On Friday, October 24th, the Marshall High School football team traveled to Chizevsky Field in Newton to take on the Newton Community High School Eagles in the 2025 regular season finale. The Lions came into the game with a record of 4-4, needing a win against the Eagles (3-5) to become playoff eligible for the first time since 2017. In the previous nine meetings between these two squads, Newton had won all nine games dating back ten years (the two schools did not play during 2020 due to the COVID pandemic). With the Lions playing for what all intents and purposes mounted to a playoff game to get into the playoffs, this game meant much more to Marshall, while Newton was playing on Senior Night and wanted nothing more than to play the role of spoiler.
One more game.
At each game during the season, it became a tradition where a couple assistant coaches stopped by to say hello before the game. Before the Newton game, the coaches said that Marshall had its best week of practice of the whole season, and both said the theme tonight was this: One More Game. Before the arrival of head coach Steve Weber, it’s no secret that Marshall football had a stretch of seasons where the Lions finished winless, and when Weber took over as head coach, the Marshall gridiron program had not won a football game in over four years. In coach Weber’s first year, the Big Red won a game at Olney. That year also happened to be the same year that the current senior class football players were sophomores. Last year, the Lions won two games, and this season they had won four games, putting the team just one win away from making the IHSA state playoffs for the first time since 2017. With one game standing between the playoffs and the season being over, the one thing on the minds of the Lions coaches was One More Game. All they wanted was to get this year’s seniors into the playoffs so they can play one more time after leading the renaissance of Lions football.
And what a night in Newton it was… After a rough start in spotting the Eagles 7 points with just a minute and 31 seconds off the clock, Marshall went on a drive via runs by Lucca Giannavola, Liam Keim, and Kaiden Sanders to get the Lions into the Newton red zone and down to the Eagles 10. Marshall wasted no time thereafter, scoring a touchdown when Lucca Giannavola rushed into the end zone from 10 yards out. Following a Giannavola rush up the middle for the two-point conversion, Marshall led 8-7 with 3:49 to go in the first quarter.
On the ensuing drive for Newton, the Eagles marched down the field, mixing it up on the ground and through the air to score a touchdown and two-point conversion to take a 15-8 lead over the Lions with 7:15 to go before halftime. Without any scoring in the half down the stretch, the teams went to their locker rooms with Marshall trailing by seven.
The second half was an entirely different story for the Lions, who played lights out on defense throughout the final 24 minutes. Newton took the second half kickoff down into the red zone, but Marshall’s defense stiffened and stopped the Eagles on fourth down at the Lions 8.
The Lions offense methodically marched down the field on runs by Lucca Giannavola, Luke Brodie, Liam Keim, Kaiden Sanders, and Silas Dean as the Lions offensive line dominated in the trenches. The drive culminated in Lucca Giannavola’s 4-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion. With 1:44 to go in the third quarter, Marshall had the lead at 16-15 as those who took the hour-long drive to Newton roared in the bleachers.
On the kickoff following the Marshall touchdown, the ball caromed off a Newton player up front, and Marshall’s Wyatt Geltz pounced on the loose ball to give the Lions a huge swing of momentum. The complexion of the game changed immediately after Geltz’s fumble recovery. Even though the succeeding drive stalled in Newton territory, the Lions showed they were in it to win it.
Newton took the ball after a Marshall punt all the way down inside the Lions 10-yard line in the waning moment of the third quarter. There, the Lions defense played perhaps the best series of the season in keeping the Eagles out of the end zone. On fourth down, a pass down the left sideline was broken up, and the Lions took over on downs at their own seven.
A couple Lucca Giannavola runs on the subsequent drive took the ball out to the Marshall 19 where the Big Red had a first and 10. On the next play, Marshall quarterback Luke Brodie handed the ball off to Kaiden Sanders on a jet sweep around the left side. Sanders broke one tackle and ran into the clear down the left sideline for an 81-yard Marshall touchdown. The two-point conversion was good when Lucca Giannavola threw the ball to Liam Keim at the right pylon, and Marshall now led Newton 24-15 with about a minute to go in the third.
With Newton attempting a comeback on their next drive, Marshall’s nickel defense was up to the challenge. The Lions interior line of Boston Rollings, Lachlan Smith, along with Fisher Bishop and Hank Orman, collapsed the pocket, while Josef Stafford and Bryer Jansen were chasing Newton’s quarterback to hurry passes. Marshall’s defensive backs were also rock solid covering the Eagles 5-receiver sets.
It seemed after Kaiden Sanders’ touchdown that the Lions played faster without the pressure of the scoreboard. Coming down the stretch, Marshall kept getting stops, and another Lucca Giannavola rushing touchdown, this one from one yard out, followed by a two-point conversion run around the left side by Liam Keim, put the Lions ahead 32-15 with 3:11 to go in the game. At this juncture, Marshall’s players and fans began to realize that One More Game was coming to fruition,. and there was an audible buzz along the sideline and in the stands.
Once the Lions defense stopped one last gasp by Newton, the Marshall offense took the ball over on downs with a minute to go on the clock. Two kneel-downs by Luke Brodie later, the clock ticked down to zeroes, and the Marshall sideline erupted with a huge win over Newton by the score of 32-15. With the win, Marshall became the fifth team in the Little Illini Conference to become playoff eligible, which for an eight-team conference is remarkable.
Lucca Giannavola led the Lions in rushing with 173 yards on 30 carries and 3 touchdowns. Kaiden Sanders ran the ball twice for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Liam Keim scored two two-point conversions (one rushing and one receiving). Luke Brodie was 7 for 11 in passing for 66 yards. Kaiden Sanders and Liam Keim led the Lions in receiving with two apiece. On the defensive side of the ball, Lucca Giannavola had 11 tackles, while Gavyn Boden, Liam Keim, Silas Dean, and Tevin Cribelar each finished with four.
Marshall (5-4) will play its next game in the first round of the IHSA Class 2A state playoffs this coming Saturday, November 1st when the Lions travel to Arthur to take on the undefeated ALAH Knights. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:00 PM at Wilson Field, which is located at Arthur High School. Tickets for the game are $8.00 (IHSA pricing) and will only be sold at the gate (cash only). With limited seating at Wilson Field, Lions spectators may want to prepare by packing lawn chairs in their vehicles. Let’s support these athletes by going to Arthur and bringing home a playoff victory.
One. More. Game.
