He plays with a club on one hand. He still carried Timberline football to a playoff win
A white club covers Taylor Marcum’s left forearm, leaving just enough room for his fingers to poke out and his elbow to bend.
The padding protects a broken wrist, which ought to slow down the Timberline junior running back. But nothing could stop him Friday.
Marcum broke loose for 226 rushing yards and four TDs, carrying the Wolves to a 27-20 win at Skyview in the first round of the 5A state playoffs. It’s the second playoff win in program history and earns Timberline (3-3) a trip to No. 1-ranked Coeur d’Alene (7-0) next week in the quarterfinals.
Marcum looked down at his bandaged left arm after the game and could only shrug.
“I’m just doing the most I can with one arm,” Marcum said with a laugh.
Marcum started the season relatively quietly. He led the 5A Southern Idaho Conference in rushing yards (1,117) as a sophomore and earned second-team All-Idaho honors. Expectations for him were sky high.
But he broke his wrist Sept. 25 against Boise and entered the playoffs as the 5A SIC’s seventh leading rusher (66.8 yards per game).
He more than made up for it Friday, terrorizing a Skyview (4-3) defense that knew where the ball was going but could do nothing to stop it.
Timberline turned around and handed it to Marcum 27 times out of its 41 offensive plays. He said he can’t catch with a cast on, so the Wolves really only have one way to get him the ball.
Timberline coach Ian Smart said the Wolves spent the past week challenging their offensive line and rebuilding their gameplan to feature Marcum as much as possible.
“Skill guys are great,” Smart said. “But without an O-line, without that attitude up front, it doesn’t matter how good they are.
“... We implemented a new gameplan that we thought would let him get out there and get in space. You see the speed that he has. It’s special. It’s big time.”
A retooled offensive line created the initial running room, and Marcum did the rest, running for scores of 67, 45, 18 and 9 yards.
Marcum admits the cast limits him. But he said he’s found new ways to compensate.
“It is difficult not being able to switch hands and do what I normally do,” Marcum said. “But I just focus on using it as a club, using the stiff arm and stuff.”
Friday marked a bit of revenge for Timberline, which lost 28-20 at Skyview two weeks ago. The Wolves entered the postseason on a three-game losing streak and backed into the playoffs, needing Lake City to upset Lewiston to grab the final at-large berth.
But none of that matters now as Timberline continues to raise the bar for its program.
Timberline opened in 1998, but the Wolves didn’t win their first playoff game until last year. The Wolves then entered the season as an underdog again, finishing seventh in a 5A SIC preseason coaches’ poll.
Marcum said the Wolves don’t mind being underestimated as they keep racking up playoff victories.
“That’s how it normally is for us,” Marcum said. “But we always just show up, don’t even think about it, and just look for the upsets.
“... We’ve come a long way from what we used to be.”
Skyview senior quarterback Clayton Franssen had to be carried off the field with an injury with 11:07 left in the second quarter. He never returned, handing over the reins to sophomore Max Cutforth.
Cutforth finished 18-of-24 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, including a 23-yard TD pass to Atonio Fifita that cut the lead to seven points with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter. But Timberline ran out the clock to hold on for the win.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 11:15 PM.
