Marshfield's football team had a dress rehearsal before the start of the regular season.

Although the Pirates found a few things to smile about, their 30-19 defeat at the hands of visiting Crater mostly served as an eye-opener. The Pirates made a lot of first-game mistakes and learned a whole lot about what they need to do in order to prepare themselves for Midwestern League competition.

The necessary improvements start with conditioning as well as getting some key players back on the field.

"Lots of first-game mistakes," Marshfield coach Kent Wigle said. "We missed the players that weren't available."

Several key players were out either because of injuries or eligibility issues and they sorely were missed, particularly on defense. More specifically, in the secondary. Comet quarterback Brian Theis lit up Marshfield's short-handed defense, going 9-for-16 for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Charlie Reina complemented Crater's passing attack by rushing for 115 yards on 14 carries for Crater's explosive offense.

Senior Max Thompson demonstrated flashes of brilliance in the secondary for the Pirates. He picked off two Theis passes, both coming on the goal line to keep the Comets out of the end zone. The second was fit for SportsCenter, with Thompson stripping the ball from the grasp of a Crater receiver then diving to cradle the ball before hitting the ground. All that happened with just one leap.

"I think we need to come out and be more physical next week," Thompson said. "That's what Pirate football prides itself in."

It's true, the intense hard-hitting Pirate football that fans have come to expect seemed to be missing from Pete Susick Stadium on Friday night.

"We just need to compete harder and be more physical and maintain (it)," Wigle said.

But senior R.J. Bingham predicts the Pirates' trademark style of football will be back.

"Practice is going to hit two more levels next week," he said. "We're just going to hit all week long until we make ourselves hitters. I expect a lot of hitting this week, just a lot of running."

Offensively, Marshfield had some moments to be proud of. The Pirates consistently moved the ball up and down the field, but struggled when they got deep into Comets territory.

"We did some good things," Wigle said. "(But) we'd get down and move the ball, then we'd not get anything out of it."

The Pirates managed to punch the football into the end zone three times.

Two touchdowns were by the virtue of quarterback Rayce Stacey's arm and the grace of sophomore John Parrish's soft hands. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end picked up his very first varsity score in the second quarter, beautifully hauling in a highlight-reel catch from 11 yards out in the left corner of the end zone between two Crater defenders. His second came in the fourth quarter on a quick pass from Stacey. In the middle of traffic, he clutched the football and quickly turned into the end zone for a 4-yard score. Those were Parrish's only two catches of the game. In fact, those were the only touches he was offered. Stacey turned in a solid performance at quarterback, going 11-for-15 for 92 yards. That's pretty impressive, especially when considering he spent quite a chunk of the game on the turf. Stacey was sacked seven times and finished with a rushing total of 24 yards in losses.

The Pirates' other touchdown came in the second quarter on a phenomenal 80-yard punt return by senior running back Andrew Simpson. After taking the pigskin at the 20, Simpson cut left toward the sideline. Jetting toward an oncoming defender, Simpson jolted toward the center of the field then cut back toward the sideline. He grabbed another gear and left Crater's special teams players behind. After the game Simpson -- who finished with 46 rushing yards on eight carries -- was more interested in how Marshfield needs to improve than his own heroics.

"We just got a lot of defense work to do," he said. "We need to get our guys in shape."

One thing the Pirates can take solace in is the loss won't count toward their record, as an Oregon School Activities Association "endowment game," or exhibition. Instead of fine-tuning for the season with a jamboree, the Pirates opted to add a 10th game to the schedule. Half the gate proceeds will benefit the Oregon School Activities Association Foundation.

Marshfield opens the regular season at home Friday against a South Eugene team picked to contend for the Midwestern League title. Bingham said the Pirates will need a much stronger showing in order to be competitive against the Axemen.

"Just sloppy; we're just out of shape," said Bingham, who led all Pirate receivers with 34 yards on four grabs. "We just didn't have the opening intensity that we needed to have. We didn't fully prepare enough, kind of underestimated them."

Several Pirates say that won't happen again.