On Saturday, November 1st, the Marshall High School football team traveled to Wilson Field on the campus of Arthur High School to battle against the ALAH (Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond) Knights in the first round of the IHSA Class 2A playoffs. It marked Marshall’s first return to the state playoffs since the 2017 season, and they were looking for the school’s first playoff win since 2014. The Lions came into the game with a record of 5-4, while ALAH came in with an unblemished record of 9-0.
“They didn’t let just anybody in that club
Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood
To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall
Kings of the school man, we’re the boys of fall” *
During this season of revitalization, the 2025 Marshall Lions put the city back on the gridiron map in the state of Illinois, exceeding all outsiders’ expectations by qualifying for the Illinois High School Association playoffs after beating Newton last week in the regular season finale for the first time in 8 years. It felt as if this year’s team turned back the clock for citizens who remember when Marshall made 12 consecutive trips to the football playoffs between 2000 and 2011, highlighted by a run to the Final Four in 2009 which had the Lions just one win away from a state championship appearance. Signs going up around town conjured up visions and memories of seasons gone by when Marshall High School football team members were indeed Kings of the school.
On a chilly autumn afternoon in Arthur, the bell tolled midnight for these Lions, though, as they spotted ALAH 20 points in the first quarter before playing the Knights to a stalemate until halftime. In the second half of play, the Lions played Lions football, outscoring the Knights 14-7. However, the hole they dug in the first quarter when they didn’t come out of the gate with any sense of intensity or urgency to match the Knights was their undoing. The Lions didn’t even gain a first down until the second quarter, and you can’t give an undefeated team a 20-point lead and expect to win at their house. The Lions fought back in the second half and cut the deficit to two scores. After stopping ALAH on their next drive, Marshall had momentum on their side in the fourth quarter when a turnover inside the ALAH red zone flipped the momentum with a 14-point swing that put the Knights up 27-8. When the Lions scored again, they were 13 points down with 4:25 remaining in the game. On the subsequent onside kick, ALAH recovered and ran out the clock. In the end, Marshall fell to ALAH by the score of 27-14 to end the season with a record of 5-5. The most glaring statistic in this game was in rushing yards. ALAH gained 340 on the ground to Marshall’s 178.
Marshall won the coin flip and chose to receive the ball. Intent on pounding the ball to wear the Knights down throughout the ballgame, the Lions went three-and-out on their first three possessions while the Knights marched down the field each time to score 20 points. Once the Lions offense got going, a turnover on downs in the red zone at the ALAH 13-yard line towards the end of the second quarter was the only bright spot of the first half for the Big Red. At the break, Marshall trailed 20-0.
As rough as the first half went, the Lions were still in, and they came out for the second half looking like a different team. The defense was much more aggressive, and the Knights could not gain a first down. Marshall got the offense going in the Wildcat with Lucca Giannavola at the helm. A huge pass on the drive from Luke Brodie to Bryce Griguhn for 52 yards on a third-and-two brought the ball all the way to the ALAH 29. Another pass to Griguhn from Brodie got the Lions to the three-yard line with a first and goal. The Lions wasted no time, as Lucca Giannavola plunged into the end zone to score Marshall’s first touchdown of the game. A Liam Keim run over the left side into the end zone on the two-point conversion made the score ALAH 20, Marshall 8 with 4:12 to go in the third quarter.
On the next possession for ALAH, the Lions defense played its best series of the game in stopping the Knights, and for the first time in the game Marshall had some momentum. After a punt put the Big Red at their own 39, they marched down the field as the game moved into the fourth quarter. With runs by Lucca Giannavola and Kaiden Sanders, combined with passes by Luke Brodie to Sanders and Liam Keim, Marshall found themselves at the ALAH 20 with a first-and-10. In one play, the game’s momentum flipped from Marshall’s side back to ALAH’s side with a turnover as the Lions were looking to go in and score to get within one score of tying the game up.
After ALAH gained possession, the Knights ran the ball on the Lions, who looked deflated on the drive. With 6:28 left on the clock, ALAH scored to make it 27-8. The Lions, however, came right back and drove down the field, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by Lucca Giannavola at the 4:30 mark to make it 27-14.
The ensuing onside kick was recovered by ALAH, and after two first downs, the Knights ran out the clock on the Lions’ season. With the win, ALAH (10-0) moves on to the second round of the IHSA Class 2A playoffs where they will host Cumberland. The Little Illini Conference had a rough day with four of its five playoff teams falling in the first round Saturday (Paris, Olney, and Mount Carmel join Marshall on the sidelines).
Lucca Giannavola rushed the ball 35 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Luke Brodie was 7 of 14 through the air for 155 yards. Liam Keim led the Lions in receiving with 3 catches for 49 yards. Bryce Griguhn had two catches for 66 yards, while Kaiden Sanders finished with two catches for 35 yards. Keim also scored a two-point conversion on the ground. Lucca Giannavola finished his career at Marshall High School with 2,746 career rushing yards on 248 carries, and he finished with 22 rushing touchdowns to go along with 2 receiving touchdowns.
With this being the final game for the seniors who led this team to more wins this year than the school experienced during the previous three years combined, this group will be remembered for providing the spark which reignited Marshall Lions football. Coming into a program that had not won a game in over four years, these kids have much to be proud of as they pass the torch.
Where this program goes from here is anybody’s guess. Leadership will be critical moving forward into 2026 to maintain the progress generated thus far. With team leaders Lucca Giannavola, Kaiden Sanders, and Liam Keim all graduating, who will step up and hold players accountable during the off-season in the weight room and during conditioning? Football is not an August to November sport; it is a yearlong commitment during which strength and conditioning are vital for the program’s continued success. The core is there in Luke Brodie, Silas Dean, Boston Rollings, Lachlan Smith, Josef Stafford, and Max Welch. Part of the maturation process of a high school athlete is becoming a leader, organizing the off-season program, leading the players through strength and conditioning, two-a-days, 7-on-7 tournaments, and during film study.
The Lions have vacancies in many areas looking towards the future, predominantly in the receiving corps/tight ends and in the linebacker corps and defensive backfield. How Preston Welsh comes back from a season-ending injury earlier this season will be answered, while others will need to step up and become reliable receivers. Replacing multi-year starter Ricky Gibson at center will also help to solidify an offensive line that’s getting bigger and stronger each year.
Although the game versus ALAH didn’t end with the result they wanted, the Marshall High School football program gave the school and the city a ride to remember in the fall of 2025. Along with a successful season in volleyball and a state finals run for the girls cross country squad, Lions sports continue to make strides towards success.
“And it’s knocking heads and talking trash
It’s slinging mud and dirt and grass
It’s I got your number; I got your back when your back’s against the wall
You mess with one man you got us all
The boys of fall”
Lyrics from The Boys of Fall (sung by Kenny Chesney)
