Marion looks to take another step forward after 5-win turnaround

MARION — On the heels of a breakout season, two words greeted the Marion football team as it began preparation for 2017.

'Earn everything.'

In the first season for Coach Tim Lovell, Marion dug out from a winless 2015 and won five of nine games, which got the Indians within a whisker of a Class 3A playoff berth.

'The first thing we talked about with our guys is, 'Last year is over,'' Lovell said. 'We're not going to sneak up on anybody. If somebody gets an opportunity, they're going to try and put us back in our place, where we were previous to last year.'

Marion is poised to take another step in the program's resurgence on the strength of a bevy of returning offensive skill-position players. Junior quarterback Trevor Paulsen split time between varsity and the sophomore team at the beginning of last season, then took hold of the position by completing 62 percent of his passes for 937 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in six games.

'We've been pretty excited for this year,' Paulsen said. 'It will be better because the guys kind of know what to expect now. We know the offense better. Last year at the start, we were still learning and we didn't even get all the plays in until the last game. We were still putting plays in each week. But this year, we have a pretty good understanding of the offense and the defense and what we want to do, so we're pretty excited for this season.'

The 6-foot-2. 175-pound Paulsen will benefit from the return of senior tailback Chris Mohwinkle (586 yards, six touchdowns last season) and a pair of tall, fast receivers in seniors Blair Brooks (39 receptions, 599 yards, five touchdowns) and Grant Meth (278 receiving yards, four touchdowns).

Junior speedster Ju'Corey Higgins also is expected to play a key role in the tailback rotation.

'It allows us to be more flexible on running and passing the ball,' Lovell said. 'You've got five, six guys that can make a difference and we feel that is going to put a lot of stress on teams when they try to match up with us.'

Offseason improvement arrived via weightlifting and playing other sports. Brooks, who holds a football scholarship offer from Western Illinois, won Class 3A track and field state championships in the long jump and high jump, while Meth and Mohwinkle helped the Indians win the team title with a runner-up finish in the sprint medley relay and third (with Brooks) in the 800 relay.

Brooks also is a member of the baseball team, Meth plays basketball and Paulsen does both.

Watch Blair Brooks highlights

'You can't put a price on the time they put in the weight room or with another sport,' Lovell said. 'Any time a guy is competing, that is going to make them better mentally.'

Showing the way for the Marion defense is senior free safety Alex Whalen, who led the team with 35 solo tackles and assisted on 26 more. Another Marion multisport athlete (basketball, soccer), Whalen combines a sturdy competitive streak with the proverbial coach-on-the-field mentality in a 5-9 frame.

'The motto of our defense is, 'You always play loose, you always play excited,'' said Whalen, who also handles kicking duties. 'It's really exciting to see all the energy and the defense getting together. We put in a lot of new coverages in this year, some more packages. Last year, it was all new to us. This year, we've got a year under our belts so we're a lot more comfortable.'

Senior Caleb Wagner provides additional vocal leadership from his linebacker position, where he led the Indians in total tackles.

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If Marion is to collect a second consecutive winning season, it will need to navigate through a daunting district that includes returning playoff qualifiers Davenport Assumption and No. 4 West Delaware, plus fellow 2016 surprises Clear Creek Amana and Dubuque Wahlert.

The Indians host fifth-ranked Union Community, last year's 2A state runner-up, in the season opener.

'It's always good and extra special once you get those wins, but we're still hungry,' Brooks said. 'We still want to get after it. We want a lot more this season. Expect a lot more from everyone.'

Marion, at a glance

Coach: Tim Lovell (2nd year, 5-4)

Last year: 5-4 (missed playoffs)

Top returning letterwinners: QB Trevor Paulsen, WR Blair Brooks, DB/WR/K Alex Whalen, OL/LB Caleb Wagner, WR/DE Grant Meth, OL/DE Connor Gorton, OL/LB Nate Miller, OL/DE Isaac Keehner, OL/DL/LB Nick Cole, DB Dawson Kirk, RB Chris Mohwinkle, LB/RB Jacob Lang, OL/DL Colton Wilkinson, WR/DB Trey Robertson, OL/DL Jack Whitney, OL/LB Ben Sanders

Key losses: RB/DB Owen Carstensen, OL/DL Sam Gordon, QB Isaak Hahn, OL/LB Nate Holub, RB/LB Jacob Maloney, WR/DB Clayton Mohwinkle, OL/DL Kavin Nguyen, TE/DE Seth Tuetken, WR/DB Tylor Fairbanks, OL/DL Dante Rouson, HB/LB Austin Ward

Key to making the playoffs: Navigating through a district that includes playoff participants Davenport Assumption and West Delaware, plus 2016 upstarts Clear Creek Amana and Dubuque Wahlert.

Games to watch: West Delaware, Oct. 13. If Marion is to reach the Class 3A playoffs, it will likely need a win over either West Delaware or Davenport Assumption over the final two games of the season, beginning with the Hawks at Thomas Park.

Schedule

Aug. 25 — Union

Sept. 1 — at Benton Community

Sept. 8 — at DeWitt Central

Sept. 15 — Dubuque Wahlert

Sept. 22 — at Maquoketa

Sept. 29 — Center Point-Urbana

Oct. 6 — at Clear Creek Amana

Oct. 13 — West Delaware

Oct. 20 — at Davenport Assumption

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com