Week 1 of the high school football season got off to a great start for the Marshfield Blue Jays last Friday night. Class 5 Springfield Parkview came to R.A. Barr Athletic Stadium for a scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff. Mother Nature made everyone wait a little longer, as multiple lightning delays pushed the start time back to 8 p.m. Marshfield won the opening toss and chose to defer to the second half, putting the defense on the field first. Marshfield Head Coach Cody Bull had told us earlier in the week, “Last year we had one starter returning on defense; this year we have eight.”
That decision paid dividends early as the Jays forced a 4th and 3 from the Parkview 43. The Vikings, playing aggressively, went for it. Parkview Junior QB Willie Otto handed off to Junior Running Back Khase Highley, who was fighting for yardage for the first down. When Highley extended the ball to get the extra inches, Marshfield Sophomore Trenton Rosenthal got his helmet on the ball to force a fumble. It was recovered by Junior Kallen O’Dell at the Parkview 40, ending Parkview’s first drive with a four-and-out.
Marshfield opened the scoring early in the second quarter with a 10-play drive covering 34 yards, capped off with a 4-yard touchdown run by Senior Tyce Jones. Marshfield had nine rushes by Senior Talon Funk, Jones, and Senior Carter Pruitt, and one completion from Junior Quarterback Carson Adams to Funk on the drive. The two-point conversion was stopped by the Vikings, and the Jays led 6-0.
The best scoring opportunity of the evening for Parkview came when they forced a turnover by stopping the Jays on a 4th down play, getting the ball at the Jays' 22-yard line. After two incomplete passes, Junior Running Back Khase Highley rushed for 10 yards to pick up a first down at the Marshfield 12. A five-yard false start penalty pushed the Vikings back to the 17. First and 15 from the 17, Otto handed off to Highley, who looked as if he was going to score when, at the 3-yard line, Jays Junior Defensive Back Leighton Callaway caused a fumble that went out of bounds in the end zone, forcing a touchback and giving the Jays the ball back at the 20-yard line.
The Play of the Game occurred as the Vikings faced a 2nd and 11 from their 46 with just under 11 minutes left in the game, trailing 6-0. Parkview QB Otto rolled out to the left just as Marshfield Senior Linebacker Carter Thompson was blitzing, forcing an early throw. Marshfield Senior Two-Way Starter Brayden Hicks jumped the passing route and returned the interception 49 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 12-0.
From there, the Jays didn’t allow a score and opened the season with a 12-0 shutout.
“Our guys played like we expected them to play: super physical and fast. When lining up against some bigger players, our guys showed their strength,” Coach Bull said after the game.
Up next, Marshfield will travel to Reeds Spring to face the Wolves Friday night at 7. The Wolves opened the season in Rogersville, where they fought to an 8-0 victory. Looking forward to Friday night, Coach Bull says, “You can expect to see two very similar teams. They do some of the same things we do offensively. Both teams will be very aggressive on defense. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Marshfield Web TV will be in Reeds Spring to broadcast the game live. Kickoff is at 7. There is no cell signal at the football field in Reeds Spring. The school is working on fixing that by building a cell tower; however, it will not be done by Friday. We are taking Starlink with us and hoping for the best. If all goes well, you can watch the coverage at www.marshfieldwebtv.com.
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