MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta coach
Andy Waddle won't allow anyone involved in the Pioneer football program to believe a 2-8 season was positive. But ask almost any fan of the program and they will tell you they saw plenty of signs that would let you believe the future is bright.
The Pioneers closed out the 2014 season with a 56-42 loss to Capital at Don Drumm Stadium in front of 1,021. The Pioneers led 28-21 at half, but were outscored 35-14 in the second half as the Crusaders improved to 3-7 overall and 2-7 in the OAC.
Capital was able to take advantage of two Marietta turnovers early in the second half to turn the momentum in its favor. The Pioneers fumbled the second-half kickoff and the Crusaders scored six plays later on Brendan Doyle's 8-yard TD run. It was Capital's first lead of the game — 28-27.
On Marietta's next possession it turned it over again and Capital tacked on another touchdown when Brent Walton capped a seven-play, 39-yard drive on a 4-yard run. This extended Capital's lead to 35-28 and the Crusaders never trailed again.
The most alarming statistic from the game was time of possession — 42:51 to 17:09 in favor of Capital.
Quarterback Akili Young had a big outing for the Pioneers as the sophomore completed 19-of-28 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns — including two to senior
Tannon Roberts (West Palm Beach, Fla./Berean Christian).
Roberts' first score came on a 36-yard pass in the second quarter that gave Marietta a 14-7 lead. About four minutes later he hauled in a 77-yarder that gave the Pioneers a 20-14 lead. He finished with five receptions for 130 yards.
Clay Moorefield (Pittsburgh, Pa./University Prep) added four catches for 83 yards and
Tyler Anderson (Huntington, W.Va./Cabell Midland) had five for 73 years and a 23-yard touchdown.
Nick O'Neal (Mont Belvieu, Texas/Barbers Hill) closed out a strong freshman season with 86 yards on 18 carries. He also had three touchdowns on runs of 5, 3 and 2 yards.
Senior linebacker
Cody Rice (Orrville/Orrville) closed out his Marietta career with 20 tackles, while
Joe Ortega (Fresno, Texas/Hightower),
Dean Myers (Canal Winchester/Canal Winchester) and
Dalton Secrest (Beallsville/Beallsville) each had 14 in the loss.
While Marietta had the aerial attack working, Capital controlled the ball with a methodical ground attack.
Walton rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, while Brent Waters added 123 yards and three scores on just 10 rushes. Nine Capital players carried the ball at least once. Waters also added a 25-yard touchdown catch from Zak Sheridan.
The two teams combined for only four punts — one by Marietta's
Thomas Hinkle (Fredericktown/Fredericktown) for 41 yards. Capital's Jimmy Curtis added two interceptions to his five tackles.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
