Results from Maconaquah for Friday, August 22nd.
The Maconaquah Braves successfully opened their 2025 football campaign at Wabash Friday night by posting a 61-20 victory over the host Apaches.
After Wabash returned the opening kick 92 yards for a quick touchdown in the opening 14 seconds the Braves fought back and steamrolled over the Apaches the rest of the way enroute to the easy, record-breaking win.
Coach Michael Fenters Braves, ranked #8 in the pre-season IFCA Class 3A poll, have now won eight straight games vs Wabash since joining the Three Rivers Conference in 2015 and leads the all-time series, 8-2. It was the 10th consecutive regular season win for MHS and ninth straight conference win…. both new school records. The 61 points scored in an opening game also broke the previous mark of 55 set in 1996 vs North Miami.
Maconaquah scored on 10 of its 12 possessions during the game, only being stopped by an interception midway through the second quarter and a fumble late in the third period.
The Braves high-powered offense grabbed a 20-6 lead after the first stanza and bolted to a 47-6 lead at the end of the half. The remainder of the game was played with a running clock under the IHSAA "Mercy Rule"
Four juniors accounted for every Maconaquah point enroute to the win with Marcell Sims leading the way. Sims scored six TD's, tying the school record set by Carter Little vs Northwestern in 2020. Sims skipped past Alan Mills, Jerry Peters and Dominic Brogan into eighth place on Mac's all-time scoring list with 170 points.
Teammate Nolan Tarrh also moved up the school's career scoring list with a monster receiving game, catching seven of quarterback Aiden Robinson's passes for a school record 247 yards. That shattered the previous mark of 219 set by Dave Alspaugh vs North Miami in 1967. Tarrh grabbed two touchdown passes from Robinson, added five PAT kicks and finished with 17 points and now stands in 13th place in career scoring with 131 points.
Robinson, meanwhile, directed the offense with precision-like passing (20-26) and finished with a school-record 518 yards through the air, eclipsing his previous record of 429 set a year ago in Mac's season-opener vs Southwood. He had 404 yards passing at intermission to go along with four TD strikes.
Conner Eldridge added a long 79-yard run and Nate Rader hauled in three passes good for 79 yards as Maconaquah racked up a school-record 693 yards of total offense, breaking the old mark (599) set a year ago vs the Apaches. Kicker Colton Beebe added a pair of PAT kicks.
After Wabash took the early 6-0 lead it was all Maconaquah the rest of the way. Sims' 42-yard TD gallop around his left end with 10:45 showing in the first quarter (Tarrh PAT kick) gave the Braves a 7-6 lead and they never looked back.
Sims closed out the first period with a one-yard TD burst after Tarrh was on the receiving end of a pretty 75-yard scoring strike from Robinson. Tarrh caught a 54-yd TD pass to open the second quarter and the lead ballooned to 34-6 at the 6:45 mark on another short TD run from two yards out by Sims.
Sims took passes of 92 and 12 yards to the house late in the half as the Braves rolled to a 47-6 lead at the break. Robinson scored Mac's only points in the third period with a seven-yard romp up the middle and Sims closed settled the issue by hauling in a five-yard TD pass midway through the final period. Wabash scored twice in the last 10 minutes for their final two scores of the game.
Defensively, Tarrh and Kyle Bockover topped the winners with six tackles apiece. Bockover also had two tackles for loss and a qb sack. Dakoda Dauenhauer was credited with five tackles. Sims, Camron Metcalf and Carsten Hollars each had four stops. Tarrh and Jaxon Sullivan each had two pass-breakups and Aiden Ousley recovered the only Apache fumble.
