Marlington football rallies from 19 down to stun Warren JFK 45-40

Let’s put it this way: The scorekeeper at the Marlington–Warren John F. Kennedy Catholic football game could have used hazard pay.

The Dukes and the Eagles combined for 12 touchdowns and a field goal as Marlington, which trailed by 19 points in the first half and 14 in the fourth quarter, stormed back for a 45-40 victory.

JFK scored first on Lamarcus Provitt’s 10-yard run, followed by a successful 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. Marlington responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Cam Evanich to close the gap.

The Eagles rattled off 17 unanswered points, with Provitt adding two more rushing touchdowns and a 30-yard field goal extending the lead to 25-6. Marlington cut into the deficit late in the half as Tyler Walder connected with Cole Jones on a 24-yard scoring pass, trimming the margin to 25-14 at halftime.

Evanich scored twice in the third quarter — first on a 5-yard run, then on a 44-yard pass from Walder. Those scores came around another JFK touchdown, leaving Marlington down 32-26 entering the fourth.

Provitt scored his fourth touchdown of the night early in the final period to give JFK a 40-26 lead, but the Dukes roared back. Caden Dine scored from 7 yards out, Walder hit Malcum Salyers on a 55-yard pass to bring Marlington within one, and Dine capped the comeback with a 6-yard run for the winning score.

Walder completed 14-of-16 passes for 305 yards. Evanich caught six passes for 179 yards and one touchdown to go with his two rushing scores. Dine added 131 rushing yards on 20 carries.

Cross country The Marlington girls dominated the Malone XC Night Invitational, winning the Red Division with 64 points, well ahead of runner-up Hoover’s 93. Junior Irelyn Johnson won the individual title in 18:45.9, followed by Brin Boyce (11th, 20:33.8), Brynne Reese (12th, 20:38.3), Jordynn Martz (16th) and Bella Ritchie (24th).

The boys also claimed first place, winning the Blue Division with 113 points, 13 ahead of Riverview. Sophomore Gabe Minor led the way with a third-place finish in 17:05.8. Freshman Brady Griggs was ninth in 17:35.6, while Casey Minor finished 20th, Nolan Henry 43rd and Andrew Bargerstock 46th.

Boys soccer The Dukes posted two shutouts to extend their record to 7-1-3 (3-0 EBC).

On Sept. 16, Marlington dominated Minerva 7-0, holding a 29-0 edge in shots on goal. Two days later, the Dukes defeated Lake 2-0 in nonconference play.

Volleyball Marlington’s winning streak reached 11 matches with three more victories last week.

On Sept. 16, the Dukes swept West Branch 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19). Danica Sarchione and Giana Bogunovich had 16 and 12 kills, respectively, while Amiiah Sickles tallied 10 digs and 17 receptions, and Cali Young recorded 29 assists.

The next day, Marlington topped Triway 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 25-13). Sarchione led with 21 kills and five aces, Bogunovich had 13 digs, Young dished 39 assists, and Sickles logged 31 receptions.

The Dukes (12-2, 8-0) then defeated Minerva 3-1 (25-15, 25-27, 25-11, 25-16) on Sept. 18. Sarchione delivered 25 kills and four aces, Sickles added 13 digs and 21 receptions, and Young had 44 assists.

Girls soccer Marlington opened the week with a 4-0 loss to Minerva on Sept. 17. The Dukes rebounded with a 5-2 win at Woodridge on Sept. 18 and a 5-0 shutout of Ravenna on Sept. 20. Statistics were not provided.