Marion blows out Vinton-SB in 'Pink Out'

MARION - The “Pink Out” turned into a blowout.Marion scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and went on to throttle Vinton-Shellsburg, 42-8, last night in the first football game of the season at Thomas Park. The Indians' home opener three weeks ago was moved to Coe College because of flooding.This was a special game in many ways for Marion (4-0). Players wore pink socks and commemorative pink game T-shirts were sold to fans to benefit breast cancer awareness, prevention and treatment. Marion Coach Tony Perkins said he figures at least $7,000 was raised.“I thought we did well,” Perkins said. “We made some silly mistakes at times. But any time that you can play on an emotional night like this, playing for a cause, it was a great win for us.”

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Perkins said three of his captains approached him with the cancer idea because they had aunts stricken with the disease. Longtime Marion girls' basketball coach Sherryl Gaffney-Paige also is a breast cancer survivor.“We were playing for something bigger than ourselves,” said Marion quarterback Dalton Combs, who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns. “Doing a great thing for charity is awesome. I know a lot of guys have been affected by breast cancer. It was just a great thing for us to do.”Marion finished with a 430-178 yardage edge, moving the football equally on the ground and in the air. Running back Logan Pickering had three more touchdowns (bringing his season total to 13), rushing for 104 yards on 16 carries.Combs completed 12 of 21 passes, connecting with back Colton Storla on a 13-yard touchdown and receiver Corey Kramer on a 12-yarder.“Our line has stepped up,” said senior tackle Trashon Thompson. “We're starting to take small steps forward slowly but surely. Our running backs are amazing. Logan Pickering is just solid for us, and Dalton Combs ... he can throw the ball a little bit.”

(Marion High School offensive-defensive lineman Trashon Thompson talks about his team's 42-8 win over Vinton-Shellsburg, Friday, Sept. 18, at Thomas Park in Marion.)CEDAR RAPIDS - Sometimes, beating your opponent comes down to just not beating yourself.Cedar Rapids Prairie overcame three first-half turnovers with a dominant second-half defensive effort and throttled winless Cedar Rapids Jefferson, 30-14, last night in a Mississippi Valley Conference football game at John Wall Field.Prairie (3-1) had one turnover inside the Jefferson 10-yard line and another that led to a J-Hawks (0-4) touchdown. The game was tied 14-14 at the half.