By Dan McGrath
Wind, rain and a rapidly falling temperature made for miserable playing conditions as the Leo Lions traveled to Aurora to face Marmion Academy in a Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic matchup of 2-5 teams on Friday, Oct. 14.
It was not a night for championship-caliber football, and there was no suggestion of it by either team in Marmion’s 27-0 victory.
The Lions had negative rushing yardage for the evening, even after senior Tim Durr popped out 26 yards on three fourth-quarter carries. They lost three fumbles and threw two interceptions. On their lone trip inside Marmion’s 20-yard line, a holding penalty, a quarterback sack and a blown-up screen pass transformed first-and-goal from the 10 into fourth-and-goal from the 38.
Trailing 7-0, the Lions took over at their own 8 after a Marmion punt with 19 seconds left in the first half, only to fumble the ball away on the next snap. Jacob Stumm then scored from a yard out to give Marmion a two-touchdown lead.
Combined with its negative rushing yards, the 105 yards in penalties Leo was assessed more than offset quarterback Darion Lee’s 126 passing yards, achieved on eight completions in 26 soggy attempts.
The Cadets weren’t a whole lot better on offense—starting quarterback Ryan Prell was 4-for-14 for 69 yards with a touchdown and an interception—but didn’t have to be as Leo turnovers preceded three of their four TDs.
Prell scored one and passed for one, a 21-yard strike to Benjamin Morcos. Backup QB Henry Garrison was on the money with his first three throws, including a 13-yard TD to Xavier Flores.
Leo (2-6) will conclude its season with a nonconference Senior Day matinee against Rich Township at St. Rita’s Cronin Field on Saturday, Oct. 22. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. The high-flying Raptors (4-4) average 32 points per game.