Colton Storla spun the wrong way on a "398 Dipsy-Do" pass pattern in practice Monday, but Marion Coach Tony Perkins just smiled and joked about it.

That's what happens when you score seven touchdowns in a ballgame. The coach cuts you some slack.

Storla rushed for seven TDs for the Indians in their 58-35 victory over Anamosa last Friday. That tied Carey Bender's school record for the most touchdowns in one game, set in 1989, and broke Bender's mark for most rushing TDs in one game (5).

When Bender scored his seven touchdowns, he ran for five TDs and caught passes for two other scores. Bender is a football legend at Marion, with his picture on the wall and everything, so matching one of his feats is special.

"Yeah, it's pretty exciting, because I actually know the guy," Storla said after practice.

The whole night was exciting last Friday. It was Storla's 18th birthday, and friends in the crowd at Thomas Park Field sang "Happy Birthday" after every touchdown.

"It was great," he said. "It was a good night all around - me and my good friends and the touchdowns and great blocking and everything.

"I had a smile on my face all night," he said. "Everyone knew about it and was congratulating me about it, and it made me feel good."

Perkins pulled all his starters early in the third quarter with a commanding lead, which gave Storla a chance to count his number of touchdowns. Honestly, he wasn't sure.

"I really did lose track," he said. "Once I came out in the third quarter, I was trying to figure out which one was a two-point conversion and which one was a touchdown."

Storla carried the ball 23 times for 265 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 13, 9, 69, 3, 3, 6 and 10 yards. He also tallied on a pair of two-point conversions, giving him a total of 46 points, believed to be a school record.

He scored six touchdowns in the first half.

Perkins said Storla had a fantastic game, but said the record-setting night began with the offensive line. The Indians made some changes on the O-Line before the game and it paid off.

"It wasn't Colton doing anything different than he usually does," Perkins said. "The line actually came out and did what they were supposed to be doing."

Storla agreed.

"The line did a tremendous job," he said. "They got after it every play, just being aggressive and filling their spots quick and driving the opponents down the field."

Storla has rushed for 2,221 yards and 29 touchdowns since being summoned to the varsity two years ago as a sophomore. He got off to a slow start this season, partially due to an injured hand, but now has 459 yards and 10 touchdowns in four games for Marion (3-1, 1-1).

Storla is a dedicated weight-lifter, with 225 pounds of muscle on his 5-foot-9 frame. Both of Storla's parents are devoted to body-building, according to Perkins, and Storla has his own personal trainer and lifts at a fitness center.

Perkins said Storla wants to play college football next year and also is interested in being a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) boxer. "One of his priorites is to make sure he's in great shape and very, very strong," Perkins said.

"He has always been a well-built, strong kid even as a sophomore playing varsity," Perkins said. "He's at the fitness center for hours upon hours. You don't bench 345 pounds and squat 500 pounds without working your butt off."

Storla was happy with his own performance last Friday, but just as happy that the Indians had a big game and squared their 3A District 5 record at 1-1 after being blanked by Western Dubuque the week before.

"Just as long as we keep taking steps forward and not backwards," he said. "Keep getting better and better every practice and game."

Storla still has a sore left hand, which he injured in the season opener at Mount Vernon, but he puts a pad over the hand and gets to work. "It's still swollen a little bit," he said.

He's a senior with no time to lose, so he can live with a sore hand. "It still moves," he said with a smile.

Marion hosts Vinton-Shellsburg Friday night.