Marion inches closer to first boys’ state soccer berth

MARION — Less than 10 minutes into the game, already up an early goal, Marion freshman wingback Aaron Grimes found himself with the ball well outside the box.

With little hesitation, he got underneath the ball, lofting it high into the air. An obscure angle, it still looked as if DeWitt Central keeper Donovon Good was going to make the save.

The ball had other ideas, however, and sailed into the back of the net, putting Marion up 2-0 in Wednesday's Class 2A substate semifinal. Grimes, as well as the rest of the squad, looked like they could hardly believe it, though the shock quickly turned into celebration.

'Throughout the season people have been telling me to shoot it from further out because I hit it over a lot,' Grimes said. 'I thought maybe I'd try it and, well, it worked.'

It was early, yes, but this was a team that finished 3-11 last season. A team — that after managing to finish off the Sabers, 3-1, on Wednesday — is now just one win away from doing something it's never been able to do: make it to the state tournament.

'As a first-year coach, I'm just trying to grasp what it means,' Marion Coach Marco Fichtner said. 'It would be an extraordinary thing. It just establishes a valued program at this school.'

Marion owned the first half, scoring three goals in the first 16 minutes and setting the tone of the rest of the match. The Sabers responded, getting a goal on a penalty kick at the 27:32 mark.

Jacob Dieters and Riece Frericks had the other two first-half goals for the Indians. Dieters was the first, smashing one in from just a few feet out of the goal, while Frericks had the third goal of the half off a bit of nifty footwork as he raced down the right side of the field.

It was a chippy game, six total cards were issued — two on Marion and four on DeWitt. As the game wore on, so did the physicality.

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