Coming into the season, the Marengo football team had several games circled on their schedule.

After losing to Peotone and Woodstock North last year, the Indians wanted to atone for those losses.

They took care of business last week at Peotone and rallied in their Kishwaukee River Conference opener to defeat Woodstock North 14-13 on Friday night in Marengo.

“Takeover 2.0. It feels great, not much more you can ask for,” Indians wide receiver Park Mandelky said. “We’ve played really well the last two weeks, and it especially feels good knowing we kept fighting against two of the teams that beat us last year.

The visiting Thunder looked strong early. On their opening possession, North needed only six plays to drive 53 yards to take the early lead. Senior fullback David Randecker scored on an 18-yard run to put the Thunder up 7-0.

On their next possession, the Thunder (1-2, 0-1) were even more efficient. On the third play of the drive, quarterback Braelan Creighton hit Brady Rogers with a 57-yard touchdown pass, giving North a 13-0 lead.

Creighton finished the game 3-of-8 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown. Randecker had 107 yards on 12 carries to lead the Thunder, while Parker Halihan added 62 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Marengo’s offense provided an effective mix of running and passing. On its third drive of the game, the Indians moved the ball with the run and the pass. Quarterback Sam Vandello hit Mandelky three times on the drive with the final connection resulting in a 9-yard touchdown pass.

“It felt really good today. We took advantage of some opportunities throwing the ball and I love our running backs. They run their hearts out,” said Vandello, who was 12-of-22 passing for 147 yards.

To open the second half, Marengo (3-0, 1-0) marched 77 yards on nine plays to take the lead for good. Senior running back Gavin Baros scored on a four-yard TD run to put the Indians up 14-13.

“We’re always straining, not just on the football field. It’s in the classroom and weight room. We never give up, that’s one of the things we take pride in,” said Baros, who finished with 73 yards rushing on 20 carries.

After the Thunder jumped out to the early lead in the first quarter, the Marengo defense made things very challenging for North. Senior Cooper Lopez intercepted a Thunder pass and senior Connor Sacco recovered a fumble.

“I can’t lie, North had us in the first quarter. The biggest thing, though, was the change in intensity. We were flat in the first quarter and picked it up, especially in the second half,” Sacco said.

It was complete game for Marengo, utilizing a tough defense and an opportunistic offense.

“I’m really proud of the way the guys played tonight. Sam played really well, the offense moved the ball, and for our defense to hold them to 13 points is awesome,” Marengo coach Paul Forsythe said.