HEGINS — Five weeks ago, Marian got the better of Tri-Valley on the Bulldogs’ home turf.

Friday night, the Bulldogs got redemption when it mattered most.

After suffering a heartbreaking defeat to the Colts in Week 6, second-seeded Tri-Valley flipped the script in dominant fashion, cruising to a 37-7 victory in the District 2/11 Class A subregional semifinals.

The Dawgs’ swarming defense made life miserable for the Colts, holding Marian to just 32 yards of total offense, including minus-11 yards on the ground.

Tri-Valley’s defense even got in on the scoring action twice in the first quarter. Sophomore linebacker Robbie Schwartz strip-sacked Gregory Tirpak and pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown, while sophomore Landon Horoschak blocked a punt through the back of the end zone for a safety.

On the offensive side of the ball, senior quarterback Trey Porter shook off a pair of first-quarter interceptions to finish 8-of-11 passing for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

After receiving the opening kickoff, Tri-Valley (7-4) marched to the Colts’ 36-yard line before senior Dante Tate intercepted a Porter pass at the Marian 6-yard line.

The Colts’ momentum was short-lived, however. An illegal formation penalty and a run for no gain backed Marian into a third-and-13 from its own 3-yard line. Schwartz then burst into the backfield, strip-sacking Tirpak and pouncing on the loose ball in the end zone for the Bulldogs’ first score of the night.

On the Colts’ ensuing possession, the Bulldogs’ defense continued to wreak havoc. A first-down sack, followed by a reception for a 1-yard loss and an incompletion, forced Marian to punt.

Senior Doyle Flory gave the Bulldogs excellent field position with a big punt return to the Colts’ 25-yard line. Just three plays later, Porter connected with Carter Troutman for the first of their two touchdown hookups on the night.

The “Dawg Pound” defense stood tall once again, forcing another three-and-out behind a tackle for loss, a sack and an incompletion on Marian’s ensuing possession.

With the Colts (4-7) backed up to their own 9-yard line and punter Tyler Price standing deep in his own end zone, Horoschak came flying through the line to block the punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety. The defensive effort tacked on two more points, giving Tri-Valley a commanding 16-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.

For head coach Jeff Sampson, the defensive dominance was nothing new.

“Our defense has been our savior for the last how many games. They’ve played extremely well,” Sampson said. “And that’s a testament to the players themselves and our coaching staff, who do such a great job getting this team ready defensively every week.”

Tri-Valley marched to the Colts’ 17-yard line on its ensuing possession, but a 34-yard field-goal attempt by Hillard sailed wide right, leaving the score at 16-0.

Marian took over at its own 20-yard line following the miss, but the relentless Bulldogs’ defense once again pushed the Colts behind the chains, forcing yet another punt.

Facing a crucial third-and-6 from the Colts’ 42-yard line, Porter connected with Hillard down the home sideline for a 34-yard gain, moving the Bulldogs deep into Marian territory.

An All-State soccer standout, Nate Hillard has already proven to be a weapon in the kicking game for the Bulldogs, most notably drilling a game-winning 50-yard field goal in last year’s District 11 Class A championship to lift Tri-Valley past Marian, 3-0.

Now, with the Bulldogs’ soccer season in the rearview mirror, Hillard may provide Sampson and company with another speedy weapon on the outside, as he saw action at wide receiver throughout the night.

Porter connected with Troutman for the second time, this time from nine yards out, to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 23-0.

Marian was set to receive the second-half kickoff, but the Bulldogs’ special teams unit had other plans. Tri-Valley forced a fumble on the return and recovered the loose ball, setting up the offense with excellent field position at the Colts’ 30-yard line.

The Bulldogs wasted little time capitalizing on the turnover, as Horoschak punched it in from 3 yards out just five plays later to extend Tri-Valley’s lead to 30-0.

Porter put the finishing touches on the Bulldogs’ dominant performance, connecting with Flory for a 50-yard touchdown strike to extend Tri-Valley’s lead to 37-0. The score triggered the mercy rule and a running clock, allowing the Bulldogs to give their starters a well-deserved rest for the remainder of the game ahead of next Friday’s district title showdown with their rivals from over the mountain, Williams Valley.

Porter also surpassed the 2,000-yard career passing mark in the victory, another milestone in what has been a successful transition from wide receiver to quarterback. Forced to make the position switch due to injuries two years ago, Porter has developed into a key piece of the Bulldogs’ offense.

“He’s gotten better each week, and he’s just a natural athlete. Anything he does, he’s good at,” Sampson said. “We knew putting him there two years ago was something we had to do because of injuries. But we knew that each week he was going to get better and better. He settled in this year early on as our signal-caller and a leader on offense. And tonight I thought he did a tremendous job running the offense.”

Marian broke through early in the fourth quarter, as Tirpak connected with Price for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Vinny Miranda added the extra point to account for the final margin in Tri-Valley’s 37-7 victory.

The win sets up a rematch with Williams Valley, a 49-24 winner over Lackawanna Trail, in the District 2/11 subregional championship next week.

The championship showdown will mark the second meeting in three weeks between the rivals, but this time, the stakes are even higher. The winner will keep its season alive with a gold medal around its neck, while the loser will see its season come to an end.

The Bulldogs will look to continue their postseason redemption tour, with another opportunity to avenge a regular-season loss and claim a district championship in the process. Coach Sampson knows the next challenge won’t come easy, though.

“They’re a good football team. They have a lot of athletes all the way around and have a three-headed monster in the backfield,” Sampson said. “We just have to slow things down and come into it the way we did tonight. I told the kids tonight, if they practice this week the way they did last week, and they come into this game the way they did tonight, we’ll be ready.”

Tri-Valley 37, Marian 7

Marian 0 0 0 7 - 7

Tri-Valley 16 7 14 0 - 37

TV - R. Schwartz fumble recovery in end zone (Hillard kick)

TV - C. Troutman 20 pass from Porter (Hillard kick)

TV - Safety, punt blocked through end zone

TV - C. Troutman 9 pass from Porter (Hillard kick)

TV - Horoschak 3 run (Hillard kick)

TV - Flory 50 pass from Porter (Hillard kick)

M - Price 23 pass from Tirpak (Miranda kick)