Maconaquah Schools

The Maconaquah Braves successfully opened their 2025 football campaign at Wabash Friday night by posting a convincing 61-20 victory over the host Apaches. After Wabash returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a quick score in the opening 14 seconds the Braves quickly regrouped and steamrolled over the Apaches the rest of the way enroute to the easy, record-breaking triumph. Coach Michael Fenters gang, ranked #8 in the pre-seaon 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 TRC 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-octane offense powered the victors to a 20-6 lead after the first stanza. It ballooned to 47-6 at intermission and the remainder of the contest was played with a running clock with the IHSAA "Mercy Rule" in effect. Four juniors accounted for all of the Maconaquah scoring, with Marcell Sims leading the way. Sims scored six touchdowns tying the single-game record set by Carter Little vs Northwestern (sectional game) in 2020. He 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 performance, catching seven of quarterback Aiden Robinson's passes for a school-record 247 yards. That shattered the previous mark of 219 held by Dave Alspaugh vs North Miami in 1967. Tarrh nabbed a pair of TD passes and added five PAT kicks and now stands in 13th place on the career scoring list with 131 points. Robinson, meanwhile, directed the offense with precision-like accuracy and finished with a school-record 518 yards through the air, eclipsing the previous record of 429 he set a year ago in Mac's season-opener vs Southwood. He had a staggering 404 yards and four touchdown passes in the first half. Conner Eldridge added a long 79-yard run and Nate Rader hauled in three passes for 79 yards as the big offensive line opened huge holes and controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the game. The Braves finished with a school-record 693 yards of total offense, breaking the old mark (599) set a year ago against Wabash. Kicker Colton Beebe added a pair of PAT kicks. After Wabash took the early 6-0 led 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 opening period with a one-yard TD burst after Tarrh was on the receiving end of a nifty 75-yard scoring strike from Robinson. Tarrh caught a 54-yard TD pass to open the second quarter and the lead jumped 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 keeper up the middle. Sims closed out the MHS scoring by hauling in a short five-yard TD toss midway through the final period. Wabash scored twice in the last 10 minutes for its final two scores of the game. On the defense side of the ball, 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 scooped up a Wabash fumble. Things get a little tougher now as the Braves will entertain perennial Class 1A power (#5 ranked) Carroll Friday night. It will be the first-ever meeting between both schools on the gridiron. Coach Fenters and Cougar coach Blake Betzner (a former Brave multi-sport standout) were both assistant coaches for the South last month in the IFCA North-South All-Star game that featured MHS players Fuddy Kile and AJ Kelly.