By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MARIONVILLE — The Marionville Comets just did Marionville Comet things on Friday night.
Marionville established its power run game to set up their aerial attack, propelling the Comets to a 41-8 victory over Diamond at Bill Redus Field.
Marionville, the top-ranked team in Class 1, improved to 5-0 and pushed their regular-season win streak to 40 games. That impressive streak dates back to October 2019.
“Overall, I’m really proud of our kids and their mental toughness,” Marionville coach Paden Grubbs said. “I felt like offensively we did a great job tonight against a physical football team in Diamond. I was very proud of how our backs finished runs and how our offensive line played.
“I feel like our offensive line is continuing to get better. I think our defense is the strength of our team. Anytime we can play ahead, I think that’s really good for us and we were able to do that tonight.”
The Comets played ball control football to build a 21-0 lead by halftime.
One of the most productive running backs in the area, senior Hugh Eaton got Marionville on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game that consumed nearly seven minutes off the clock.
The Comets defense lived up their billing immediately, forcing Diamond to go three-and-out on the ensuing drive.
Yards came in big chunks on Marionville’s next series. Sophomore quarterback Bryer Guerin started the drive with a 47-yard run to put the Comets at midfield and his 14-yard pass to brother Gage put Marionville inside Wildcat territory.
Cash Pomeroy, standing at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, later powered his Comets to the goal line thanks to a 14-yard run. The sophomore capped the drive with a 5-yard score courtesy of his legs, giving the hosts a 14-0 lead with 11:54 to play in the second quarter.
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Diamond mustered just one first down on the ensuing drive. Marionville’s defense followed up the first down by collecting two tackles for loss of three yards each and a pass incompletion to force the punt.
Then with 1:11 remaining in the first half, Bryer Guerin punctuated a six-minute drive downfield with a 2-yard touchdown run.
“We wanted to come out and dictate the line of scrimmage,” Grubbs said. “I felt like our offensive line has really come on these last two or three weeks and gotten better. They continued to get better tonight and continue to do really good things. Our backs were doing a good job of cutting off their blocks and finishing runs at the second and third levels. Anytime we can control the ball and the tempo of the game Is a good thing for us.”
Guerin showed off his ability to throw in the second half. His first touchdown pass went to Eaton for 10 yards to increase the Comets’ lead to 28-0 with 2:43 to play in the third quarter.
Fast forward to the 7:04 mark in the fourth quarter, Guerin found junior Braydon Bellah open downfield for a 36-yard touchdown strike, pulling Marionville in front 35-0 to start the running clock.
“Bryer is doing a great job, especially for a sophomore,” Grubbs said. “He is so cool, calm and collected. Doesn’t get rattled a whole lot. He sees the field well. He is just a point guard on the football field. He finds the open guy and gets them the ball. The receivers do a great job of running their routes and catching the ball once he puts it on them.”
Junior Aaron Chapman accounted for the Comets final score, a 49-yard fumble recovery for touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Peyton Marbough had a 28-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion supplied Diamond’s lone offense on the night.
Marionville senior kicker Gabriele Uttini made all his extra-point tries. The Wildcats slipped to 3-2.
Despite outscoring their opponents 208-27 so far this season. Grubbs said the Comets have faced some adversity.
“We haven’t been as fortunate with injuries this year,” Grubbs said. “We are getting a little dinged up, but we’ve had a lot of guys stepping in and filling spots and playing at a high level. I’m really proud of our kids for their continued effort to progress and the coaching staff to help progress those kids not only in the weight room, but on the football field. That’s what I’m most proud of so far this year. We’ve faced some adversity this year, and we’ve had some guys step up and play big roles.”
Marionville plays at Pierce City in Week 6 while Diamond hosts Forsyth.
