Marion drops another close one, 14-0 to Maquoketa

MARION – Tony Perkins knows his team is close. Now he needs his team to believe that.

Maquoketa scored two second-half touchdowns in a 14-0 win over Marion last night at Thomas Park Field. The Indians had two drives stall in Maquoketa territory in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie it up.

Marion (0-6, 0-4 Class 3A District 4) has dropped 14 straight games, but three of the last four have been decided in the final quarter.

'They are close. They're right there,” Perkins said. 'They've been there. They have to start believing in themselves. We do. We talk about it all the time – never give up, never give in.”

Perkins remains one win away from tying Les Hipple for the most wins by a Marion football coach.

Justin Snyder completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Schiffer on fourth-and-7 to give Maquoketa (4-2, 3-1) a 7-0 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Snyder added a 35-yard touchdown run with 1:04 remaining to put the game away.

Marion reached the Maquoketa 25-yard line twice in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie the game, but lost a fumble and turned the ball over on downs.

Marion's Kory Walsh ran for 156 yards.

The teams combined for six punts in a scoreless first half.

Marion's best scoring opportunity came at the end of the first quarter when it had a first down from the Maquoketa 6-yard line. But the Cardinals stopped the drive at the 3.

Maquoketa drove inside the 25-yard line late in the second quarter, but fumbled the ball away on the next play. At the end of the half, the Cardinals tried a 50-yard field goal that fell short.

The Indians held Maquoketa to 137 yards in the first half.

'The defense played very well, especially that first half,” Perkins said. 'That was the best we played all year. We have three games left, and we have to make sure we keep playing the same.