Marquette takes home first win of the season against South Fork Ponies

Sep 12, 2015 11:08 PM

Listen to the story

Our Daily Show! With CJ: Bluff City Grill, Stephens Planning, and Beyond the Shelves!

ALTON - After a slow start this football season, the Marquette Catholic High School Explorers football team stayed strong through their tough game against the South Fork High School Ponies of Kincaid, Ill., bringing home their first win.

The game took place Saturday at Public School Stadium.

The start of the game was very strong offensively for the Explorers. In an early, game-changing move, Liam Maher (#4) made a successful 47-yard field goal that gave the Explorers the early lead of 3-0.

Right after the buzzer sounded for the second quarter, Maher struck again with a touchdown for Marquette. After a successful kick point, the score was 10-0 with the Ponies quickly falling behind. The Explorers were able to keep the Ponies off of their back defensively before the end of the second quarter.

Article continues after sponsor message

Learn about our advertising opportunities!

Easy Rest Bamboo Queen Mattress Only: $299.99+tax, Full Set: $449.99+tax

Shop Local

Chuck's Mattress Outlet

Get This Deal →

Defensive issues plagued the Explorers throughout the game. Marquette tended to have many difficulties taking down the Ponies’ defensive line.

In the third quarter, Marquette sophomore Davion Peebles (#21) scored a successful touchdown for his team. After another good field goal by kicker Maher, the score was 17-0.

The Ponies weren’t going out of this game without a fight. After an offensive push led by the Ponies, multiple yards were gained over the course of the third quarter. In one of the plays made on the field, Ponies senior Quinton Simon (#77) was injured on the field. As his teammates and trainer assisted him off the field, both crowds, visiting and home, clapped out of respect for the player.

Heading into the last quarter, South Fork made their final offensive push against Marquette. The Ponies successfully scored one touchdown in the fourth quarter and made a shot at a two-point conversion. The attempt was failed, and the score became 17-6. After some back and forth between players, the Marquette Explorers eventually let the clock run out and accepted their win. The fans in the stands rushed the field to join their team in celebration.

"South Fork came up and they played tough," MCHS Head Coach Darrell Angleton said after the game.

"We had some good momentum up front, but let it slide from us a little bit," Angleton said, "In the end, we got our first win under our belt; my first win under my belt, so that's good."

Prefer RiverBender on Google