DUPO – Senior quarterback Kaleb Ware threw for 225 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for 79 yards and two touchdowns as Marquette Catholic defeated Dupo in a Prairie State Conference game 56-30 Friday night at Dupo.
The win, combined with a 2-0 forfeit win over Bunker Hill South Mac in their game that was scheduled for week eight, improves the Explorers’ record to 4-4 overall. A win in Marquette’s final game at Kincaid South Fork Oct. 19 will make them playoff-eligible.
The Explorers dressed a young team on Friday night, going with only two juniors and two seniors for the game against the Tigers. The younger players were a big help, as sophomores Devon Fields and Javion Morgan each scored two touchdowns, while freshman running back Clifford Chandler had both a rushing and receiving touchdown,
And as one of the seniors, Ware led the way for Marquette.
“Kaleb Ware was amazing,” said Explorer coach Darrell Angleton. “And his offensive line was giving him time to throw.”
As a team, Marquette had 485 yards of total offense, 260 on the ground. The Explorers also had only one turnover in the game, compared with seven the week before in a loss to Taylorville.
“We only had one turnover, which was much better,” Angleton said. “We spent a lot of time this week in practice working on ball security.”
Sophomore Alex Barnhart played a key role defensively for Marquette as well, having 14 solo tackles and four assists along with a quarterback sack.
The Explorers will enjoy the off week with the forfeit win and prepare for the Ponies in the regular season finale. Angleton is very confident of his team’s chances for post-season play and thinks Marquette is starting to peak at the right time. And Ware will be one of the team’s key players.
“Kaleb’s coming together,” Angleton said. “As long as he’s got time to throw, it makes it very difficult for teams to defend him.”
And as always, the playoff berth will be decided by points earned by teams, based on their own record and results involving their opponents this season.
“The pieces are starting to come together,” Angleton said. “Now, we need help to get enough points to get into the playoffs.”
