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C-W football captains, Evan Davidson (holding plaque), Brett Livvix, Nate Evans and Dalton Brooke, accept the plaque for the Elite Eight after they were knocked out of playoffs in overtime by the Marshall Lions. Photo by Jocossa Burson
Marshall Shocks Casey-Westfield 14-13  Share esounding thud of the football against a Marshall player's arm, the 2009 Casey-Westfield Warrior football season came to sudden, decisive, end. In front of a large crowd of football fans at Sinclair/Vidoni Field last Saturday afternoon, the visiting Lions tied the score in the closing seconds of regulation and then blocked the Warriors extra-point attempt in overtime to claim the narrow 14-13 victory and a Class 2A Semifinal Playoff berth this weekend against Maroa-Forsyth. This past weekend's quarterfinal game matched the top seeded Warriors against the fourth seeded Lions on an unseasonably warm November afternoon. The two schools had met in week one, and this game had a similar tone as the two rivals battled to a scoreless conclusion to the first half. In the third quarter, the Purple and Gold marched the ball downfield on their first offensive possession behind a methodical rushing attack. Facing a third down situation at the Lion 13-yard line, Josh Thais slipped out of the backfield, caught a pass from Brett Livvix, and dashed into the end zone for the game's first points. Clinton Scott booted the extra point providing Casey-Westfield with a 7-0 advantage with 5:23 remaining in the third period. The Warrior defense kept the shutout intact until less than two minutes remained in this classic gridiron duel. With just 1:36 left in the game, Lion quarterback Taylor Duncan slipped into the end zone on a four-yard touchdown run, and Luke Nelson's kick evened the score at 7-7. This match-up of the best of the Little Illini Conference very nearly ended as regulation time expired. After Marshall intercepted a Warrior pass, Nelson attempted a field goal from the left hash-mark with 1.2 seconds left. The kick had plenty of distance, and appeared very close to the right upright. But the officials ruled the kick just wide, and the two evenly matched teams prepared for a first overtime period. The Lion offense took the field first in the extra session, and following an incomplete pass, Duncan then scrambled to his right and into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown run. Nelson then split the uprights for Marshall's first lead of the game at 14-7.
The Warriors offensive then took the field, and on third down from the one-yard line, Thais powered into the north end zone to pull the host school within one point. Casey-Westfield lined up for the extra-point, Scott hit the ball square with his right foot, the ball hit Dalton Sander's arm with a dull thud, and this highly anticipated game was suddenly finished. As the Marshall faithful celebrated in the middle of Sinclair/Vidoni Field, the Warriors exited in disbelief, a perfect season spoiled by a special team's breakdown in overtime against a team they had defeated 28-7 back in late August. This game was a defensive battle, with the Warriors netting 175 yards of total offense to the Lion's 158 yards of offense. Josh Thais led the Purple and Gold with ten tackles, while fellow defensive end Clinton Scott recorded eight hits. Taylor White, Nate Evans, and Dalton Brooke each were credited with six tackles in the loss to the Lions. Dalton Sanders and Jared Boyle led the Marshall defense with eight tackles each, and Tyler Bishop chipped in seven hits for the winning school. The majority of the Marshall offense came through the air, with Taylor Duncan passing for 105 yards, with 56 of those coming on a pair of completions to Jake Duncan. Meanwhile, the ground game provided almost all of the Warrior offense, with Austin Ragsdale leading the way with 69 yards on 19 attempts. Billy Seeley contributed 42 yards on eleven carries, while Josh Thais finished with 20 yards on five rushing attempts. The win improved the Lions 2009 season record to 11-1 and gives them a Final Four home game this weekend against Maroa-Forsyth. With the stunning ending, the Warriors complete their 2009 campaign with an 11-1 overall mark. Score by Quarters Marshall 0 0 0 7 7 - 14 Casey-Westfield 0 0 7 0 6 - 13 Scoring Summary CW: Brett Livvix 13 pass to Josh Thais (Clinton Scott kick) 5:23 Quarter Three MA: Taylor Duncan 4 run (Luke Nelson kick) 1:36 Quarter Four MA: T. Duncan 10 run (Nelson kick) First Overtime CW: J. Thais 1 run (kick blocked) Individual Statistics Rushing: Marshall: T. Duncan 21-26, Strohm 7-16, J. Duncan 5-11. Totals: 33-53. Casey-Westfield: Seeley 11-42, Livvix 3-15, Unzicker 1-6, Ragsdale 19-69, Evans 1-6, J. Thais 5-20. Totals: 40-158. Passing: Marshall: T. Duncan 8 of 16 for 105 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. Casey-Westfield: B. Livvix 4 of 7 for 17 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions. Receiving: Marshall: Grooms 3-29, Strohm 1-0, Wetnight 1-10, J. Duncan 2-56, Morey 1-10. Casey-Westfield: Unzicker 1 Ð (-2), Brewer 1-2, J. Thais 2-17. The Casey Reporter
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