Photo by Jake McNeill Marshall Tigers running back Chidi Nwakama fights through contact for some extra yards on a goal-line carry in the Tigers’ 28-14 win over St. Peter in Marshall on Friday, October 7, 2022

The No. 2 Marshall Tigers football team will go on the road Friday night to face off against the top-seeded Hutchinson Tigers in the Section 2AAAA Championship game.

Marshall has gone a perfect 9-0 so far this year, but they are still the underdog against the reigning Class AAAA champions.

Hutchinson has one loss this year, a 24-22 out-of-section loss to Becker in their fourth game of the season. Coincidentally, Becker was also Hutchinson’s only loss last year in the fourth game of the season before going undefeated the rest of the year.

Despite Marshall’s current undefeated status, there remains an argument to be made that Hutchinson has more momentum. Since losing to the Bulldogs, Hutchinson has defeated each of their opponents by 24 or more points, including a 52-7 win over Jordan in the sectional semifinals.

“We feel good going into the game. Maybe not because we’ve won games, but we just feel good about having the opportunity to play for the section title,” Hutchinson head coach Andrew Rostburg said.“We’ve matched up against Marshall many times in the past, and many of the titles have gone through Marshall or Hutch.”

A big part of the reason Hutchinson has been able to run away with games, both literally and figuratively, is their ability to protect the ball. Hutchinson has turned the ball over four times this year. They are yet to lose a fumble, a particularly impressive feat for a run-heavy offense.

“When you get to this time of year–when there are 16 teams left and eight section title games–unless the other team is matching you turnover-for-turnover, if you’re losing the turnover battle, it’s going to be a struggle to win a section title game,” Rostburg said. “You can’t afford to turn the ball over, teams are just too good.”

Levi Teetzel leads the Hutchinson ground attack. The senior running back has averaged over 10 yards per carry behind the beefy Hutchinson line. He has racked up 1615 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground this season.

While those are outstanding numbers, Teetzel is certainly not Hutchinson’s only threat in the backfield. AJ Ladwig has received 43 fewer carries but has still found the end zone 25 times on the ground this year.

“With Hutch’s power-run game, it’s going to be a battle up front. We’re probably a little lighter up-front than their offensive line, but we’re going to try to bring guys up into the box and put them in bad yardage situations,” Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann said of limiting the tandem of Teetzel and Ladwig.

On the other hand of the momentum narrative, Marshall hasn’t lost a game and their defense has been outstanding under defensive coordinator and former SMSU linebacker Brad Bahlmann. Following week’s 24-13 win over Willmar in the sectional semifinals, Marshall’s opponents had scored an average of 5.3 points per game against their staunch defense. That average is the team’s lowest since they held opponents to 3.9 points per game in 1968.

One of the Marshall Tigers’ strengths has been their ability to capitalize on opponent mistakes, particularly in the passing game. They have taken down 15 interceptions this year. Tyler Maeyaert, who doubles as a quarterback on offense, has made five of those picks. Yet, while many teams in 2AAAA run spread offenses, those picks–or any passing plays at all, for that matter–will be hard to come by in the battle of run-heavy teams.

Still, the secondary isn’t the only strength of the Marshall defense. Freshman defensive lineman Jesse Vierstraete has been outstanding, tallying 5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss on the season–both team highs. Beside him in the trenches, Gavin Schaefer has totaled 4.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. Eliminating the Hutchinson run game may not be possible, but with support from the linebacking corps of Chidi Nwakama, Dawson Chappuis, and Jacob Buysse, it won’t be easy for Hutchinson to run right through Marshall’s front seven like they have other opponents.

“With Hutchinson’s tradition, they’re not going to change a whole lot,” Terry Bahlmann said. “Their offense has been overpowering. We’re going to try to slow them down.”

Offensively, Marshall will also largely be leaning on their run game. Chidi Nwakama has been a catalyst for the offense and based on his performance in last week’s win over Willmar, he appears to be peaking at the right time. Nwakama ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up another 58 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. He’s averaged over seven yards per carry to total 630 rushing yards on the year while also serving as the team’s third-leading receiver.

The passing game hasn’t been as much of a factor in the Marshall offense, but it has been there when necessary. Maeyaert has at the very least been able to take care of the ball consistently. He’s thrown for 863 yards on the season and only three interceptions.

On the receiving end of Maeyaert’s passes, Omar Abdi has been able to make big plays for the Tigers with his agility. He’s racked up 320 receiving yards and three touchdowns on the season, including 75 yards last week.

The Marshall quest to continue their undefeated season will kick off in Hutchinson at 7 p.m. on Friday.