Hays Post Sports
NORTON â It had been more than a decade since the TMP-Marian Monarchs defeated the Norton BlueJays on the gridiron, and they had never beaten them on their home field, but that all came to an end Friday night thanks to several big plays and an opportunistic defense as the Monarchs pick up the 55-6 victory.
Norton (0-2, 0-2 MCL) opened the game with the football, and on their first offensive play, they fumbled a handoff and TMP recovered the ball at the BlueJays' 17-yard line.
The Monarchs (1-1, 1-1 MCL) wasted no time taking advantage of the Norton miscue, scoring on a Jackson Gillespie 17-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead, just 16 seconds into the game.
After each team punted the football on their next possession, a good punt by TMPâs Carson Liles pinned Norton inside their 20-yard line. Three plays later, Jacob Seib intercepted a Norton pass and returned it 16 yards for the pick-6, with the extra point giving the Monarchs a 14-point lead with six minutes left in the first quarter.
Following another Norton punt, the Monarchs went to the air as Carson Liles found Isaac Purinton for a 54-yard touchdown pass, making it 21-0 TMP with just under one minute and 27 seconds left in the first quarter.
Down three scores, Norton answered with their best drive of the game, driving inside the TMP 15-yard line. Still, it went from bad to worse for the BlueJays when Norton quarterback Ashton Kats was intercepted for the second time in the first half. TMPâs Grant Nehls returned the interception 100 yards for the score, putting TMP up 28-0 after the extra point with just under 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
Norton broke onto the scoreboard with just over eight and a half minutes left in the first half on a 54-yard touchdown pass for a 28-6 TMP lead.
TMP converted on another scoring drive a little more than four minutes later when Liles found Seib for a 14-yard touchdown pass, putting TMP up 34-6 after the failed extra point.
That would be the halftime score in favor of the Monarchs.
TMP opened possession of the ball in the third quarter, but they werenât able to do anything with it. But just like in the first half, Norton fumbled right back to TMP, their fourth turnover of the game, giving TMP possession at the Norton 38-yard line.
The Monarchs were facing a third down and long when Liles found Nehls for a 26-yard sliding over-the-shoulder catch that set up a six-yard touchdown run by Liles, putting TMP up 41-6 with six and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
The Monarchs added two more rushing touchdowns by Gillespie, each from a yard out, capping his three-touchdown day as the Monarchs secured the 55-6 victory.
The victory for TMP marks the first win over Norton since 2011, ending a 10-game losing streak and their first win at Norton.
The Monarchs will host the Phillipsburg Panther for homecoming next week.