Article and photos by T Ray Henry
Saturday, October 3rd presented a gorgeous autumn afternoon in the midst of cornfields, with the husks rustling in the gentle wind surrounding Lawrenceville as the Marshall Lions football team took on the Lawrenceville High School Indians in an LIC gridiron battle on Lawrenceville’s artificial turf. The Lions came in with a record of 2-4, while Lawrenceville, celebrating Homecoming on this sunny day, came in with a record of 0-6.
After the Indians scored a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the first 15 seconds of the contest, Marshall responded by shutting the home team out the rest of the way while finding the end zone nine times to win by the score of 60-8. Max Welsh led the Lions with 214 yards on the ground while scoring five touchdowns along the way. Freshman running back Cooper Danke rushed for 66 yards and 2 TDs, and Luke Brodie and Wyatt Geltz each scored a TD. With the win, Marshall improves its chances of garnering a playoff berth in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Lions went to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017.
Prior to the game, a regional Air Evac Life Team helicopter landed at midfield, and the flight crew presented a ceremonial game ball to Lawrenceville’s captains. Once Marshall’s Trip Gaines kicked off from north to south to start the game, the Indians began their opening possession at their own 26-yard line with a first-and-ten. On the first play from scrimmage, the Indians pulled a rabbit out of their hat with a reverse halfback pass that went the distance for the game’s first touchdown. The one play, 74-yard drive took 15 seconds off the clock. The two-point conversion also made it to the end zone, and Lawrenceville quickly led 8-0.
Marshall started their opening possession at their own 29-yard line. The Lions were intent on running the ball behind an offensive line determined to put last week’s performance against Casey-Westfield behind them. Runs by Max Welsh, Cooper Danke, and Luke Brodie got the Lions three quick first downs and moved the ball to the Lawrenceville 34. Marshall rushed the ball down inside the red zone, then Luke Brodie carried the ball inside the ten to the 8-yard line where the Lions had a first-and-goal. Max Welsh ran the ball down to the two on first down, then Welsh plunged into the end zone on second down to score Marshall’s first touchdown. On the two-point conversion, Welsh went through the right side into the end zone, and with 6:19 to go in the first quarter, the teams were all tied up at 8 apiece.
Lawrenceville started their next possession at their own 15-yard line. After a first down, Lawrenceville had the ball at their own 40 where they decided to go for it on a fourth-and-one, but Marshall’s defense held strong and stopped the Indians short of the line to gain and got the turnover on downs in Lawrenceville territory with 3:56 to go in the first.
Marshall kept rushing the ball, this possession employing Silas Dean on jet sweeps around the right edge to get the ball back down inside the 10 to the Indians’ 6. On the next play, Luke Brodie followed the running backs up the middle into the end zone for a Marshall touchdown. After the extra point attempt was blocked, Marshall led 14-8 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.
Through the change in quarters, Lawrenceville moved the ball into Marshall territory where they had another fourth down play, this time a fourth-and-two from the Lions 37. Once again, Marshall’s defense was up to the challenge and stopped Lawrenceville for a loss as the Lions took over on downs at their own 38-yard line.
In two running plays on the ensuing drive, Marshall brought the ball into Lawrenceville territory at the Indians’ 43. Luke Brodie then ran the ball to the 35 and a first down. On the next play from scrimmage, Max Welsh took the handoff and burst through the middle all the way down to the Lawrenceville 3-yard line and a Marshall first-and-goal. He then took a handoff again and ran it up the middle for a touchdown. On the two-point conversion, Luke Brodie followed his blockers up the gut into the end zone, and with 9:09 to go in the first half, Marshall now led 22-8.
On the Indians next drive, they gained a little yardage, then on a second down play from their own 45, Lawrenceville completed a pass inside Marshall territory, but Silas Dean separated the receiver from the ball after the catch, and Bryce Parker jumped on the loose ball at the Lions 42. On the very next play from scrimmage for the Marshall offense, Max Welsh took the handoff and raced up the middle all the way for a 58-yard touchdown run. The 2-point conversion was no good, and with 7:17 to go on the clock before halftime, Marshall led 28-8.
Lawrenceville started their next drive inside their own 15-yard line, and on first down the ball came loose and Marshall’s Fisher Bishop recovered the ball at the Lawrenceville 12. Silas Dean caught the first down pass from Luke Brodie in the right flat and brought the ball down to the 6. Cooper Danke then took a handoff and ran off tackle to the right and scored another Marshall touchdown. Billy Guillemette came on for the extra point try, and Guillemette drilled the kick through the uprights to give the Lions a 35-8 lead with 6:18 left on the clock.
As Lawrenceville drove into Marshall territory on their next drive, they got as far as the 40-yard line of Marshall before the Lions’ Silas Dean intercepted a pass around the 25 and ran it back to the Marshall 40. After a long touchdown catch-and-run by Silas Dean was called back, Cooper Danke ran the ball down to the Lawrenceville 13. After two penalties pushed the Lions back to the 23, Max Welsh quickly found his way into the end zone on a run up the gut. The extra point was no good, and with 20 seconds to go before the break, Marshall led 41-8.
The second half for Lawrenceville began like it ended in the first half – with another turnover. On a fourth-and-one from their own 40, the Indians decided to go for it down by 33 points. The result of the fourth down play was a fumble recovered by Marshall’s Bryce Parker, his second fumble recovery of the game, at Lawrenceville’s 40. Runs by Wyatt Geltz mixed in with a reception by Bryce Parker got the Lions down to the Indians 25-yard line. Two plays later, Max Welsh ran up the middle to score from 12 yards out, giving Marshall a 47-8 lead with 7:30 to go in the third.
With Lawrenceville unable to move the ball on the Marshall defense, the Indians never threatened to score. Meanwhile, Marshall kept carving out yardage on their next drive. Silas Dean ran a jet sweep and outflanked the Lawrenceville defense to race all the way down the sideline to the Lawrenceville 3-yard line. On the next play, Wyatt Geltz rushed through the four hole on the right side and scored Marshall’s eighth touchdown of the game, and with just under six minutes remaining in the third, Marshall’s lead with score 53-8 triggered a running clock.
After Lawrenceville went four-and-out in turning the ball over on downs, Marshall freshman Lathan Shotts took over at quarterback and marched the offense down the field and into the end zone on a 22-yard run by Cooper Danke through the right side for the Lions ninth TD of the game. Billy Guillemette was true on the extra point, and with 3:13 to go in the game, Marshall led 60-8.
The final Lawrenceville drive ended when they coughed up the ball in their own territory as it was recovered by Marshall’s Eirninn Gettinger. The Lions then ran out the clock, and the final score was Marshall 60, Lawrenceville 8. With the win, Marshall improves to 3-4 on the season, while Lawrenceville drops to 0-7.
This Friday night, Marshall travels to Mount Carmel to take on an undefeated Golden Aces team which is currently ranked #6 in IHSA Class 3A and has already won at least a share of the LIC Conference title. Kickoff at the Snake Pit in Mount Carmel is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
Max Welsh (23) ran for 214 yards and 5 TDs against Lawrenceville in Marshall's 60-8 win
Marshall QB Luke Brodie led the Lions on 8 scoring drives against Lawrenceville
Cooper Danke (20) finds daylight during one of his two touchdown runs against Lawrenceville
Silas Dean (0) intercepted a Lawrenceville pass and caused two fumbles in the Lions' 60-8 win
Billy Guillemette (9) drills the extra point for Marshall against Lawrenceville in the Lions' big win
