Ryan Roddy
Section618.com

CENTRALIA – The Marion Wildcats erased a 17-0 halftime deficit to beat South Seven leading Centralia 32-31 in overtime, preventing the Orphans from clinching the conference title and a playoff spot.

The Wildcats attacked Centralia on the ground led by Jordan Beverly. The junior running back piled up 177 of his 227 yards and scored two touchdowns in the second half as the Wildcats charged back to take a 24-17 lead with 7:46 left in regulation. Marion’s second half points were the first points allowed by the Centralia defense in more than eight quarters of play.

The Orphans answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Amir Johnson. The extra point from Will Graham tied the score at 24-24 with 2:57 left.

Marion had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but the Wildcats missed a 41-yard field with .9 seconds left.

The Orphans got the ball first in overtime and regained the lead on a 7-yard TD run by Johnson. Graham’s extra point made it 31-24 Centralia.

Beverly answered for Marion with his third touchdown of the night, a 6-yard run to pull Marion within 31-30. The Wildcats would then convert a 2-point conversion for the win.

The Orphans fall to 5-2 and 3-1 in the South Seven. They can still clinch the conference title outright with a win next Friday at Mt. Vernon.

Marion improves to 4-3, 2-2 in the conference. Still with a shot at a share of the South Seven title, the Wildcats will take on Carbondale in their conference finale next Friday.