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Trojans drop district tussle

STATE CENTER – The mistakes will be noted, assessed and corrected. But the effort will also be recognized.

The West Marshall football team come up on the short end of a wet, rainy and soggy Class 2A District 3 opener, falling to Aplington-Parkersburg 28-6 on Friday night.

The Falcons scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game to build a 14-0 lead early on. The Trojans made some adjustments to slow down the A-P running backs, but there was just no stopping the Falcon rushing attack.

“Our group of guys, they played hard, the whole game,” said West Marshall coach Cody Hackett. “All four quarters. I never questioned their effort. We made some mistakes, but you know what, they’re giving it everything they have. That’s what I like. I’ll watch film come Monday, and even if they make mistakes, I’m still going to see everybody flying to the football.”

The effort though that will be acknowledged by Hackett when the game video is reviewed will be evident in such plays like the touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Cameron Bannister rolled out to his left and connected with Beau Coberley. The junior wide receiver shed some Falcon tacklers that latched onto him, and scampered 54 yards for the touchdown with five minutes to play. It’s just A-P had built a four-touchdown lead by the time the score happened.

Bannister led the Trojans (2-1, 0-1) in passing and rushing, completing 12-of-21 passes for 142 yards, the touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 49 yards on 11 rushes, a good number of the runs happening on roll outs and then tucking the football and running. Coberley led West Marshall with 78 receiving yards on four catches.

“We’re out here trying to make things happen,” Hackett said. “Get the guys the ball.”

As a team, the Falcons (2-1, 1-0) ran for 349 yards. For the longest time, the run game has been A-P’s bread and butter, and it was showcased Friday night, running the ball 58 times as opposed to throwing it seven times.

Sam Thorn paced the Falcons, carrying the rock 30 times for 192 yards. Thorn accounted for three of the Falcon’s four touchdowns. He scored A-P’s first touchdown of the night, scored four minutes into the second quarter and scored again in the third. Chase Kling was responsible for the other scoring, a 25-yard run in the first, as he finished with 85 yards rushing on 12 carries.

West Marshall turned the ball over three times on the ground, two of the fumbles resulting in Falcon scores. The Falcons weren’t without mistakes of their own. A-P fumbled the ball three times, recovered all three times by the Trojans. The Falcons also committed 13 penalties for 110 yards.

West Marshall hits the road for the next two weeks, traveling to Collins-Maxwell/Baxter this coming Friday, and then to Dike-New Hartford the following Friday.

“I have a group of guys here that know what it takes,” Hackett said. “They’re a great group that learns. They see their mistakes on film, and they don’t take it to heart. They know that’s what they need to move forward. It’s early in district play. Playoffs aren’t out of the picture. They know that.”

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