Marshals claim 6th straight district title

For the sixth straight year, the Marshals are the Second District champions after defeating Murray 1-0 in penalty kicks.

Marshall County won both of their regular season games over Murray, each by scores of 3-2 with the second one on September 7 decided in double overtime. At Colburn Field on Thursday, the Marshals were aiming for a sixth straight Second District title while Murray was looking for their first since 1997.

It was no surprise that Thursday’s title game would take more than regulation time to decide a champion. After two scoreless overtime periods, the game went into penalty kicks where the Marshals dominance prevailed, winning the rounds 4-1 to beat Murray 1-0.

The Marshals got off two shots on goal within the first five minutes of the game, both saved by Murray goalkeeper Hank Fronza. Marshall County goalkeeper Steven Claborn had several great saves in the first half, including a one vs. one, deflection and free kick taken in front of the net 20 yards out.

A foul on Murray to start the second half set up a free kick by Logan Parker. A header by Parker just missed near the midway point of the second half which immediately set up a corner kick that Parker got his head on but came up short.

The fast-passed action continued and with a yellow card awarded to Murray, Parker’s kick curved in toward the goal but was saved by Fronza. In the closing seconds, a corner kick by Murray met with a flurry of headers and a determined Marshall County team kept the ball from crossing the line.T

Two scoreless overtime periods followed and it went to penalty kicks to decide a champion.

Parker was up first for the Marshals and his successful PK gave them a 1-0 lead after the first round with a miss by Murray’s Brodie Morris. Morris had three opportunities to convert his PK after the first two saves by Claborn were called off due to infractions. A focused Claborn proceeded to save Crouch’s third straight PK attempt and it remained 1-0.

Jeremy Jaco got his PK past Fronza for a 2-0 lead and Murray’s Kellen Crouch equaled it and it was 2-1 after round two.

On to the third round, Tommy Robertson made it 3-1 for the Marshals while Claborn saved Murray’s Leo D’Ambrosio’s attempt.

With the win on the line, freshman Lincoln Colburn whipped his PK past Fronza to give the Marshals their sixth straight Second District title.

The Marshals will take on First District runner-up Paducah Tilghman in next week’s First Region Tournament at McCracken County. Murray will meet the Mustangs.

All-District Team
Marshall County: Logan Parker, Zander Maxlow, Steven Claborn, Jeremy Jaco, Tommy Robertson
Murray: Leo D’Ambrosio, Kellen Crouch, Max Rosa, Nate Wyatt
Calloway County: Jude Bazzell, Ivan Damien, Zak Stark
Mayfield: Pablo Sanchez, Lincoln Suiter
Graves County: Christian Hernandez, Ethan Upton

Marshall County vs. Murray, 2nd District Championship 10-6-23