Patriots get road win at Regents

The Marshall Academy Patriots handed Jake Hill his first victory as head coach Friday night.

Marshall traveled 30 miles south to Oxford and defeated Regents School 37-6. The Patriots had started the season 0-4, with two losses to much larger programs and two in close games where second-half leads slipped away.

“It was good to get that first win,” Hill said. “The boys played well. I am proud of their performance. They stepped up to the challenge and did what we expected them to do.”

Gage Todd scored three touchdowns for the Patriots, two rushing and one receiving. Brennan Smith ran for a score, and Brayden Thompson caught a touchdown pass. Zane Hill threw both scoring passes. Noah Olguin was 5-for5 on extra-point kicks, and the Patriots defense added a safety.

Defensively, Hill said his squad forced several turnovers and played well overall.

“They didn’t run the ball much on us,” he said, “But we still have to get better in the secondary. We gave up some big plays.”

Marshall will host North Delta School (3-2) on Friday for homecoming.

“North Delta has really good players,” Hill said. “We just have to focus on ourselves and get better at what we are doing. It will be a challenge. It will be a hard-fought game.”

The Patriots have yet to play a District 1-3A opponent, and they will not face one until the final three weeks of the regular season.

“All of these games are important for us to fine-tune what we are doing and get ready for district,” Hill said. “I believe we have gotten better every week, and we need to keep doing that.”

Following North Delta, Marshall faces St. Joseph and Greenville Christian before closing the regular season with district games against Washington School, West Memphis Christian and Rossville Christian.