Being able to overcome adversity often is the determining factor in football wins vs. losses.

Fortunately, for the Shenandoah Blue Devils, they were able to snap out of a slow start Friday night at the Men of Marian Stadium, where they ran and passed the ball effectively in a 30-point second quarter that resulted in a 36-14 win for the visitors.On the other hand, Coach Stan Dakosty's Colts, mired in a season-long quagmire triggered by injuries and miscues, continue to play well enough only sporadically, yet poorly enough too frequently, resulting in their seventh loss in eight games.The Colts actually led 7-6 at the 9:36 mark of the second stanza, after the two teams exchanged early second peiod touchdowns, a PAT by Colt Paul Martin being the difference up until that point. Despite the deficit, and although having been stopped through the first quarter on three fourth-down tries, Shenandoah managed to rise above the slow start, proceeding to score three times in the next 4-1/2 minutes."In a four minute span, we gave up 24 points. That's the third or fourth time we did that this year," said Dakosty, noting "missed assignments are things you can't do against a good team like Shenandoah."Actually, the Colts looked much better than their record had indicated, as both teams went scoreless through the first 12 minutes."We got out of the gates a little slow. It took awhile for us to get some rhythm," said Shenandoah coach Nick Sajone. "Marian's not as bad a team as its record indicates, and they're well-coached, so it was a little bit of a challenge for us early."The Colts responded nicely, thanks, in part, to a 43-yard run by fullback Derich Holman. The run moved the ball to the Devil 22. Two plays later, tailback Paul Martin took a handoff from Corey Quick, stopped and threw a 20-yard TD pass to J.T. Keer. When Martin split the uprights, Marian led 7-6 with 9:36 on the board."I like the way our kids responded," Sajone said about what transpired next. Capping a 28-yard drive, Whalen ran for a seven-yard score at the 4:52 mark. QB Chris Palubinsky passed to Nick Merva for the two-point conversion and the Devils were in front 14-7.But that wasn't all! Whalen picked off a pass on the next series, giving the Devils the pigskin at their own 27. Palubinsky, who passed for 231 yards in the first half, connected with Merva for a 39 yard gain, and then tossed to Bill Moyer for a 36-yard TD play at the 2:44 point. The same Palubinsky-to-Merva play made it 22-7.Then, to close out the first half, Palubinsky intercepted a second Marian pass, returning it 27 yards to the Marian 33. On the next snap, he dished off a screen to Whalen that resulted in another score, this one coming with 32 seconds left in the half. And, for the third time, the Palubinsky-to-Merva combination was successful, making it 30-7."You just can't do that against a good team," Dakosty stated. "And they're a good team, with a QB who is very good and a running back who is a great runner."Marian cut the deficit to 30-14 when Quick passed eight yards to Eric Baker for a tally with 11:21 left in the game, but the Devils came right back for a matching TD. Whalen carried 64 yards on three tries, including a 49-yarder, followed by a four-yard scoring run with 10:11 on the board, finishing off the scoring.'We have to continue to work to eliminate mistakes," said Dakosty.