High school football: Marengo shuts out Harvard in rivalry matchup

MARENGO – The 98th meeting in McHenry County’s oldest rivalry started as a defensive battle for both Marengo and Harvard.

It stayed that way for only Harvard.

Marengo senior running back Oliver Muradian broke through the left side of the line of scrimmage on the second play of the second quarter for a 70-yard touchdown.

The Indians scored again before halftime, then added a pair of third-quarter scores to defeat the Hornets, 27-0, in their Kishwaukee River Conference football game Friday at Rod Poppe Fields.

“I was thankful for the line pushing, and I saw that little hole and squirmed through it,” Muradian said. “I saw they were getting close to me, but I kept going.”

Marengo (1-4 overall, 1-2 KRC) had suffered three early losses by one score before taking down their rivals for the fourth straight season.

First-year Indians coach Paul Forsythe was proud of Muradian, the Indians’ senior running back and leading rusher.

“Oliver’s a leader for us,” Forsythe said. “He ran really hard. He ran with his pads down. He did a nice job down that squirming down the sideline for that touchdown.”

Harvard (0-5, 0-3) had a scoring chance early when Gavin Perkins recovered a Marengo fumble at the Indians’ 21, but the Hornets fumbled it back two plays later.

Marengo quarterback Travis Knaak hit Michael Anderson for a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter for a 14-0 halftime lead.

The Hornets drove to Marengo’s 6 late in the second quarter but could not score.

Marengo defensive back Aaron Shepard intercepted in Harvard territory in the third quarter to set up an 8-yard scoring run by Knaak. Muradian added the final score on a 1-yard run.

“I’m happy for [the players],” Forsythe said. “We’re just trying to get better at what we are doing. The kids are making progress, and that is a credit to them because the last four weeks have been tough.”