Linn-Mar moves on

MARION – Linn-Mar Coach Bob Forsyth said he expects to feel better when he sits down to watch some video of his Lions' playoff debut.

Even though he didn't seem very impressed by what he saw from the sidelines, he acknowledged the players achieved the most important goal.

Sixth-ranked Linn-Mar scored on its first six possessions of the game and handled Davenport Central, 34-14, in a Class 4A first-round playoff game last night at Linn-Mar Stadium. The Lions advanced to the second-round Monday, which is the main objective.

'The main thing is moving on (and) is getting to the next game,' Forsyth said. 'We did that tonight. We have to do a lot of things better Monday, but I'm sure the kids will respond pretty well.'

The Lions have responded well all season. They are in the process of one of the state's top turnaround seasons, improving to 9-1 after two wins a year ago. The players understood the significance of returning to the postseason.

'It was a big thing for us,' Linn-Mar running Perrion Scott said. 'We just had to take advantage of it and go 110 miles an hour.'

Linn-Mar looked to start strong and it did, scoring on all five of their first-half possessions. The Lions closed with three straight touchdowns after two Alexy Boehm gave them a 6-0 lead in the opening moments of the second quarter.

Ryan Schmidt was a catalyst again for the Lions. He combined for 272 total yards of offense, including 195 passing. He had 256 total yards by halftime.

'We had a good mix tonight,' Forsyth said. 'We had some kids play well. You have to be better. From now until Monday, we have to get better. We can't stay the same.'

Big gains in the pass game set up first downs inside the Central 15 each time the Lions rushed for touchdown in the second quarter. He hit Trevor Noble for gains of 31 and 44 on separate drives to set up two Scott touchdown runs, making it 27-7 at halftime.

'I know if I throw it to my guys they are going to run underneath it,' Schmidt said. 'I have some pretty fast receivers.'

Logan Benter added a 2-yard TD run in the first half that followed a 42-yard reception by Adam Stolley.

Scott capped Linn-Mar's scoring with a 55-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the second half. Scott led the way with 79 yards. Schmidt had 77, Jordan Junkins added 56 and Zach Luehring had 56, as the Lions had 245 rushing yards.

'The runs sets up the pass and the pass sets up the run,' Schmidt said. 'Tonight the pass set up the run. Perrion and Logan were running hard inside. Good job to them.

'We were doing our assignments. It worked out.'

The Lions will go right back to work and prepare for Monday night. The opponent doesn't affect Linn-Mar's approach.

'We have to be ready to play our best game each time we go out now,' said Forsyth, noting the different Wednesday night atmosphere without the larger crowd and band playing may have thrown off the Lions mentally. 'I'm not sure we played our best game tonight. We have to figure out why.'

Central's Pachino Hill rushed for 97 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown in the first half. The blue Devils (4-6) also added a 75-yard touchdown pass from Brady Cartee to Caleb Buehl in the fourth.

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