INDIANAPOLIS - Backed by a ball-hawking defense that forced five turnovers and a four-touchdown game from Keagan La Belle, the Marian football team routed Saint Francis 49-0, shutting out the Cougars to win back the Franciscan Bowl trophy. Marian's rivalry win over Saint Francis vaults the Knights to 6-1 on the season, winning their first MSFA Midwest contest of the season.

The Knights wasted little time driving down the field, getting on the scoreboard, receiving the opening kickoff, and marching 62 yards to the end zone. Two big runs from Keagan La Belle and a 23-yard dash from Tristan Polk drove Marian into the red zone, with La Belle finishing the drive with a two-yard score. Marian's defense followed the score by getting a hold, forcing the Cougars into a field goal attempt on their first drive. The kick would miss wide left, and immediately the Knights dialed up a deep ball, as Tristan Polk connected with Montasi Clay to set up a red zone opportunity. La Belle finished the drive with three consecutive runs inside the eight, scoring on another two-yard scamper to make it a 14-0 game.

The defense began lights-out play on the next snap from scrimmage following the second of La Belle's scores, as Logan Carrington nabbed his NAIA-leading sixth interception of the season. Marian was unable to score off the turnover as a lost fumble would kill the momentum, but as the game shifted into the second quarter, the Knights regained the energy flow with the defense forcing a turnover on downs early in the ensuing period. 

The two rivals exchanged punts after the defensive stand, as the game stood in a 14-0 pattern. The Marian offense got back into gear after forcing the punt, and marched behind two chunk passes from Tristan Polk to Montasi Clay and Jake Reichard to get into the red zone. Keagan La Belle finished off the drive with his third touchdown of the half, racing in from 10 yards to push Marian to a 21-0 lead. 

Marian dominated defensively over the remainder of the half, forcing a takeaway and a punt going into the break. Isaiah Street recorded a strip-sack of Josh Kulka following La Belle's touchdown run, but the Knights failed to add to their lead as Kenny Curry missed a field goal. The defense would force a punt, but after getting the ball back in prime position following the two-minute timeout, Marian came up without points, kicking the ball away after a penalty marred their drive. The second punt of the half for Dean Mason all but ended the half, as Marian ran into the locker room with a 21-0 lead over Saint Francis. 

Coming out of the half, the defense forced a quick three-and-out, and the offense went to work, dropping 21 points in the third quarter. Tristan Polk scored the first of three touchdowns in the quarter with a six-yard race to the pylon, while a Reis Walker interception set up the fourth touchdown of the game for Keagan La Belle. La Belle's score came after a deflected catch from offensive lineman and his former high school teammate Razhaun Wells put Marian in the red zone. Wells' first career offensive touch and 29-yard gain put Marian in the red zone before La Belle scored two plays later. 

A defensive three-and-out would bring the offense back on the field, this time seeing Alijah Price dash into the end zone. The freshman's two-yard touchdown gave Marian a 42-0 lead with under 18 minutes to play in the game.

The Knights' defense closed the contest strong, ending a scoring threat from Saint Francis with a Yassine Falke at the start of the fourth quarter, while Curtis Foust picked off Kulka in the last two minutes to preserve the shutout. Prior to the Foust interception the Marian offense milked nearly eight minutes off the game clock, using 14 snaps to score as Hunter Newman found paydirt from three yards out. Newman's touchdown completed the scoring, sealing Marian's 49-0 shutout victory over No. 24 Saint Francis.

Marian's defense allowed just 162 yards to the Cougars, while the offense racked up 377 yards in the win. La Belle rushed for a game-high 60 yards, scoring four touchdowns on his 21 carries in the game. Price finished the afternoon with 50 yards, and Polk ran for another 25 while scoring on the ground. The quarterback Polk also passed for 235 yards, completing 13 of 17 passes. Montasi Clay led the receivers with 103 yards on three grabs, while Jake Reichard had 46 yards on four catches.

Defensively, Cade Houseman led the team in tackles with 12 total stops, while JT Downey made nine tackles. Isaiah Street finished the afternoon with six tackles, two of which were sacks. Logan Carrington, Curtis Foust, Yassine Falke, and Reis Walker each had an interception, while Darian Dixon recovered a fumble on Street's strip-sack. 

Marian continues their MSFA Midwest stretch next weekend, traveling to No. 23 Olivet Nazarene with a six-game winning streak. Kickoff against the Tigers in Bourbonnais, Illinois, at 1:00 p.m. ET. 

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