FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - At times on Friday night at Spartan Stadium, generating offense was like pulling teeth.

Fortunately for Marian, a tremendous defensive effort helped them extract a victory over favored North Schuylkill.Locked in a one-point battle, the Colts found the right combination late in its game to extend their lead and then stopped a crucial two-point attempt by the Spartans to clinch a thrilling 14-12 decision.No matter which way you spin it, it came down to one play on offense and one unsportsmanlike call that did in the hosts.Marian had came up with a late touchdown run - when points were hard to come by - to take a 14-6 lead with 1:43 to play. Seth Paluck zoomed 34 yards to paydirt locking down what seemed like a sure-bet win.Jarod Paisley certainly was the difference maker in the final outcome as his two perfect conversion kicks made Marian's eight-point lead look bigger than a tsunami boiling in the Indian Ocean.Those kicks proved crucial when North Schuylkill revved up a near miracle comeback prancing, dancing, and zipping 69 yards to hit the end zone, thanks to backup quarterback Doug Weist. Weist had six completions in the last drive, including an 11-yard zip-line toss to Bobby Wagner that made it 14-12 with 14 ticks on the clock.But before you could say 'Wow Nellie!,' North Schuylkill in its exuberance to celebrate the score was hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty. Instead of a short-yardage try for a tying two-points, it was thrust back 15 more yards. The conversion play eventually came up empty on a hurry-up heave."Our defense was the difference," said an out of breath Marian coach Stan Dakosty. "It was a team defensive effort. Our defense was blowing up plays. We wanted to stop (Major) Jordan before he got started, and we wanted them to throw the ball because they don't do that as well,"That is until Weist entered the game. Before his appearance, the lone offensive points produced by North Schuylkill came on the game's first offensive play from scrimmage. That's when speedy sophomore Mitch Wagner raced 65 yards on a jet-sweep, but the PAT was blocked."We just didn't get a man to fill on that run," said Colt lineman Kyle Plesh. "We got more disciplined and carried out our assignments better as the game went on."Marian's offense has struggled some early in the season, but it had just enough last night. Its first score came with 5:30 to play in the third quarter when Ethan Kuczynski was scrambling, as he was forced to do most of the night, before finding Paluck just in front of the goal line, flipping a seven-yard scoring strike. Paisley's boot gave Marian the lead for good, 7-6.The next points came after a Mike Neary interception with 3:22 to play at the North Schuylkill 45. Five plays later, Paluck took off on a power run, breaking a tackle on his way to a 34-yard TD."We may have scored too early," smiled Dakosty obviously thinking about the way North Schuylkill drove the ball on the ensuing series. The Spartans marched down the field in 10 plays. But couldn't make it a game-tying 11th play.QUOTABLES ... "Our offense came up big when we had to," said Kuczynski. "Our defense played so hard and never gave in," said Neary.ALL EVERYTHING ... Jordan, a two-time Class AA first-team all-state player at linebacker who is a Lafayette commit, did nothing to diminish his chances for a third-straight all-state honor. You can toss the Colts' Plesh into that category as well - All-State? Yes.WHAT'S UP ... Marian (2-1) now plays Lehighton at home Friday. The Spartans travel to undefeated Schuylkill Haven.