If Millard South is to find its way back to Lincoln for a second straight season and another shot at the Class A football title, it’s clear who’s leading the way.

Patriot quarterback Bronson Marsh, who threw for a pair of touchdowns and also ran for another two, led his team to a whopping 447 yards of total offense to help top-ranked Millard South (11-0) into the semifinals with a 55-34 win over No. 5 Papillion-La Vista (8-3) in front of a reporter-estimated 5,000 at Foundation Field on Friday night.

“We can get big plays,” said Patriot coach Andy Means, whose team fell to district rival Millard West in last year’s finals. “We feel pretty good with our offense that we can do anything.”

Not that the offense needed any help, but Marsh was staked to a 7-0 lead on the game’s third play when linebacker Quentin Urban picked off a pass and headed 27 yards to the end zone.

Marsh and the offense took over from there, building a 48-13 lead near the end of the third quarter that had the mercy rule in effect for a time.

“You can’t give a team like that an advantage,” Papio coach Jeff Govier said. “You can’t go in there and try to trade scores with them.”

Marsh had three first-half touchdowns, highlighted by his 85-yard scoring toss to Eddie Collins, which came after Marsh escaped the grasp of a Papio lineman and scrambled to find Collins loose behind the secondary.

Papio quarterback Jeff Weander threw for a trio of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the Monarchs spurt was too little, too late.

Means wasn’t concerned by the late rally, attributing much of the fourth quarter to “lax play” and substitutions. The meat of Millard South’s defensive damage was done over the game’s first 36 minutes, he said.

“We told them whoever’s defense was the best defense would win the game,” Means said.

Marsh finished 10 for 15 for 212 yards passing, and added 29 rushing yards to go with his two TDs. Marsh was one of three Patriots with two touchdowns along with Collins, who also scored on a 38 yard run, and running back Tre Sacks, who led the rushing attack with 105 yards and touchdowns of 6 and 32 yards.

The Patriot defense harassed Monarch quarterback Jeff Weander, who finished 22 of 42 with 220 yards. Running back Joey Jones led the Monarchs with 132 yards rushing.

Millard South...............21 13 14 7—55

Papio-LV....................7 6 0 21—34

MS: Quentin Urban 27 interception return (Theimer kick)

MS: Tre Sacks 6 run (Theimer kick)

PLV: Glenn Lewis 17 pass from Jeff Weander (kick failed)

MS: Joey Felici 4 pass from Bronson Marsh (Theimer kick)

MS: Eddie Collins 85 pass from Marsh (Theimer kick)

PLV: Weander 5 run (Daniel Lozano kick)

MS: Marsh 4 run (run failed)

MS: Collins 38 run (Theimer kick)

MS: Marsh 1 run (Theimer kick)

PLV: Chase Rasmussen 11 pass from Weander (Lozano kick)

PLV: Glenn Lewis 11 pass from Weander (Lozano kick)

MS: Sacks 32 run (Lozano kick)

PLV: Lewis 4 pass from Weander (Brooke Helmberger kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: MS, Tre Sacks 11-105, Eddie Collins 6-62, Bronson Marsh 12-29, Quentin Urban 4-25, Brendan Peoples 3-9, Blake Headley 2-2, Eric Nicholsen 1-2, Tyler Pavich 1-1. PLV, Joey Jones 18-132, Jeff Weander 9-58, Glenn Lewis 1-0.

PASSING: MS, Marsh 10-14-0 212. PLV, Weander 22-42-3 198

RECEIVING: MS, Collins 4-117, Joey Felici 4-81, Adam Kalinosky 1-9, Urban 1-15. PLV, Sir Bullock 3-20, Scott Lucks 1-3, Nathan Ashley 3-45, Joey Jones 2-22, Glenn Lewis 11-104, Chase Rasmussen 3-26.

Contact the writer:

444-1201, sports@owh.com