Knights shut out Taylor County

Marion County High School sophomore Ryan Peterson stood next to senior Dylan Peterson in the second half. Dylan Peterson, who rushed for over 100 yards, was caked in mud from the soggy field. Ryan Peterson was nearly spotless, his jersey still crisp and white despite starting at quarterback.

Jesse Osbourne

Marion County High School sophomore Chance Gillespie recorded his first career varsity sack against Taylor County High School senior Lance Turpin on Friday night at TCHS in the Knights 67-0 blowout victory.

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"When we moved Ryan to quarterback, I think the line took it upon themselves to protect him," Head Coach Jeff Robbins said. "I think the offensive line has taken a little bit of ownership, they're going to protect our sophomore quarterback."

Ryan Peterson is the only sophomore to start varsity. In the two games he's been under the center, the Knights have outscored opponents 124-20. The Knights latest triumph was a 67-0 bashing of border rival Taylor County on Friday night at TCHS.

The sophomore has yet to turn the ball over and ran in a touchdown against Taylor County. Meanwhile, Jordan Bell is a wrecking crew at the halfback position, going for more than 80 yards on the ground for the last two weeks.

The Knights defense was a nightmare for highly touted quarterback Lance Turpin. The senior was ranked as one of the top 25 prospects in the state in some publications. The Knights sacked Turpin seven times while allowing 113 passing yards. They stuffed the ground game as well, allowing only five rushing yards all game.

The defense also got in on the scoring action when Justin Price fell on an errant snap in the end zone just before half time.

While the Cards couldn't get a rushing yard, the Knights ran over the red sea of defenders all night. Using 15 different players to carry the ball, the Knights accumulated nearly 400 yards rushing on 41 carries.

Dylan Peterson led the way with 102 yards on eight carries. He scored touchdowns on runs of 23 and 40 yards in the second quarter. Peterson currently averages over 100 yards per game.   

Despite a slow start, the Knights were up 48-0 early in the third quarter, forcing the clock to run for the entire second half.

"I thought we started slow but the kids quickly got their focus back," Robbins said. "It was not a pretty first drive by any means. After that I thought our kids focused in and did what we were supposed to do. I thought we got that done Friday night."

Several different players got in on the scoring action, with touchdowns by Ryan Peterson, Jordan Bell, Jeremy Mattingly, Dylan Peterson, Justin Price, Joseph "Buster" Hazelwood and Trey Taylor.

Taylor ended the game in entertaining fashion, high stepping into the end zone starting at the 20-yard line. Taylor is the smallest player on the team standing less than five feet tall and only weighing 90 pounds. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play as time expired.

Next week the Knights face another border rival in Washington County (1-3). The Commanders and the Knights share a common opponent in Taylor County. Washington County rallied from 28-0 to lose to the Cardinals 28-27 a few weeks ago.

"They scored 41 points in 17 minutes against Lincoln County. The last two quarters they played have been hands down their best of the season," Robbins said. "Washington County is a dangerous team. Regardless of records, it doesn't matter. This is a rival game, anything can happen in a rival game."

Robbins said the team's 67-point scoring output wasn't the highest in his memory. While he was an assistant coach for the Knights they scored 69 points against Atherton. KHSAA records indicate that the Knights have not won by such a large margin since 1998, the last year stats are archived by KHSAA. Robbins said he could not recall a higher margin of victory.