Defense Tested as Tigers Fall to Belton in Season Debut
Belton, Mo. (Aug. 31, 2025) – Belton’s quick-strike offense set the tone early, and the Tigers spent the rest of Friday night chasing in a 41-22 season-opening loss on the road to the Belton Pirates.
The Pirates used big plays early on, including touchdown runs of 41 yards and 96 yards to take a 15-0 lead over the Tigers with a successful two-point conversion on the second touchdown.
Sophomore running back Marques Shouse got the Tigers on the scoreboard in the second quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run. Sophomore placekicker Gauge Facciuto connected on the extra point to close the gap to 15-7.
The Pirates pushed the lead to 21-7 on a 4-yard touchdown before Shouse scored on a 28-yard run to pull the Tigers to within a touchdown. The Pirates added another touchdown before the half on a 59-yard run to take a 28-14 lead into the locker rooms.
That lead extended to 35-14 with a 21-yard rushing touchdown by the Pirates before a safety gave the Tigers two points to pull the score to 35-16. A 37-yard touchdown catch by the Pirates stretched the lead out to 41-16 before senior running back Gaige Carr found the end zone on a 16-yard run in the fourth quarter to get to the final score of 41-22.
The Tigers gained 204 yards on the ground, led by Shouse’s 119 yards on 15 carries. Carr added 36 yards on six carries, and sophomore quarterback Landon Marcum ran for 30 yards on eight carries.
Marcum completed 15 passes in 29 attempts for 145 yards and an interception. Junior Owen O’Dell caught six passes for 53 yards to lead the Tiger receiving corps.
The Tiger defense allowed 450 yards on the ground and 60 yards through the air. Junior Brodey Seely led the team with six tackles, with O’Dell collecting five tackles and Carr adding four.
The Tigers will take their 0-1 record into their home opener Friday, Sept. 5, against the Winnetonka Griffins at Tiger Stadium.
If you appreciate the value our local journalism brings to the community, please consider making a recurring contribution to the Excelsior Citizen!
