Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall running back Mason Eickhoff runs through a tackle during the Tigers' win over Willmar in the Section 2AAAA semifinals on Saturday.

Despite a pair of unassuming starts, the Marshall and Hutchinson football teams will meet in the Section 2AAAA championship game for the second year in a row tonight with a state tournament berth on the line.

When the two teams met last year, Hutchinson led by as many as 32 points in their 52-30 win in the battle of the Tigers. Marshall was a perfect 9-0 heading into the matchup while Hutchinson was 8-1.

This year, however, these are two different teams, Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann said. Hutchinson was led by Levi Teetzel, who rushed for over 2,000 yards last season, and AJ Ladwig, who rushed for over 1500 yards last season. They’re still an effective rushing team but lack the same pair of workhorses that they had last season; Nathan Thode, Charlie Renner and Carter Verhasselt have each racked up more than 600 yards on the ground this year but none has surpassed the 800-yard mark.

Like Hutchinson, Marshall also has a wide variety of options out of the backfield. Gavin Schaefer leads the team with 698 yards so far this year while Mason Eickhoff has added another 391. Coby Brownlee and quarterback Josh Kraft have also run for 209 and 286 yards respectively. As a result, Marshall has accumulated 1977 yards on the ground to Hutchinson’s 2371.

In Marshall’s win over Willmar in last week’s section semifinals, Schaefer was banged up and was only able to play on the defensive side in the ball. Still, even with their lead back out, Marshall went next man up. Sophomore Andrew Stelter stepped up to accumulate 106 scrimmage yards on nine touches and scored three total touchdowns. Schaefer is expected to be able to contribute offensively this week, Bahlmann said, but the Tigers now have one more proven option as they get ready for the championship.

The teams’ similarities go beyond their variety of backfield options. Both teams do have competent quarterbacks but tend to run ground-and-pound offenses. Senior Logan Butler has averaged 73.5 passing yards per game this year after averaging 79.2 last year. He’s thrown eight touchdowns and is effective in protecting possession with just one interception and one fumble.

For Marshall, Kraft has thrown for 614 yards — an average of 68.2 per game — with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. He does have more mobility than Butler, finding the end zone with his legs three times to Butler’s none. Still, the X-factor in this year’s Marshall offense lies in wide receiver Ashton Blomberg.

The 6-foot-4-inch senior has caught 18 passes for 407 yards and a touchdown this season. Still, his impact goes beyond his numbers. His stature and his physical play have allowed him to be a jump-ball threat anywhere on the field. As a result, his ability to fight for contested catches helps keep the stout Hutchinson run defense honest.

Still, Hutchinson’s run defense has been nearly impenetrable. They were tough to run the ball against last year — allowing an average of 84.5 yards per game and eight rushing touchdowns over 13 games and a state runner-up finish — but have held opponents to just 62.6 yards per game and two rushing touchdowns this season.

If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, Hutchinson has also bolstered its secondary; a year after allowing 97.2 yards per game and coming away with nine interceptions, the Tigers have held teams to just 58.6 yards per game in the air and have already intercepted 14 passes and deflected another 25 in just nine games.

Sophomore defensive end JR Vierstraete has been the anchor of the Marshall defensive line. An all-district selection as a freshman, Vierstraete has continued to break out with 6.5 sacks and 29 total tackles for loss, both team-highs. His 25 solo tackles are second on the team to Dawson Chappuis’ 29 and his 35 assisted tackles are also a team-high.

Still, a strong defensive line can’t just rely on one player. Chappuis has also gotten to quarterbacks for four sacks and made 20 total tackles for loss, Coby Brownlee has made 2.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss and Jack Meier has also made a pair of tackles for loss. Schaefer, a two-way standout, has also finished with 30 total tackles and 11 total tackles for loss on the year.

While Marshall has been at its core a team led by its front seven, the Tigers have shown off plenty of ball-hawking ability in their secondary as well. Dylan Haney has picked off seven passes this year, a program single-season record. Shep Jensen has also come away with two of the team’s 14 interceptions, including a key pick in last week’s win over Willmar.

While Marshall looks to have momentum, winning six consecutive games since its 1-2 start, Hutchinson has been just as strong. The other Tigers have won four straight since they lost 11-0 to No. 3 Rocori and 21-20 to No. 1 Becker in consecutive weeks. Hutchinson has outscored its opponents 180-35 in the four games since, including a 52-6 win over Holy Angels in their regular-season finale and a 52-14 win over New Ulm in the section semifinals. As a result, they still earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and were ranked No. 2 in Class AAAA in the latest poll.

The battle of the Tigers will kick off in Hutchinson at 7 p.m.