Defense sparks Marietta to week one victory over Emory & Henry

Sept. 3, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio - It took a little time for the Pioneers to settle their nerves, but once they did, they gave a huge home crowd a lot to cheer for in a 25-7 victory over visiting Emory & Henry (VA) in the River City Bowl.

After a sluggish first quarter, sophomore Clay Ream (Burbank/Northwestern) got the crowd and his teammates fired up midway through the second period when he tackled Emory & Henry running back Andrew Hemp for a safety to give Marietta a 2-0 advantage. It was Marietta’s first safety since a game against Capital in 1997.

Following the free kick, the Pioneers put together a nine play, 48-yard drive, which was capped off with a four-yard touchdown run by senior Steven Wagner (Harwick, PA/Fox Chapel) to give MC a 9-0 lead.

The Wasps responded with an 11 play, 70-yard touchdown drive of their own to pull within two points, 9-7 with 25 seconds to play in the half. Quarterback Todd Woods connected with Brennan Stewart on a 15-yard pass for the score.

Marietta threatened again following the touchdown, with 43-yard pass from sophomore Jason Vrable (South Park, PA) to Nic North (Madison, WI/East) as time expired, but North came up five yards short of a score and the Pioneers entered the half leading 9-7.

The Navy Blue & White carried their momentum into the third period, scoring on their first drive of the half on a 23-yard field goal off the foot of sophomore Nick Manson (Canal Fulton/Akron Manchester) to give MC a 12-7 lead.

Following another solid defensive stand, highlighted by sacks by both sophomore Brian Hahn (Upper Sandusky) and Ream deep in Emory & Henry territory, Wagner extended the lead to 18-7 with a 18-yard score on the first play of the drive.

Junior Anthony Banks (Colonial Heights, VA/Thomas Dale) set up the final touchdown with a 19-yard interception return to the E&H 27 yard line. Six plays later, Vrable found sophomore Paul Cirino (Euclid/West Geauga) open in the middle of the end zone for a 16-yard score.

Overall, Marietta racked up 365 yards of total offense, with 163 yards on the ground and 202 yards through the air. The Pioneer defense held the Wasps, who averaged over 400 yards of offense in 2004, to 183 yards passing and negative six yards rushing in the win.

Vrable came off the bench in the second quarter to replace starter Jeremy Thornton (Madison, WI/East) and finished 11-of-16 for 197 yards and a TD. Thornton completed 2-of-2 passes for five yards.

Wagner, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2004, carried the ball 37 times for 146 yards and two scores.

Cirino led all Marietta receivers with five grabs for 78 yards and a TD, while sophomore Chad McDaniel (Wooster/Triway) and Wagner each pulled in two receptions in the win.

Defensively, the Pioneers were led by Hahn, who finished with seven tackles, including two sacks. Banks added six stops for a defense that kept Emory & Henry from getting comfortable in the pocket all night.

Offensively for the Wasps, Woods finished 23-of-43 for 183 yards and a TD. James Moore was the leading rusher with two carries for 12 yards. Stewart pulled in a game-high six catches for 77 yards in the loss.

Marietta will take a week off before beginning Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play on the road against Heidelberg Saturday (Sept. 17) at 1:30 p.m.