Marian Rides Dominant Defense to Victory Vs. Saint Joseph

“I don’t think the first couple of weeks were really reflective of how well our defense was playing,” Marian head coach Mike Davidson told Today’s Catholic after the game. “We made some mistakes; we gassed out a little bit. And the last two weeks, we’ve cleaned those up. We’re playing fast, we’re playing physical – it’s a fun defense to watch right now.”

In fact, it was the Knights’ defense that opened the game’s scoring. After a scoreless first quarter that saw both offenses struggle to find their footing, Marian defensive end Caleb Johnson stepped in front of a second-quarter pass from Saint Joseph’s A.J. LaSane and took it 73 yards for a touchdown.

“Really, I was just running and put my hands up, trying to get a deflection,” Johnson recalled. “The ball ended up in my hands. It was luck; it could have been anyone. I knew once I had the ball that I was going to score a touchdown. … It was an amazing feeling.”

With two minutes remaining in the opening half, Saint Joseph was driving before another interception – this one by Marian defensive back Quinn Rohn – gave the ball back to the Knights. A 53-yard connection from quarterback Lucas Marr to receiver Jack Diroll put Marian in scoring position. Marr didn’t waste the opportunity, as he found Terrance Lane from 11 yards out for a 14-0 lead with just 19 seconds left before halftime.

“Lucas Marr, he’s made longer throws and bigger plays,” admitted Davidson, “but that was my favorite play I’ve seen out of him at quarterback. He took what the defense gave him, and when we do that, we can be a really nice offense. It was huge for us, knowing that they got the ball after half, to put up that second score. And the way that our defense was playing, it was pivotal.”

Marian rode its defense to a pair of second-half turnovers and turned both of them into points. After an interception by Knights defensive back Cooper Suth, backup quarterback Mitchell Fimbel tossed a 20-yard scoring strike to Deuce Owens on a fourth-down play. Running back Braxton Brooks capped off the scoring with a 22-yard run in the final quarter, which followed a fumble recovery by lineman Seth Kirzeder. Moments later, the celebration was on for the home crowd at Otolski Field.

“Honestly, it can’t get any better than this – this feels like a sectional championship,” Brooks said after the game. “It’s something bigger than that: You get bragging rights out of it, and then you get to beat the other school that you’re rivals with. There’s really, honestly, no better feeling.”

The victory marked Marian’s first shutout since a 29-0 sectional win against Tippecanoe Valley in 2021 – a span of 28 games. The Knights’ last blanking of Saint Joseph came the prior year in a 48-0 rout, part of an undefeated regular season. While this year’s matchup broke a four-year cycle of the two teams facing off in the regular season finale, it catapulted the Knights into a tie for first place atop the Northern Indiana Conference standings. Needless to say, the importance of the night wasn’t lost on Davidson, as another chapter was added to an already rich and storied rivalry.

“It’s special, and that’s the best I can describe it,” said Davidson, reflecting that his father, uncle, and hopefully his son will someday all have played in the rivalry. “You don’t forget a whole lot of them. Sometimes the ones that you’re on the wrong side of, but even those stick out in your mind. So, it’s special, and you see the way the school comes together, the guys come together – it’s just special.”

Immediately following the game, players and coaches from both schools gathered at midfield and took a knee, as Saint Joseph co-chaplain Father Augustine Onuoha led everyone in the Lord’s Prayer. Brooks said this moment of solidarity by both squads after a hard-fought contest is what binds them together as part of a unique rivalry – one with a distinctly Catholic identity.

“It honestly feels great that people have enough class, [regardless of winning or losing],” said Brooks. “We can come together as one family, because at the end of the day, we’re one family. We’re just on opposite sides of the family, kind of like your mom’s side of the family and your dad’s side of the family.”