Varsity Football Gridders End Regular Season With Victory

Austin Darling, Staff writer

The Ovid-Elsie Marauders conquer the Corunna Cavaliers in a 21-20 overtime victory. The 7-1
Marauders would see this game to be their biggest of the season, against the 8-1 Cavaliers. Not
only would this win have a huge role in determining playoff positions, but it would also be an
ongoing matchup between these long-time rivals.

Offensively, the Marauders were able to impress and control the field. They saw a total of 69
plays compared to Corunna’s 40. Additionally, Ovid-Elsie boasted 305 total yards compared to
the Cavalier’s 249. The true difference in the game was the amount of time each team had
possession of the ball. The Cavaliers would hold the ball for a noteworthy 18 minutes and 39
seconds. However, the Marauders boasted an impressive 29 minutes and one second, controlling
the outcome of the game by the second. Scores would come from passes by Tryce Tokar in the
second and fourth quarters. The first would be received by Clay Wittenberg, the second by
Braxton Stenger. In overtime, the Marauders would swiftly march into the end zone, with the
score coming from running back Perrien Rasch.

On the other side of the ball, the Marauders would tear Corunna apart. Kevin Ley would lead the
team in tackles with eight tackles, 5 being solo, 6 being assisted, and three tackles for loss. Other
key defensive contributors would be Wittenberg and Tokar, previously mentioned above.
Wittenberg would total seven tackles with three being for loss, and Tokar would get 6.5 tackles
and an interception. The true difference that the defense would make would not come until
overtime. The Cavaliers would follow up Ovid-Elsie’s score with a touchdown of their own but
would attempt a two-point conversion to try and win the game. The Marauder defense would
then rally with an interception by Tokar, stop the conversion, and effectively win the game.

With this win, Ovid-Elsie was supposed to host a home playoff game. However, this will not be
the case. The Marauders look to the road to face off against the Almont Raiders. This will be the
first time these two teams face off since 2020. Losing to Almont in the playoffs that year, the
Marauders come to this game with an extra sense of vengeance.