Marmion starts fast, snaps its 5-game streak

No agonizingly close finishes this time.

Marmion Academy, which had lost its last three games by a combined 10 points, wasted no time building a big lead Friday night. The fired-up Cadets scored three touchdowns in the games' first five minutes and rolled by host Aurora Central Catholic 40-14 for their first win since Sept. 5.

"After you lose five in a row, any win is a lift for your team," said Marmion quarterback Ricky Bird, who threw for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns. "To dominate on every side of the ball, it felt good."

Bird said getting the quick, early lead "gave the whole team confidence."

It took only two and a half minutes to get on the scoreboard. Bird found Matt Pircon wide open in the middle of the field on the Cadets' fifth play of the game, and Pircon took it in for a 39-yard score. After Aurora Central Catholic went three-and-out, Bird struck again - this time finding Bobby Miles on a similar play that went for 82 yards.

Those easy scores left Chargers coach Mike Curry upset. He wasn't happy with his team's defensive play.

"It's one thing to physically get pounded and beat up. It's another to throw the game away because you don't know where to be," Curry said, noting that they had worked on defending that play in practice during the week. "We didn't get it done from the opening bell, and they took advantage of it."

Marmion's defense provided the third score when T.J. Lally picked up a fumble on the Chargers' next possession and took it 6 yards into the end zone. That put the Cadets up 20-0. Bird increased that lead to 26-0 just 8 seconds into the second half, with a 16-yard pass to Sean Fichtel.

The Chargers got on the board with Andrew Scott's 1-yard touchdown run, set up by a long pass from Mike Adams to Matt Wagner. But Marmion (3-5 overall, 1-5 Suburban Catholic Conference) responded with two more scores before halftime, on runs of 59 yards by Pircon and 7 by Nico Jimenez, to lead 40-6 at the break.

"You play the way you practice," Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. "We had excellent practices this week, and we came out and executed."

He said he motivated the team with one key word this week: "Pride." "We tried to put a little more pressure on them," Thorpe said. "They had to play for the school, for the alumni."

On the other sideline, Adams provided the few bright spots for winless Aurora Central Catholic (0-8, 0-6). He hurdled a defender on a 22-yard run in the third quarter that gave the Chargers their other touchdown and finished with 150 yards passing and 105 rushing.

"He's an athlete," Curry said, "the best athlete we have in the school. But he needs a supporting cast, and he didn't have one tonight."

The Chargers finish up the season next week at home against Immaculate Conception. Marmion will also be at home, facing St. Edward in its finale.