The anticipation needed a two-day wait time.

Mother Nature made sure of the delay, but she couldn’t assure the outcome for Marian’s football team in its season opener Sunday evening at Men of Marian Stadium.

Hurricane (Schuylkill) Haven at times looked quiet, but when it had to unleash some whiplash, it did so at the precise moment.

Gliding on the legs of junior Connor Goehring and sophomore Aiden Myers, the Hurricanes had just enough clout to stave off the Colts and register a 21-6 victory.

It was a typical season opener in that it lacked some polish, and the execution left something to be desired for both teams.

“We got a long way to go,” said long time Haven coach Mike Farr. “We could be good, but we need to work on a lot of things.”

To be sure, his one-two running punch - a staple of this Haven program for decades - is in plain sight to view. Goehring rang up 139 yards on nine carries, while Myers flicked his way for another 60. Goehring rang up a pair of touchdowns, including a 67-yard catch and run after taking a short pass from quarterback Travis Richie.

Marian was hanging tough, however, and trailed by just a point early in the fourth quarter.

The Hurricanes’ lead seemed to be in trouble after a punt attempt never got off the ground and Marian took over at the Haven 13-yard line.

But Dame Fortune didn’t hang around in Marian’s corner for long. The Colts returned the favor with a fumble - their third lost ball on a night when they mishandled the ball a total of eight times.

This one seemed to rejuvenate Haven, and within six plays the visitors were hitting the end zone as Myers took off on a 42-yard jaunt to make it 14-6.

Four minutes later, Goehring blazed 40 yards for a clinching score after the Colts had to punt from deep in their own territory. Mike McGoey booted his third extra-point to seal the deal.

“I’m not frustrated, because deep down inside, I know there’s a good football team inside them,” Marian coach Stan Dakosty said. “We hurt ourselves, especially in that first quarter.”

Marian had more bloopers than a Saturday morning cartoon show in the opening quarter, which led Dakosty to state: “We were all over the place”

Three times during the period the Colts misfired on exchanges. They also burned off all three of their first-half timeouts.

It took until the third quarter until the ship got upright. The defense came up hot, and when Haven challenged the Colts with a fourth down pass that was excellently defended by Jayden Fermin, Marian came out guns smoking hot.

It set sail on its best drive of the game, riding the legs of junior Matt Martin, who churned out a terrific 120 yards rushing on 21 carries. He was the load in the final five plays of a punishing nine-play, 67-yard drive that he capped with a 1-yard touchdown run.

“He’s a player, no doubt,” Dakosty said about the brightest offensive spot of the evening.

Farr was happy with the resolve his team showed after the failed fourth quarter punt gave Marian the ball and the momentum.

“Our assistant coaches kept saying to hang in there,” Farr said. “We didn’t panic and we made things happen, which you have to in order to become a good football team.”

Indeed, that was the case. On the ensuing first play after the miscue Shane Pothering, who had an outstanding game on the defensive side of the ball, came up with the loose pigskin. Less than two minutes later, Haven was dancing in the end zone as Myers’ touchdown run put a dagger into the heart of Marian.

TWO-DAY DELAY ... The game was originally scheduled to be played Friday, but forecasted thunderstorms and hard rain forced the move to last night.

QUIRKY STUFF … Both teams were out of sync most of the night. Farr said afterward that his team never had a scrimmage since the opposing team had COVID issues. “We had to go with our 1s vs. 2s, so we never did get a feel for what we needed,” he explained.

HE’S THE REAL DEAL … Dakosty said prior to the first game, two-way standout lineman Rawlin Melendez was a big-time player. He didn’t disappoint.

IMPRESSED … Marian’s Martin and Haven’s Goehring both were impressive as they ripped off some tough runs with extra effort.

NEARLY IN THE END ZONE … Marian sophomore Fermin took off on a run around his left end and seemed to have clear sailing for a touchdown, before losing his footing and losing the ball. He managed to recover the loose ball, however, and Marian did score on the drive.