Adrian, Mich. -- The Siena Heights football team fell to 3-3 in Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League play after a 28-6 loss to No. 9 Marian inside O'Laughlin Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Saints (4-5, 3-3) were stopped four times on 4th-down and struggled to stay on the field on third downs, going three of 13 in the game.
Ryan Minor finished the game with 11 completions for 87 yards passing. Kaleb Jefferson ran for 85 yards on 17 carries for an average of five yards per touch. Eric Williams II hauled in three catches for 30 yards to lead the receiving corps. Kole Murlin was the team's leading tackler with 13 stops. He recovered one fumble for SHU. Gabe Callery was in on seven tackles, including a tackle for loss. Callery also forced a fumble in the third quarter--his fourth of the season.
The Saints punted to Marian after a three and out on the first drive. The Knights drove the ball down to the Siena 19-yard line when Baron Huebler fumbled the football, and SHU collapsed on it to regain possession. The Saints failed to capitalize on the turnover and were forced to punt the ball away a second time. After a Marian three and out, the Saints had a fumble of their own when Diomoni Smith stripped Williams II at the SHU 18. A 16-yard pass from Zach Bundalo to Trent Gipson put Marian on the board with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter.
The Knights scored with 10:44 left in the second quarter on a three-yard pass completion, and the score sat at 14-0 in favor of the visitors. The half ended with the same score as both teams entered the locker room at the intermission.
Andre Chenault put Siena on the board with a four-yard touchdown run that capped a 15-play drive for SHU and cut the deficit to 14-6. Marian blocked the extra-point attempt, and the margin remained at eight points with 3:49 left in the third stanza. Callery forced a fumble on the next offensive play for the Knights, and the Saints had the ball back trailing just one score in the third. SHU drove the ball down to the Marian 27-yard line, but a dropped pass on 4th-down ended the comeback for the time being.
The Knights scored on an 11-yard rush o move ahead 21-6 with 12:07 left to play in regulation. The Saints moved the ball again into the plus side of the field, this time down to the Marian 1-yard line. On 4th and goal, a bad snap caused Minor to try and run for it, but he was forced out of bounds at the 10. Again, Marian cashed in on the turnover with a 70-yard catch and run by Drew Byerly for the game's final score.
Up Next
The Saint host Mideast foe Taylor for the final game of the regular season next Saturday, November 13, at noon.
