Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall running back Andrew Stelter (1) and offensive lineman Angel Chavarna celebrate after the No. 2 Tigers defeated No. 5 Orono 13-12 in a prep football game in Marshall on Friday night.

MARSHALL — In its first real test of the season, the No. 2 Marshall football team came away with a win over No. 5 Orono to remain undefeated on Friday. The Tigers completed a fourth-quarter comeback to win their first nailbiter of the season, holding on for a 13-12 win in their first game decided by fewer than four possessions.

“We knew they were good. We know it was probably going to be our toughest opponent all year, so we had to come in mentally ready,” Marshall running back Andrew Stelter said, adding that they were expecting heavy physicality from an Orono team with plenty of size. “They hit hard, so we had to come in, be the more physical team, run our stuff right and get the job done.”

Stelter scored the go-ahead touchdown 45 seconds into the fourth quarter, taking a carry from the 1-yard line up the middle and over the goalline after the QB keeper was stopped on third-and-goal. The Tigers attempted a 2-point conversion to go up by a field goal, but Stelter’s pass after receiving the pitch fell incomplete and Marshall settled for a 13-12 lead.

“Our personality is to run the football. We thought we left a couple out there in the first half with dumb little penalties,” Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann said, adding that the team was looking to run the clock and be physical in its double-tight formation in the second half. “Even on the last drive, even though we didn’t score, we took about 10 minutes off the clock there and ended the ball game. But our kids played their tails off… It’s been a brutal schedule, we’re six-and-oh, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”

The Tigers still see room for improvement after the big win, Stelter said, adding that Friday’s victory showed the team that not every game can be a blowout, so they need to continue to come prepared every week to play up to the level that they believe they can reach.

Milo Swenson kicked off the drive with a 6-yard run, but exited with an injury shortly thereafter. Still, a roughing-the-passer call moved Marshall to midfield and Levi Maeyaert found Ethan Boeck along the sideline for a 23-yard gain to the 11.

Stelter made jump cuts on consecutive runs to help Marshall move the ball to the 1-yard line before a false start backed them up, but another pair of runs by Stelter set Marshall up within the 1 to close out the third quarter. Stelter credited the team’s line for the backfield’s success on the drive.

Stelter finished the game with 21 carries for 72 yards, as well as a team-leading three catches for 25 yards. Swenson also ran the ball 10 times for 82 yards before exiting, and Tyler Kraft provided an additional eight rushes for 27 yards.

Orono took its first lead of the night on the opening drive of the second half. Rory Kvern converted a third down with a five-yard run to the 45 to keep the chains moving to start the drive, and the power run picked up for the Spartans as they continued to march down the field.

Controversy ensued as a Tyson Louwagie tackle on third-and-short was ruled to be beyond the first-down marker rather than at the line of scrimmage, and a false start against Adrian Licursci went uncalled as he hauled in a pass from Griffin Mauer down the seam for a 36-yard touchdown.

Cannon Craigmile was called for roughing the passer on the Spartans’ 2-point conversion attempt, but Craigmile brought down Mauer along the sideline on the second attempt to limit Orono’s lead to 12-7.

“It was power, and they ran it right at us. That’s how we want to play, and they came right back at us,” Bahlmann said. “We just had to regroup a little in situations like that. Make one play on first or second down, and then you’ve got the drive in a different direction. We adjusted, our defense has carried us all year, but it was nice for our offense to help out a little bit.

The two teams exchanged punts late in the fourth quarter, giving Marshall the ball back with the potential to ice the game. A Stelter toe-tap grab along the sideline for a 7-yard gain set him up for a 5-yard run to keep the chains moving in Marshall territory, and Tyler Kraft got a good second-effort and used his hands to keep himself up to convert another third down to the Orono 34 later in the drive.

With under three minutes remaining, Stelter found a gap but slid a few yards before the first-down marker to set up a third down. Yet, he more than compensated and bashed his way to a first down on the next play, allowing Marshall to kneel out the clock for the win.

“I was told to get the first down and then go down, but I guess I saw the wrong stick,” Stelter said with a laugh. “But it felt great coming back on the next play and clinching the game for us.”

A shanked put set Marshall up at their own 41-yard line to start the second quarter and the Tigers took advantage. Milo Swenson led the drive, converting an outside run on third-and-5 to move the chains.

On the next play, Swenson pushed the pile up the middle for an 11-yard gain and ran along the right side for a 23-yard gain two plays later to set the Tigers up at the 10-yard line for the game’s first red zone attempt.

Ground-and-pound continued to define Marshall’s offense inside the 10. Stelter ran up the middle for seven yards on first down, Swenson took it another two on second down and Maeyaert punched in the touchdown with a QB sneak to make the score 7-0 with 8:52 remaining in the first half.

In addition to his rushing touchdown, Maeyaert completed seven of his 10 pass attempts for 75 yards.

A fumbled snap on a punt attempt set up Orono on the Marshall 45-yard line for its first scoring drive of the gain. The Spartans converted a fourth-and-10 when Kvern caught a pass behind the line of scrimmage and scrambled along the sideline, propping himself up with his hand before extending across the marker to keep the drive alive and set Orono up at the 22.

Louwagie came up with a second-down sack to push the Spartans back to third-and-11, and a short gain forced a fourth-and-9 from the 11-yard line. Louwagie credited defensive coordinated Brad Bahlmann for scheming up good stunts for the defense, adding that he felt the Tigers’ defensive line was seeing the ball well and continuously effective in its ability to stuff the run.

Yet, heavy fourth-down pressure wasn’t enough to frazzle Orono quarterback Griffin Mauer as he got the pass out with Louwagie right in his face, finding a receiver wide open in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown with 40 seconds to play before halftime.

Still, the pressure got to Mauer again on the 2-point conversion attempt, forcing him out of the pocket before reversing field to his left side and sailing a pass too high in the corner of the end zone for an incompletion. The stop allowed Marshall to retain a 1-point lead at the half, 7-6.

Marshall’s three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense was in full effect when it received the opening kickoff. The Tigers methodically marched their way down the field with a series of short runs, including a pitch on Stelter to convert a third-and-8.

Yet, a false start at the 25-yard line later in the drive backed Marshall up to a third-and-6, and Lucas La Belle sacked Maeyaert to force Marshall to punt it away from the 38-yard line.

Marshall improves to 6-0 on the season and takes on another heavy hitter next week, going on the road to take on No. 4 Fergus Falls on Friday at 7 p.m. The Otters lost their first game of the season on Friday, falling 34-12 on the road against a Rocori team that Marshall defeated 28-0.

“Relax, enjoy it until Monday, and then we’re going to Fergus Falls,” Bahlmann said of what he wanted his team to take away after the win. “They’re coming in ranked No. 4… first time we’ve played them ever, so it should be a lot of fun.”