Archives > Sports Update
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Football: Marcus rally falls short, Marauders drop to 0-2
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
ARLINGTON -- Marcus made a change in its offensive scheme during halftime of Friday's game against Arlington.
With the change came a better rushing attack.
But a rally-killing exchange between the snapper and the quarterback was not in the playbook.
Trailing 20-14 with 2:18 remaining, Marcus began a push at the Arlington 41-yard line and reached a pivotal point when it got to the Colt 35. On fourth-and-four, a snap to quarterback Cade Erwin sailed past him, resulting in a loss of 17 yards, a change of possession and an end to Marcus' hopes for a victory.
"We were in the wrong formation," said Bryan Erwin, Marcus head coach. "We were trying to get our H-back moved out. It was loud, I guess we didn't hear it, and the center snapped the ball."
That drive was actually Marcus' second chance to win the game. A possession earlier, the Marauders drove 39 yards to reach the Arlington 37-yard line when, on fourth-and-two, Arlington's Jack Arispe and Peyton Curtis tackled Mark Demery for a loss of two yards.
Marcus had made use of a solid rushing attack in that drive, compiling 29 yards between Cade Erwin and Demery.
That drive was symbolic of Marcus' improved running game in the second half. In the first half, Marcus rushed 18 times for 56 yards. After halftime, the Marauders 185 yards on 31 attempts.
"We got our best personnel on the field in the second half," Bryan said. "We figured out who we are, and we executed better."
The improved running game played a big part in the Marauders' rally.
Arlington had jumped to its 20-0 lead thanks to an 85-yard punt return score from Dontha Robinson in the first quarter, plus a 66-yard touchdown run from Raymond Sheard and a short scoring run from Connor Huffman in the second quarter.
Trailing by three scores in the third quarter, Marcus got on the board on a 13-yard touchdown run from Cade Erwin. The team used a 10-play drive that included runs by Cade Erwin and Demery, as well as a pair of 14-yard passes to John Free and Logan Sepanek.
On its next drive that stretched into the fourth quarter, Demery sprinted 53 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-14.
Arlington was forced to punt on its next possession and coughed up a fumble in its next drive, giving Marcus its final chance.
Overall, Marcus' running game improved from last week's game when the team ran for 158 yards on 47 carries. Friday it finished 49-241. Demery led the way with 28 carries for 117 yards, and Cade gained 111 yards on 15 attempts.
Still, Bryan said there is a lot of work to be done.
"We have a long ways to go with our running game," he said. "I saw some good things, but we couldn't win the line of scrimmage. We've gotten beat there the last two weeks."
The coach praised Cade's performance, as he has completed his second week as starting quarterback following the injury to the team's original starter, Cole Erwin.
Cade finished 10-for-14 with 92 yards.
Defensively, the Marauders tightened up in the second half. Arlington compiled 143 rushing yards in the first half compared to 30 yards after the break.
"We only gave up two defensive touchdowns, and one of them was that explosive run," the coach said. "Overall our defense played well."
Marcus will look to get its first win of the season Friday when it hosts Denton Guyer (0-2).
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Sports Update «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
