Slow start doesn’t stop MFL MarMac from defeating Denver
Sophomore Blake Schutte was one of 20 Bulldogs who recorded a tackle in the 42-6 victory at Denver on Oct. 11. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Quarterback Carter Stoddard hands the ball off in the Bulldogs' district victory over the Cyclones.
Austin Schaller picked up 4.5 tackles and a pair of sacks.
The Bulldog offense totaled 258 yards on the ground, led by 113 from Quinn McGeough.
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
The MFL MarMac football team took down Denver 42-6 in an Oct. 11 district match-up.
The dominant victory came despite the Bulldogs continuing a worrisome trend of not playing their best to start the game, including penalties and a fumble.
“I was not happy. We were coming out flat, slow. We had to call a timeout because we were walking to the line of scrimmage,” said head coach Dan Anderson. “We’ve got to play well and play with some passion. We have to start playing like we’re playing in the playoffs.”
MFL MarMac’s offense came to life near the end of the first quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run by Quinn McGeough, capped off by a Ben Krambeer extra point that made the score 7-0.
Brock Hackett took the ball into the end zone from 44 yards out with 7:46 remaining in the half, and quarterback Carter Stoddard leapt over his offensive line to score the team’s third touchdown three minutes later.
McGeough’s second TD, along with another Krambeer extra point, put the Bulldogs up 28-0 at halftime.
“We were the better team out there, on both sides, once we got rolling,” Anderson said.
The offensive onslaught continued in the third quarter, with a rushing touchdown courtesy of Eli Hanson.
Later in the quarter, as Denver closed in on its first points of the game, McGeough snagged an interception and returned it the length of the field for his third score of the night.
The Cyclones finally got on the board with nine minutes remaining, but the point after failed, making it 42-6.
By that time, MFL MarMac had emptied its bench.
“I would have liked to see a shutout, but it’s more important to me that our kids got to play,” said Anderson. “We started putting those guys in the end of the third quarter—rotated them in slowly. Every kid on the sidelines got in there for multiple snaps.”
Denver scored just once despite racking up 203 yards through the air—much of which was accumulated in a few big plays. The Cyclones’ ground game was non-existent, ending the night with -31 yards.
Defensively, 20 Bulldogs recorded a tackle. Brayden Gordon topped the list with 5, including 2 for a loss, and he also had a sack. Austin Schaller picked up 4.5 tackles and a pair of sacks, while Keith Anderson earned 4 tackles. McGeough, Hanson and Hackett all had 3.5 total tackles, and Blake Schutte notched 3.
The Bulldog offense, meanwhile, totaled 258 yards on the ground, led by 113 from McGeough. Hackett netted 52 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Stoddard completed four of his 11 passes for 60 yards. Parker Kuehl grabbed two receptions for 26 yards, and tight end Hunter Christofferson had a 22-yard catch.
The win improved MFL MarMac to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in district play, and solidified a playoff spot. Whether it’s a two or three seed will depend on if the Bulldogs beat Central Springs in the regular season finale in Monona on Friday, Oct. 19.
“If we do that, we’re a two seed, a district runner-up, which is a great accomplishment considering you’ve got Dike-New Hartford in your district, one of the best teams in the state of Iowa,” Anderson said. “In the last six years, we’ve either been the district champion or runner-up. We have a team with a lot of new starters this year to still carry on the tradition we’ve built. Now, we’re 5-2, with a chance to go 6-2 next week and springboard into the playoffs.”
