ALTON - Looking to bounce off a week one loss at local rival Civic Memorial, the Explorers of Marquette Catholic hosted the Clinton Maroons in high school football action on Friday evening.
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Clear skies and beautiful weather welcomed fans from both schools to Public School Stadium, a welcome change from the heat and humidity and scattered storms that forced the postponement of a handful of high school football games in the Riverbend area.
It took a bit for the visitors from DeWitt County to find a rhythm on offense, but once they did, they ran away. A 21-point second quarter powered Clinton to a 35-7 victory.
In the first quarter, it looked like Marquette was most likely to put points on the board first. The Explorers forced a few quick three-and-outs, but couldn't convert when it was their turn.
Marquette was getting yards, getting first downs, but not finding the bright red end zone at Public School Stadium. Just as the offense seemed to gain some steam, junior quarterback Jack Rea threw an interception to cap the opening quarter of play.
Marquette regained possession just one play later, recovering a fumble after Maroons quarterback Keaton Graves completed a pass over the middle, but the ball popped out of his receiver’s grasp with a firm tackle.
Marquette couldn’t score with the ensuing possession, and the Clinton sideline started gaining confidence. Before Marquette could react, the visitors reeled off two big plays, two big passes from Keaton Graves, and were deep in Explorer territory.
Not finished there, it would be Graves calling his own number to open the scoring on the evening less than four minutes into the second quarter. Graves, who spent much of the evening rolling out of the pocket, picked out the space in the Marquette defense to finish a quick Clinton drive.
After a stout defensive performance in the first quarter, a few big plays saw the Explorers fall behind and the Maroons were fired up on the visitors’ sideline. Clinton put up 21 points in the second quarter alone, with the hosts still looking to find paydirt for the first time in 2024.
The second Clinton score was a deep pass that receiver Jack Webb had to leap in the endzone to pull down. The third was set up by a bad long snap on a Marquette punt attempt that gave the Maroons the ball on the Marquette 12-yard line in the final minute of the half. Keaton Graves found Colton Walker from short range to give Clinton a 21-0 lead.
Even down double-digits, Marquette showed no quit, and a third-quarter drive powered by the legs of quarterback Jack Rea and running back Alex McCloud saw the Explorers find the endzone for the first time in the 2024 season. However, it wouldn’t be one of their offensive stars that would score.
With the ball on the Clinton 1-yard line, Marquette coach Eric Dickerson dialed #55 for big senior lineman Sammy Wylie. Wyle pushed the pile and drove the Marquette line into the endzone.
“He’s a workhorse for us,” said Eric Dickerson after the game. “Everyone on this team roots for one another, we’re all proud of him.”
The next Clinton drive proved to be the deciding moment in the second half. The Explorers bent, but forced a fourth down a bit too far for Clinton kicker Taylor Anderson. The Maroons offense stayed on the field, and Keaton Graves again turned a rollout into a QB run and scampered 23 yards to the house to restore a three-touchdown lead before the end of the third quarter.
Marquette put together a solid fourth-quarter drive, picking up a few first downs and stringing together positive runs with Jack Rea and Alex McCloud, but time and the scoreboard weren’t on their side.
The last Marquette drive stalled, giving Clinton the chance to put a bow on a great road win. They did exactly that, and a Colton Walker run gave the Maroons a 35-7 victory at the final whistle.
“I thought we fought all game to be honest, but we gave up a couple big plays here and there,” said Marquette’s Eric Dickerson. “We’ll learn and grow from that, but these kids, they fought all game and I think we made improvements from last week. So kudos to them for a great week of practice and just getting better.”
For Dickerson and his Explorers, the results on the scoreboard might not be there, but he’s seeing the growth of the team week in and week out.
“We’re growing as a team,” Dickerson said. “We have a lot of kids playing different positions. Game speed is different than practice speed. We’re gonna be okay. I’m proud of them. They showed up tonight and played hard.”
Dickerson and the Explorers make a short trip to Wood River next week to take on the Oilers of EAWR, who will also be looking for their first victory of the young football season.
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