Marshall dominates jamboree matchup

Marshall Academy’s uptempo offense took a big step forward in a preseason game Friday night.

The Patriots scored 34 points in a 40-minute jamboree matchup with West Memphis Christian School. The defense had a rock-solid night, too, holding the Knights scoreless.

“I thought we played a lot faster,” said new head coach Chris Bunio. “It was a big jump from the prior week (a scrimmage at First Assembly Christian School). Our tempo and speed were fun to see.”

Quarterback Conner Floyd ran for three touchdowns and passed for another. He cashed in a 75-yard, 11-play drive to start the practice game in front of a large home crowd. The biggest gain in the successful possession was a 21-yard carry by Tyler Wright.

Floyd scored on an 18-yard keeper to up the lead to 12-0 and conclude the first 20 minutes.

West Memphis fumbled the ball away to the Patriots to start the second half. Then on first and 10, Floyd connected with K.J. Luse for a 15-yard touchdown. He threw to Devin Snow for the two-point conversion.

The MA defense continued its dominance, and the offense was in possession again, this time at midfield. On the fourth play, Floyd performed the scoring honors via a 39-yard dash to the end zone. It was 260.

Another Knight turnover led to a 24-yard touchdown run by MA’s Savion McGhee. Ashton Franklin added the twopoint conversion to wrap up the big night for the Patriots.

“We have worked really hard in the preseason, especially in the summer and then two-a-days,” Coach Bunio said. “Our preparation has been very good, and the scrimmages were very helpful.”

Marshall will kick off the regular season Friday night, Aug. 29, at home against Regents School.

“We will work on installing more new stuff on offense,” he said about the practice sessions leading up to the opener. “And we will continue to emphasize the little things – blocking, tackling and creating turnovers.”