Marmion rolls over Chicago Christian
At halftime of Friday night's football game against Chicago Christian, the Marmion Academy band played “Pinball Wizard by The Who.
The selection seemed appropriate enough considering the fact that the Cadets scored 17 points within a 2-minute span late in the first quarter on their way to building a commanding 36-7 halftime advantage.
Marmion (8-0) continued to light up the scoreboard in the second half, scoring on its first two possessions, on the way to a 48-7 Suburban Christian Conference crossover triumph over the Knights (2-6) at Fichtel Field in Aurora.
After 6-foot-3, 245-pound guard Ryan Glasgow scored the Cadets' fourth touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter, his older brother 6-7, 295-pound tackle Graham Glasgow put the game on full tilt with his 6-yard TD run during their opening possession of the second half.
“Have you ever seen a game where two (offensive) linemen scored touchdowns? Cadets coach Dan Thorpe asked after the game. “They're a load. We're making people prepare for a lot of things.
What was going through the mind of the elder Glasgow when his number was called in the huddle?
“That I better score, he said of his first-ever varsity carry and TD. “I didn't want to get tackled because I'm never going to get it again if I don't (score).
Marmion, which struggled to beat Chicago Christian 23-20 last season, had few problems on Senior Night, scoring on 8 of its first 9 offensive possessions the only unsuccessful one didn't begin until the final 5.2 seconds of the first half.
“I was impressed with our football team tonight, said Thorpe. “We crossed the white lines and we were all business. We could've easily looked past this game, looking ahead for Montini (Oct. 22 opponent) but they knew they had to take care of business.
They did just that, as T.J. Lally (7 carries, 193 yards) scored on 2 of his first 4 carries covering 71 and 64 yards, respectively.
The Cadets also scored first-half touchdowns on a 51-yard run by Nick Scoliere (6 carries, 81 yards) and an 8-yard run by Garret Becker (8 carries, 56 yards), as they piled up 364 rushing yards in the first 24 minutes behind tackles Graham Glasgow and Jake Winkel, guards Ryan Glasgow and Tyler Heinen, and center Mike Zolfo.
Defensively, the Cadets forced 5 turnovers, including first-half interceptions from Rob Voirin and Mitch Loehmann.
“Our goal all season has been to stop the No. 1 threat (of our opponents), said Thorpe. “Their quarterback, (Jason) VanderLaan, runs the option very well and he hurt us last year but he didn't hurt us tonight.
Marmion will visit Montini next Friday night in Lombard with the conference title on the line.
“It's going to be a tremendous atmosphere with their lights over there, said Thorpe. “It's going to be a high school football atmosphere at its finest.