SHERBURNE – Sherburne-Earlville did what many would believe unthinkable: It held Section III’s highest scoring Class C team without a point.

The Marauders finally put to rest the memory of 2011’s heart-breaking loss to Frankfort-Schuyler with a 14-0 shutout victory Friday night. It was the third shutout in four games, and if not for one defensive breakdown last week, S-E would remain unscored on.

“I think a lot of people will be surprised by what we did tonight,” said S-E senior all-state linebacker Austin Jasper.

Considering how swiftly – and easily – the Maroon Knights moved down the field on their opening drive, who would have expected the visitors would fail to break the S-E goal line? Taking the ball nearly 70 yards to S-E’s six-yard line, a bad handoff exchange led to a fumble recovery by the Marauders’ Damian McGregor. It was the first of five Maroon Knights turnovers as J.P. Osborne and Cody Marshall had fumble recoveries, while Brady Sopchak and Cody Marango intercepted passes. Four of those turnovers occurred inside the S-E 25 yard line.

“We gave them some great field position, and I think in years past we might have given up some points,” said Marauders fourth-year head coach, Mike Jasper. “They’re a great team that takes advantage of opportunities, and I think they are used to getting the ball in the endzone. We just dug in and kept fighting.”

Midway through the second quarter, the Maroon Knights drove into S-E territory for the fourth time in as many possession. On a second-down run, Frankfort-Schuyler’s Mitchel Short had a ball poked loose, and the loose ball was recovered by Osborne at the 35. That momentum shift led to S-E’s first scoring drive of the game.

Marango had a big 11-yard first-down scramble on a third-and-long, Sopchak ripped off a 22-yard run, and two plays later, Marango hit Ben Khoury on 29-yard TD pass. Khoury made a leaping grab in the back right corner of the endzone over a Maroon Knights defender, and dragged his foot just inside the endline.

Averaging around 53 points per game in its three wins, Frankfort-Schuyler was never held for a three-and-out gaining at least one first down on every possession, but the yards that usually came in chunks were limited to small bits. F-S was forced into a more methodical, time-consuming possessions, and S-E was able to tighten its defensive belt at every instance. “They were able to move it on us, but we stuck with the game plan and didn’t put our heads down,” the younger Jasper said, echoing his father (and coach’s) sentiments.

Following an S-E interception late in the third quarter – the Marauders’ only turnover of the game – Frankfort-Schuyler was set up at the 30-yard line with an opportunity to tie the game.

On the last play of the third quarter, S-E linebacker Julienne Alsheimer tackled Short for a three-yard loss at the 17 to force a fourth-and-nine.

Coming out for the fourth quarter, the Knights attempted a little trickery, and it backfired badly. Quarterback Joe DeSarro pitched the ball to Justin Kiesow, who then stepped back for a halfback option pass. Sopchak ball-hawked the aerial for the interception about three yards deep in the endzone, and he brought the ball back to the 17. Coach Jasper said the approach from there was simple.

“That interception was a big emotional swing for us,” the coach said. “I think that play deflated them a bit, and we decided to go right at them to make sure we had this game.”

Brodie Roebuck and Garrett DuVall alternated carries, and a 31-yard run by Roebuck, one in which he pushed the pile another 10 yards, set the stage for the clinching touchdown. On second-and-goal from the three, Marango play-faked to DuVall, and rolled to his left hitting a wide-open Gavin Giroux for the touchdown.

Frankfort-Schuyler drove it one more time using the hurry-up approach, but Marango’s interception in the endzone put a wrap on the shutout. “I was having some flashbacks (during that last drive) from two years ago,” Coach Jasper said. “They’re a quality team with quality players, and they made a lot of plays. We just made more plays today.”

There will be little time for S-E to enjoy this win as it prepares for Holland Patent this weekend. “This win was a great one for our program, but it’s not the whole season,” Coach Jasper said. “Holland Patent is a big, physical team, and we’ll be back to work on Monday.

S-E finished with 224 yards rushing led by Sopchak’s 93 yards on 17 carries.

Score by quarters

F-S 0 0 0 0–0