MA knocks off Riverfield in semi-finals; state title game Thursday in Jackson
A 275-mile road trip Friday for the Marshall Academy football team proved to be well worth the ride.
The Patriots traveled all the way to Rayville, La., and left with a 22-12 playoff win over Riverfield Academy and a spot in the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 3A state championship game.
“I’m just so proud of our kids,” said head coach Ben Durham, whose team won its seventh straight game. “They handled a four hour and 21- minute bus ride, and they just played so physical.”
The MA defense showed its aggressiveness from the getgo, stopping the Raiders on a fourth and one on the home team’s first possession.
Riverfield managed to snatch some momentum with a pick-six early in the second quarter. A try-for-two failed.
About four minutes later, a snap sailed over the head of the Raiders’ punter and through the back of the end zone. The safety cut Marshall’s deficit to 6-2.
The Patriot offense put up go-ahead points on the ensuing possession. Quarterback Carson Orman threw to Devin Snow, who broke a couple of tackles and cashed in the 37- yard play. Noah Olguin added the extra point. It was 9-6.
MA tacked on another touchdown before halftime. Snow had two big grabs on the drive, including one in the end zone on third and goal from the 5. The extra-point try was blocked. It was 15-6 at intermission.
“We had some mistakes early which gave them an early lead,” Durham said. “But our defense was unreal. We just flew around and made big play after big play.”
Marshall rode the hard running for Eli Gurley to pad its lead in the third quarter. He reeled off carries of 25 and 12 yards before scoring on a 1- yard plunge. Olguin’s kick upped the advantage to 22-6.
“Going into the second half, we knew if we could get one more touchdown it would be hard for them to come back,” Durham said. “Riverfield was just so one dimensional.”
The MA defense gave up its only score of the night, on a fourth-and-nine play, with less than three minutes left in the game.
The Patriots then recovered an onside kick, got a first-down on a run by Gurley and was able to run out the clock for the 10-point semi-final victory.
Marshall (10-3) meets District 1-3A rival Kirk Academy (12-0) in the state title game Thursday at 7 p.m. on the campus of Jackson Academy. The Patriots lost to Kirk 17-14 in the regular season.
This MA team will be seeking the school’s first ever state crown in football. The Patriots have previously played in four state championship contests, the last coming in 2013.