Marengo’s defense plays lights-out against Plano to become postseason eligible for 4th consecutive season

MARENGO – Marengo’s defense made it extremely tough for Plano’s running backs to find open space Friday.

And when the Reapers dropped back to pass, the Indians normally had two or three defenders in the backfield too.

Marengo’s defense was stingy all night, holding the Reapers to minus-31 yards rushing and earning a 32-7 victory in their regular-season finale.

With the win, the Indians (5-4, 3-2 Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Blue) became playoff eligible for the fourth consecutive season. Plano finished the year 3-6, 1-4.

“It’s hard to win, period,” Marengo coach Paul Forsythe said. “I’m just happy for our kids, and our seniors especially. It’s four years of commitment. They committed themselves, and they had a really tough schedule this year.

“We’ve also got some young players on defense that we’re really excited about, and they’ve grown so much since the beginning of the year. Some of these freshmen had to start against Richmond-Burton in Week 3.”

Freshman Brady Kentgen seemed to have a hand in a lot of big plays, tallying three sacks in the first half. The biggest play came late in the first half when the Indians defense made a key stop with Plano looking to capitalize on a possible game-tying drive.

Instead, the Indians’ pressure got to Plano quarterback Armando Martinez, who was forced to scramble while being chased by two or three defenders, including Kentgen. Marengo sacked Martinez and forced the ball loose, with Isaac Anthony jumping on the fumble.

Marengo then drove down to Plano’s side of the field and kicked a 37-yard field goal by Alten Bergbreiter as time expired in the first half to grab a 10-0 lead.

“Oh, it feels great,” Kentgen said. “Our adrenaline was pumping, and we were all just doing our thing. This year has been tough. I came into this year not thinking I was going to move up [to varsity]. The whole team kind of adopted me, and it’s been great.”

The Indians defense forced a punt on Plano’s first possession of the second half, and quarterback Josh Holst scored on a 9-yard touchdown run with 6:08 left in the third.

Plano scored its lone touchdown on a 75-yard pass from Martinez to Thomas Harding (four catches, 113 yards) to cut Marengo’s lead to 17-7, but it was all Indians from there. They outscored the Reapers 15-0 the rest of the way.

“We felt like they were going to spread us out, and they did,” Forsythe said of Plano’s offense. “[Plano has] some really good athletes. Defensively, I was really happy with our performance.”

The Indians used a run-heavy offense, with senior Joseph Leibrandt leading the way with 117 yards on 27 carries and a score. Josh Holst (6-of-13 passing for 84 yards) added 72 yards on 10 carries and a score. Anthony had 28 yards and a touchdown.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity this year, a lot of guys go down with injury early on,” Leibrandt said. “We’ve had a lot of younger guys step up and fill holes, and they’ve all done really well. For me, it’s really nice to be in the playoffs all four years.”

Martinez was 7-of-16 passing for 158 yards, a TD and an interception. Nick Serio caught two passes for 20 yards, and Waleed Johnson added a catch for 25 yards.

The Reapers were without two starters on the offensive line: center Andrew Harrelson and Alejandro Nunez.

“These seniors came in with me when I started,” Plano coach Rick Ponx said. “We’ve been through three, four years together. They’ve grown and bought into what we teach them, which is being a better person. And once you’re a better person, you’ll become a better football player.”

Marengo 32, Plano 7

Plano 0 0 7 0 – 7

Marengo 7 3 9 13 – 32

First quarter

M–Leibrandt 4 run (Bergbreiter kick), 1:32

Second quarter

M–Bergbreiter 37 field goal, 0:00

Third quarter

M–Holst 9 run (Bergbreiter kick), 6:08

P–Harding 75 pass from Martinez (Byrd kick), 5:51

M–Safety, 0:31

Fourth quarter

M–Anthony 8 run (kick missed), 10:04

M–Baker 18 pass from Holst (Bergbreiter kick), 4:03

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Plano: Johnson 7-minus 4, Martinez 2-12, Thomas 2-minus 2, Wells 1-10, Serio 1-2, Team 5-minus 49. Totals: 18-minus 31. Marengo: Leibrandt 27-117, Holst 10-72, Anthony 8-28, Miller 1-6, Team 1-minus 2. Totals: 47-221.

PASSING–Plano: Martinez 7-16-1-158, Trujillo 1-2-0-32. Marengo: Holst 6-13-1-84.

RECEIVING–Plano: Harding 4-113, Serio 2-20, Uhrich 1-32, Johnson 1-25. Marengo: Bre. Kentgen 3-53, Miller 2-13, Baker 1-18.

TOTAL YARDS: Plano 159, Marengo 305.