Presented by Team Rehabilitation
(Ann Arbor, MI) – #5 Concordia football hosted #10 Marian on a rainy Saturday afternoon for a critical MSFA Mideast divisional matchup. The Cardinals fell behind by two touchdowns in the first half, but continued battling to pull within a score in the second half. However, Marian came away with a hard-fought 14-7 win.
Gavin Brooks threw for 147 yards and 1 touchdown. Brandon Stewart led the rushing attack with 50 yards. Seeger DeGayner led receivers with 55 yards while Payton Pizzala had the team's lone touchdown reception.
On defense, Casey Rauch finished first with 9 tackles. Liam Karry was second with 7 tackles. Damonte Bean and David Cagle notched 5 tackles apiece.
Concordia kicked off to Marian to begin the game and forced a three-and-out on defense. After the Cardinals' first drive stalled, the Knights put together a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead with 4:50 remaining. The rain continued to impact both teams with slippery conditions throughout the match.
An interception by Marian led to another touchdown drive early in the second quarter. Both teams continued to hold strong on defense, but the Cardinals had an opportunity just before halftime after a muffed punt by Marian. Gavin Brooks lofted a ball intended for Harmon Devries as time expired, but the pass fell incomplete.
The rain fell harder in the third quarter as both teams' offenses were unable to gain traction. Concordia drove to the Marian 15-yard line on their opening drive, but a sack on fourth down left the team scoreless.
After forcing a missed field goal, the Cardinals got on the board with a 12-play, 78-yard scoring drive. Gavin Brooks fired to Payton Pizzala in the back of the endzone for a 4-yard strike to trim the deficit to 14-7.
Marian drove deep into Concordia territory on their next series, but a critical fumble forced by Damonte Bean was recovered by David Cagle to give the team life with 4:19 remaining. The Cardinals got first-down receptions from Seeger DeGayner and Harmon Devries, but an interception ended the drive.
With two timeouts remaining, the Cardinals looked to make one more defensive stop. Concordia held Marian to a 4th-and-2 situation on their 21-yard line, but a first-down run ended the game.
The Cardinals will remain at home next week to host rival Siena Heights for homecoming. Kickoff is at 1pm.
