HOMETOWN — What a difference a year makes for K.J. Snerr.
The Marian junior suffered a shoulder injury on the first play of the 2013 opener and missed most of the season.
A year later, a now fully healthy Snerr was a difference maker in the Colts’ 18-7 win over Williams Valley in an inter-league contest Friday at Men of Marian Stadium.
Snerr rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns and caught a key pass to set up another score as Marian beat the Vikings in a matchup of District 11 Class A playoff contenders.
“I can’t even begin to explain it, honestly,” Snerr said. “A year ago from now I hit rock bottom. Ever since then I put it in my head that I was going to work harder than anybody else.
“I came back, worked hard and gave it a shot today.”
Snerr scored on runs of 32
and 65 yards and caught a 35-yard pass that led to a Colts’ touchdown on the final play of the first half.
He was the benefactor of a big night by the Marian offensive line of Josh Ambruch, Chris Miller, Joe Damiano, Josh Skotek and Peter Dubravski, which controlled the line of scrimmage. The Colts rushed 42 times for 263 yards.
“I really want to tip my hat to our offensive line. They did a great job,” Marian head coach Stan Dakosty said. “And K.J. had a big night.”
Snerr opened the scoring on Marian’s third possession, following an interception by Hunter Nause. A 20-yard run by Nico Agosti got the Colts close, and Snerr scored from 32 yards out to put Marian up 6-0.
The score remained that way until late in the first half, when Marian drove 83 yards in 1:52 to go up 12-0 at the half.
The big play was a 35-yard pass from quarterback Ethan Kuczynski to Snerr on a third-and-7 play from the Vikings’ 42 with less than 10 seconds left.
On the next play, Kuczynski hit Angelo Maskornick on a 7-yard out pattern for a touchdown as time expired.
“Zig and I ... we’re very close,” Snerr said. “He knew exactly where I was going to be and he knew that I was going to go up and get the ball. We executed it.”
Williams Valley made things interesting in the fourth quarter with a pair of big plays. First, Nick Rodichok hit Allen Hand over the middle for a 54-yard gain. On the next play, Matt Miller raced 22 yards into the end zone to slice Marian’s lead to 12-7 with 7:01 left.
The two plays were the only bright spots of the night for the Vikings, who were held to 34 yards rushing. Williams Valley struggled to block up front, as Marian sacked Rodichok seven times.
“The brightest spot of the preseason was our offensive line, and tonight it was the worst I’ve ever seen,” Williams Valley coach Tim Savage said. “We can’t screen block, we can’t run block, we can’t pass block. There’s nothing we can do.
“We did two things right on offense all night and it was a six-point game with seven minutes to go. We were God awful, the worst we could possibly play. If there’s any silver lining, we did two things right on offense, and it was a one-touchdown game.”
Marian regained control of the game three plays after Miller’s touchdown when Snerr took a draw right, found a big hole and outran the Vikings’ defense for a 65-yard touchdown.
The Colts’ defense then recorded three straight sacks of Rodichok to ice the game.
Marian’s defensive front — especially Skotek, A.J. Wolk and Maskornick — had a big night, while the Colts’ secondary kept standout wide receiver Cody Miller to just two catches.
“Our defense was outstanding,” Dakotsky said. “They have some great skill kids, they throw the ball well, they spread you out.
“This is a big win for us. (Williams Valley) is going to win some football games.”
Game Summary
WV (0-1) 0 0 0 7 — 7
Marian (1-0) 6 6 0 6 — 18
Mar — Snerr 32 run (kick failed)
Mar — Maskornick 7 pass from Kuczynski (pass failed)
WV — M. Miller 22 run (Hill kick)
Mar — Snerr 65 run (pass failed)
WV Marian
First Downs 5 16
Rushes-Yards 28-34 43-267
Passes 6-16-1 7-15-1
Passing Yards 105 112
Total Yards 139 375
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2
Penalties 3-35 6-42
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Williams Valley — M. Miller 8-52, Harris 8-8, Wolfgang 1-7, Dy. Rebuck 2-(-5), Rodichok 9-(-28). Marian — Snerr 18-152, Sully 5-47, Agosti 2-18, Nause 4-14, Mussoline 1-13, Goldberg 1-9, Kuczynski 7-4, Team 1-4, Neary 1-3, Parnell 1-3, Rehrig 1-0, Mauro 1-0.
PASSING: Williams Valley — Rodichok 6-16-1, 105. Marian — Kuczynski 6-13-1, 97; Snerr 1-2-0, 15.
RECEIVING: Williams Valley — Hand 1-54, C. Miller 2-27, Ross 1-16, M. Miller 1-6, Wolfgang 1-2. Marian — Maskornick 3-54, Nause 3-23, Snerr 1-35.
INTERCEPTIONS: Williams Valley — Zimmerman. Marian — Nause.