the Indians' season. He took a toss to the left and cut back across the field for a 28-yard score, making it 21-7.

Marion’s defense came up with its second interception of the night on Solon’s next possession. Cornerback Tyler Gunderson read Siddell’s eyes and made a spectacular one-handed catch, snatching it away from the receiver at the last minute. Gunderson added another interception later in the game.

“We just got him (Gunderson) back from a concussion, and he came up huge,” said Perkins. “We are playing different people at that position and they are stepping up big.”

Judging from the suspense in the second half, you would have thought this rivalry was a century old.

Midway through the third quarter, Solon was threatening to score and pull within a touchdown. On fourth-and-1 from the 5-yard line, Spartan wide receiver Jordan Wymer took an end around in for the touchdown. That made the score 21-14 with Marion still hanging on, but out of momentum.

Then, the air completely came out of the sails. With one minute left in the third, Biery stayed down on the turf after a running play. Medical staff attended to his ankle, and he would eventually be carried off the field by Herren and Justin Dolley.

Despite missing one if its best players, Marion found a way to battle. After forcing Solon to punt, Hardman dropped back to pass and found Cannoy for 30 yards, which put the Indians in field goal range. They were stopped there, but kicker Dalton Ott nailed a 33-yard field goal that put them up 24-14.

On the ensuing Solon possession, the Spartans were getting easy yardage. Siddel ran for one first down, and passed for two more. It looked as though they were going to score and make it a three-point game. But Siddell dropped back to pass one time too many. He rolled out to the right and, while being chased by Issac Frazier, lofted a pass downfield. Herren stepped in front to record the Indians' fourth interception and seal the victory.

“I saw Isaac (Frazier) put pressure on the quarterback and I knew all I had to do was cover my man, and I just made the play,” said Herren.

Incredibly, Biery made it back out onto the field, with an ovation from the crowd. With what seemed like five rolls of tape on his ankle, he helped the Indians eat away the final four minutes of the game.

“It is important to win those big games where you play a good team,” said Perkins.  “I thought we played exceptionally well and the bigger thing is how much improvement we have made each week.”

MARION 24, SOLON 14

Marion                        Solon

First Downs                            19                               12
Rushes-Yards                              49-240                       27-101
Passing                                   7-11-0                             11-14-4
Passing Yards                                93                               92
Punts                                          2-26                            2-41
Fumbles/Lost                                  2/1                         0/0
Penalties                                  3-30                            4-30

Solon                7          0         7          0    --        14
Marion            14         7          0          3    --        24

MAR: Trev Biery 2 run (Dalton Ott kick)
MAR: Biery 2 run (Ott kick)
SOL: Aaron Shulista 15 run (Aaron Proehl kick)
MAR: Biery 28 run (Ott kick)
SOL: Jordan Wymer 5 run (Proehl kick)
MAR: FG Ott 33

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Rushing
Solon: Rory Siddell 14-48, Aaron Shulista 9-53, Jordan Wymer 3-3, Austin Holub 1-(-3)
Marion: Trev Biery 22-185, Andrew Davis, 9-40, Colton Mowry 7-13, Ethan Herren 4-7, Tyler Gunderson 1-5, Trevor Hardman 1-(-10)

Passing
Solon: Siddell 11-14-4-92
Marion: Hardman 7-11-0-93

Receiving
Solon: Holub 5-36, Wymer 2-33, Chris Mcnutt 2-20, Nathan Hawkins 2-6
Marion: Quinn Cannoy 3-68, Herren 2-18, Brandon Hornback 1-10, Gunderson 1-(-3)