STEUBENVILLE - It wasn't a whitewash or even a red one, but it was a victory and Steubenville will take it.

Top-seeded Steubenville held off No. 8 Alliance Marlington, 34-26, on Friday night at Harding Stadium to move on to the second round in the OHSAA Division III, Region 11 playoffs.

''It was the first step, but it was a baby step,'' Steubenville coach Reno Saccoccia said. ''We still have a long way to go, but we got the first step out of the way.''

The score wasn't indicative of the game. While the Dukes finished just one TD behind Big Red, Marlington never posed a legitimate threat. Big Red finished with twice as many first downs, moving the chains 23 times to the Dukes' nine. Steubenville quarterback Dwight Macon threw for 200 more yards than Marlington. He recorded 228, while the Dukes' Jesse Carpenter registered 28.

Then there was Big Red's first three possessions which resulted in three scores. Macon opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD run at 7:06 of the first quarter. Six minutes later, LeShawn Luke took it in from a yard out, and with 5:05 left to go in the first half, Macon came up with another 5-yard scoring run. Pierro made good on two of the three extra-point attempts and Steubenville led, 20-0.

Big Red came up empty on their next possession and allowed the Dukes back in the game. Facing fourth-and-7 at their own 45, Steubenville went for it, but didn't get it. Macon's pass fell incomplete and Marlington took over in Big Red territory. Two plays later - a 37-yard gain by freshman running back Dymonte Thomas and an 8-yard TD run by sophomore Alden Hill - the Dukes were on the board.

''What changed the game, was not punting the football away at midfield. There was 5 minutes left in the first half and if we would have punted it away, we would have gone into the locker room up 20-0. That was my mistake. That let Marlington back in the game,'' Saccoccia said. ''I should have punted and that gave Marlington hope. If you give a good football team hope you give them a chance and they took advantage of it.''

The Dukes scored with 1:54 left in the first half, plenty of time for the Red's 2-minute offense. Steubenville drove to the Marlington 6-yard line before being backed up to the 15 due to penalties. After two incomplete passes and with four ticks left on the clock, Macon took one final shot at the end zone but his passed was picked off.

''I thought our 2-minute offense did a great job moving down the field with the exception of the last four plays,'' Saccoccia said.

Flags hampered the Red all night. Steubenville was penalized 14 times, including four personal fouls, for 127 yards.

''I was upset with the penalties. They were uncalled for,'' Saccoccia said. ''Penalties hurt us.''

Big Red took back the six points on the opening drive of the second half. Luke capped off the nine-play-39-yard drive with a 2-yard run at 8:19 of the third. Pierro supplied the extra point.

The Dukes answered with their second touchdown 4 minutes later. A big kickoff return by Thomas coupled with a personal foul call on Steubenville gave Marlington the ball at the Big Red 45. Seven plays later, Hill scored his second TD of the night from a yard out. The run after failed.

Steubenville's final points of the night came at 10:49 of the fourth when Macon hit Trey Wiggins, who finished with 233 yards receiving, on a post-pattern route that covered 62 yards. Pierro split the uprights.

Big Red sent in the second team after the touchdown and the Dukes scored two more times - Hill scored on a 9-yard run and Thomas ripped off a 60-yard TD run.

''I made the decision to stick it out with the younger players because they practice as hard as anybody else. They've been working hard since August and it was a thrill for them to get into playoff game,'' Saccoccia. ''I just wish they would have gave us a better effort and made the most of the opportunity they were given.''

Big Red's JoJo Pierro was a force up the middle. He pounded the Marlington line for 88 yards on 14 carries. Macon finished with 44 yards on 13 carries. Luke added 12 yards. Anthony Pierro hauled down nine catches for 60 yards. Jordon Meyer had 19 yards on two receptions. Sage Cutri had one for 16.

Big Red moves on to the Region 11 finals to face Salem - a 38-31 winner of Granville in overtime - at neutral site to be announced later.

''We're just happy to be there,'' Saccoccia said of the next round.