November 22, 2024
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Marquette football vs. Rushville-Industry Class 1A playoffs score, news, our pick, live coverage

By Charlie Ellerbrock
Marquette's Jaxsen Higgins runs the ball against Seneca on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 at Seneca High School.

Marquette's Jaxsen Higgins runs the ball against Seneca at Seneca High School. (Scott Anderson)

Marquette faces Rushville-Industry in Round 1 of the 2024 Class 1A IHSA football playoffs. Friday Night Drive reporter Charlie Ellerbrock will have live updates, scores and news from the game.

What to know

Marquette vs. Rushville-Industry kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Rushville

Marquette-Rushville-Inudstry preview

About the Crusaders: Marquette Academy – a Class 1A playoff entrant for 12 consecutive postseasons now – enters this year’s Week 10 on a bit of a skid. The Crusaders lost a pair of games the past two weeks to Class 2A playoff teams, 21-6 to Seneca in a rematch of a game earlier this season and 21-20 to Dwight/GSW in another repeat bout. With another close loss to another playoff entrant (24-19 to Aurora Christian) opening the season, Marquette has played good teams tough for the most part but comes in 1-4 against squads that made the field of 256. The Crusaders, as always, bring a hard-nosed defensive strategy and efficient wing-T rushing attack led by RBs Grant Dose and Payton Gutierrez and are among the more dangerous 5-4s in small-school football. That’s especially true if they can get a lead against another run-minded offense like Rushville-Industry’s.

About the Rockets: The co-champions of the Lincoln Trail-Prairieland Small with a Stark County team that handed it their only defeat back in Week 1, Rushville-Industry comes into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. Surprising for a team with that run of success, only one of those games – last week’s 50-14 drubbing of two-win South Fulton – was lopsided, with the rest of the Rockets’ eight victories coming by 18 or fewer points. Quality wins include 26-13 over 6-3 Annawan-Wethersfield, 42-34 over 4-5 ROWVA and Week 8′s 34-21 handling of 7-2 Princeville. Like Marquette, Rushville-Industry relies heavily on its run game, the Rockets’ led by Rylan Reimolds (1,091 yards, 14 TDs), Brady Downs (970 yards, 11 TDs) and Jordan Mcginnis (639 yards, eight TDs). They’ve attempted only 14 passes and completed five this season for 152 yards.

Live updates