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‘This is who we are’: Run game propels Tigers past Warriors, 30-14

By Jordan Holland 6 min read

VINCENT -- Marietta racked up 420 yards of total offense without attempting a single pass.

The Tigers' ground game was all but unstoppable in Friday's 30-14 rivalry win over Warren. MHS shook off an 0-8 start to the 2026 campaign, picking up wins in weeks nine and 10 to finish 2-8.

"This is who we are," said Marietta head coach Mike Kupfner. "We didn’t throw the ball one time tonight. We relied on our big guys up front. Our backs were punishing people, and it’s like, this is who we are, right? I think we’re doing the right things schematically-wise. Just got to tweak a few things, but tonight’s about our seniors. Super proud of them and happy they were able to finish strong."

For the second straight week, Marietta's backfield duo of Braydon Frye and Trenton McVey combined for just shy of 400 rushing yards. Frye finished with 210 yards on 27 carries while McVey accumulated 181 yards on 25 attempts. They scored two touchdowns apiece.

Frye's 80-yard burst up the middle on the first play from scrimmage set the tone.

"They beat us up front," said Warren head coach Jason Gandee, whose squad finishes with a 3-7 record. "We thought their front could be an issue for us. We’re really young and green there.

Coach Kupfner does a good job with those kids, and they came out and played well tonight, so congratulations to them."

Frye punched it in from a yard out two plays later as Marietta never trailed. McVey added a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter to make it 13-0, which was the score at halftime.

Starting up front, from left to right, on the Tigers' offensive line were Nick Stachera, Ryan Miller, Adian Kennedy, Brecken Kroft and Preston Friemann. Brady Dickinson, Payton Casto and Kaedyn Dyar made some key blocks from the tight end and up-back positions as well.

"We preached all season that we can only go as far as the O-line takes us," said Miller, a junior. "I think that’s what helped tonight. It's sometimes hard because it’s tiring, but you got to embrace that and love that. Just drive that 15 plays down the field and get that touchdown."

Braylen Murray scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground for Warren, giving him 15 for the season to break Doug Huffman's 41-year-old school record.

His first TD, a 46-yarder early in the third, got the Warriors within seven.

Marietta's Nick McGill had trouble with the ensuing kickoff, bobbling the ball at the Tigers' own 5-yard line. McGill finally scooped it up, shook several defenders and broke multiple tackles to return the ball past midfield. Three plays later, McVey scurried for a 28-yard score to make it 20-7.

"That could have been a huge swing in field position," Gandee said. "We get a score to make it 13-7, they bobble a kickoff and then return it 50 yards. We just got to execute better."

McVey's 28-yard touchdown run at the 8:21 mark made it 20-7, and Kingston McMahon drilled a 36-yard field goal to make it 23-7 entering the fourth.

Frye's 3-yard TD burst extended the lead to 30-7. With 1:15 remaining, Murray found the end zone one last time from 11 yards out. Warren's junior QB finished with 110 yards on 16 carries and was 6 for 16 for 100 yards passing. He was intercepted once by Dickinson on a tipped pass.

"He needed 188 (rushing) yards for 1,000 (rushing) and 1,000 (passing)," Gandee said. "That's pretty impressive. Just a quality kid, quality player, quality human being."

Marietta ran 59 plays from scrimmage -- all runs. The Tigers tallied 18 first downs to chew a big portion of the clock.

"We return a bunch of those guys up front," Kupfner said. "We've got some young guys that have played a lot of reps in there. The O-line is going to lead us right where we want to go. We were running some ISO stuff tonight, and I mean, we’re getting seven, eight yards before we’re getting touched. I think that’s a testament to guys buckling down and saying, 'OK, this is who we are. Let’s go.'"

The Tigers have won two in a row against their rivals and three of the last four.

"I don’t have to get these guys fired up for a Warren game," Kupfner said. "It’s a rivalry. They’re getting after it. We had a pretty solid week of practice. We had some tempers flaring at practice a little bit, which I thought was good for the week 10 game, especially with where our record's at, but our guys were ready to go."

Last year, Marietta started 0-6 before winning three of the last four to end the year. That trend continued this year, but the Tigers are hoping 2027 finds more success in the months of August and September.

"We’ve got to start faster," Kupfner said. "That's on me and my staff to make sure we're doing the right things in the offseason so that we come out of the gate like we finished the last two seasons. We’re trying to get better because I think, overall, this program is better than 3-7 or 2-8."

Miller added, "We hope to carry this momentum into next year and start off 1-0. It was nice to let the seniors get a win their last time playing, and it meant a lot to us too."

The Warriors amassed 217 total yards in the season finale. They were flagged 13 times for 103 yards.

Charlie Lewis caught three passes for 63 yards. Josiah Jenkins recovered his fifth fumble of the season, tying a school record.

"The first half we just didn’t execute anything," Gandee said. "That’s probably the worst half of football we’ve played on offense all year, for whatever reason. Disappointing end of the season, to be honest with you. I don’t feel like we played our best, but once again, give credit to Marietta."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

At Warren High School

Marietta 30, Warren 14

M (2-8) 7 6 10 7 -- 30

W (3-7) 0 0 7 7 -- 14

M: Braydon Frye 1 run, Kingston McMahon kick, 10:57 1st

M: Trenton McVey 6 run, kick failed, 4:54 2nd

W: Braylen Murray 46 run, Jaxon Venham kick, 9:55 3rd

M: McVey 28 run, McMahon kick, 8:21 3rd

M: McMahon 36 field goal, 3:40 3rd

M: Frye 3 run, McMahon kick, 7:20 4th

W: Murray 11 run, Venham kick, 1:15 4th

Team stats

Marietta: First downs: 18; Rushes-yards: 59-420; Passing yards: 0; Total yards: 420; Passing: 0-0-0; Fumbles-lost: 2-1; Penalties-yards: 10-85; Punts-average: 1-12

Warren: First downs: 7; Rushes-yards: 18-117; Passing yards: 100; Total yards: 217; Passing: 6-16-1; Fumbles-lost: 0-0; Penalties-yards: 13-103; Punts-average: 36.3

Individual stats

Marietta: Rushing: Braydon Frye 27-210, 2 TDs; Trenton McVey 25-181, 2 TDs; Daymeon Gulley 3-8; Cooper Brown 1-12; Cole Coombs 1-6; Nick McGill 1-3; Zach Carver 1-0

Warren: Rushing: Braylen Murray 16-110, 2 TDs; Wesley Sealey 1-8; Conner Moore 1-(-1); Passing: Murray 6-16-1, 100 yards; Receiving: Charlie Lewis 3-63; Jaxon Venham 3-37

Starting at /week.