2003 Weekly Recaps

By BOBBY J. HOWELL- Sports Editor

C.J. Byrd passed for one touchdown, ran for three more and directed the Marshall Mavericks to a come-from-behind 42-37 victory over Monroe Ouachita  at Maverick Stadium on Friday night.

The Mavericks, now 2-1 with a two-game winning streak, the first under coach Rodney Southern, trailed 31-21 after the visiting Lions scored two TDs, one at the 8:35 mark of the third quarter and the other only 10 seconds into the final quarter.

Marshall then scored two quick touchdowns. The Mavs went 66 yards in only four plays after falling behind 31-21. Byrd got the TD on a 24-yard run. B.J. Somerford kicked the PAT at the 10:38 mark to make it 31-28 Lions.

Ouachita's kickoff return man, LaGregory Sapp, messed up big time on the ensuing kickoff. Sapp muffed the kick, tried to pick it up but lost the ball to the aggressive Mavs at the Lions' 4. Running back Jackie Robinson, who had 134 yards on 28 carries, scored on the first play and Somerford kicked the Mavs ahead 35-31 at the 10:25 mark.

The next time the Mavericks got the ball they went 67 yards in seven plays. Byrd got the score on a 5-yard keeper with 5:55 left in the game. Somerford kicked his sixth PAT of the game for a 42-31 advantage.

Ouachita refused to go without a battle.

Quarterback Greg Manley, who had caused the Mavs trouble all night with option pitches and keepers went to the airways to get the Lions back into the game.

Manley's 25-yard pass to Sapp in the back of the end zone brought the Lions to only five back, 42-37, with 3:03 still to play.

However, Marshall's Shari Stephens broke through without being blocked to tackle Rodrick Abron for a loss to prevent the two-point conversion.

Ouachita tried an onsides kick, but it failed to go the required 10 yards and the Mavs took over at the Lions' 41 and ran out the clock.

Marshall started the scoring with a touchdown on its second possession. Robinson got the score on a 7-yard run at the 5:27 mark of the first quarter.

Ouachita answered with a 7-play 80-yard drive climaxed by a 36-yard run by Abron on the option pitch at the 2:40 mark of the opening quarter. Bounds tied it at 7.

Marshall came right back, driving 57 yards in 11 plays to regain the lead. Byrd scored the TD on a 3-yard keeper. Somerford kicked it to 14-7 at the 10:28 mark of the second quarter.

Again the Lions were unstoppable, going 81 yards in only five plays. Fullback William Dombrowski scored the TD on a 31-yard run. Bounds tied it at 14 at the 8:41 mark.

At the 2:37 mark, Byrd passed 37 yards to Junior Osborne for the go-ahead score and Somerford made it 21-14.

Ouachita had just enough time to get within field goal range and Bounds kicked at 36-yarder that left the Mavs up by four, 21-17, at halftime.

Byrd completed 11 of 20 passing attempts for 162 yards and added 140 yards on the ground as Marshall rolled up 436 yards in total offense.

Ouachita ran for 295 yards and Manley passed for 62 and a total output of 357 yards, but the Lions made only 152 in the second half.

"In the second half we made some adjustments, but they were mostly mental adjustments and not physical adjustments," said Marshall defensive coordinator Thed Harris. "We were kind of lackadaisical in the first half.

 "I didn't even fuss at the players at halftime. They seemed to think that Ouachita was going to lay down for them, but Ouachita Parish is a good football team. They aren't going to lay down for anyone.

"I told our kids that the good lord put them in this situation to test them, to build character and that's what we've been teaching them."

The Marshall Mavericks did something no other team has been able to to do this season despite losing 39-3 Friday night to the Lufkin Panthers at Maverick Stadium.

When Jared Nenninger kicked a 44-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter, the Mavs (2-2) became the first team to lead the state's No. 1 ranked Class 5A team.

The lead evaporated quickly, however, as the Panthers, now 4-0, and heading into their brutal District 11-5A schedule, stormed back to take a 7-3 lead and went on to a victory.

Lufkin stretched the lead to 23-3 at halftime and in the second half added a pair of touchdowns and a safety while shutting down the Mavs.

Marshall held the ball for eight plays on its first possession of the game but was forced to punt and Nenninger booted a 35-yarder to the Lufkin 22.

The Panthers, behind the running of 240-pound Jorvorskie Lane, reached the Mavericks 41 in six plays, including 18- and 19-yard runs by Lane. On the seventh play Lufkin quarterback Ashford Ayers went for the home run pass, but Eric Clough intercepted at the five.

The Mavs then put together what would be their second best drive of the game. They reached the Lufkin 27 in nine plays, but faced 4th-and-10 after an incomplete pass by quarterback C.J. Byrd. No problem, Nennigner booted it through from 44 yards out at the 11:49 mark of the second quarter.

The big play in the drive was a 38-yard pass to Maurice Brightmon on third down from the Mavs' 4.

Following the field goal, the remainder of the game belonged to the Panthers.

Running and passing and breaking tackles, they were almost unstoppable.

The first time the Panthers got the ball after their first score, they covered 28 yards in two quick strikes for the touchdown after recovery of a fumble at the Mavs' 28. Michael Henry ran for 13 yards and E.J. Shankle took it 15 yards for the TD at the 7:44 mark. The 2-point conversion attempt was botched, but Lufkin led 13-3.

A 13-yard punt set the Panthers up at the Mavs' 40. Five plays later the Panthers had six more points

The touchdown came on a 27-yard pass from Ashford Ayers to Roy Gardner at the 2:52 mark. Michael White's PAT made it 20-3.

Just before the half, Marshall failed on a fourth-and-8 pass from its 43.

White kicked a 27-yard field goal for a 23-3 lead with three seconds left before intermission.

Lufkin salted the game away on its first possession of the third quarter, using 15 plays and more than six minutes in covering 78 yards for a touchdown. Lane scored standing up from two yards out at the 5:46 mark, White made it 30-3.

Marshall's best drive of the night took the Mavs from their 16 to the Lufkin 17, but the 12-play journey ended on a fumble at the Panthers' 18.

Lufkin added a safety and a touchdown on a 34-yard run by Tremain Perkins in the fourth quarter.

Lufkin piled up 416 yards in offense, 304 by rushing. Marshall totalled 218 yards.

C.J. Byrd was 4-for-15 passing for 67 yards and the Mavs quarterback rushed 11 times for 44 yards. Jackie Robinson, Marshall's leading rusher for the season, gained 42 yards on 12 carries, before leaving with an injury in the third quarter. Jia Lewis led the Mavs in rushing with 61 yards on seven carries.

The Atlanta Rabbits tried everything they could to defeat the Marshall Mavericks on Friday night.

During an open date last week, they got Dequan Wilson ready to take over completely at quarterback.

They tried to beat the Mavs with the passing game.

They tried to beat the Mavs with the running game.

They could not get the scoreboard and clock to work. The scoreboard never showed any signs of working, not in pregame or during the game.

With no scoreboard clock it would tend to play havoc with a young quarterback directing a no-huddle offense as the Mavs use.

None of the ploys worked well enough as Marshall defeated Atlanta 14-12 and now the Mavs head into District 13-4A on a winning note and a 3-2 record. it was the fourth straight close loss for the Class 3A Rabbs, who fell to 1-4.

"I've never had that (no scoreboard) happen in a game," Marshall coach Rodney Southern said.

"I thought it would really bother C.J. (Byrd, a junior), but he handled it very well.

"The thing I was disappointed in was that we should have scored two or three touchdowns in the first half. We had three good drives, but we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties. Of course, you can question a couple of the calls, but some of them were silly penalties that hurt us."

"Our offensive line dominated throughout the game and our defense played well, especially our front four, except for their first possession in the third quarter when they scored in three plays."

Running back Jackie Robinson ran for 147 yards on 24 carries and scored the Mavs' two touchdowns.

After the Rabbs scored the game's first touchdown on a 46-yard run to cap a 61-yard drive to start the second half, Marshall put together an 11-play, 67-yard drive.

Robinson scored the TD on a 13-yard blast up the middle and B.J. Somerford kicked the PAT.

Byrd started the drive with an incomplete pass. It would be his only incompletion during the second half.

On the drive Byrd hit Mario Walker, who caught six for 89 yards in the game, for 10 yards on third-and-8 from the Marshall 35 for a first down. On third-and-12 from the Rabbs' 42, Byrd hooked up with Junior Osborne on a pass for another first down at the 33.

Robinson then got the call on every play and rushed for four, five and 11 yards, followed by his 13-yard TD blast.

Atlanta threatened to retake the lead on its next possession, reaching the Mavs' 15 with a first down on Fred Washington's 36 yard-run, but the Rabbs shot themselves in the foot, so to speak.

First they got a holding penalty then Wilson made a bad pitch on the option and threw two straight incompletions and the Mavs held a fourth-and-26 play to one yard and took over at their 30.

Byrd, Robinson and Walker handled every play in the nine-play drive that covered 70 yards.

Byrd passed to Walker for a 6-yard gain to get a first down, ran for 12 on a keeper to get another and Robinson finished the drive with a 39-yard run, in which broke tackles and put a spin mover or two on the Rabb defenders. Somerford kicked it to 14-6.

Atlanta cut it two, 14-12, midway of the fourth quarter.

The big plays in the 69-yard drive were a 46-yard pass to wide receiver Calvin Graham for a first down at the Mavs' 10.

Wilson scored the TD on a sprint around the right side. And the Rabbs got a break when the Mavs were hit with a deadball personal foul penalty, which moved the ball half the distance to the goal line for the two-point conversion attempt.

At this point, the Rabbs made a critical mistake. Instead of trying to go outside, where they had had some success, they opted to run into the teeth of the Mavs' defense — up the middle. They play never had a chance as the Marshall defenders buried the ball carrier.

Marshall then moved from its 37 to a fourth-and-9 at the Atlanta 40.

"At first I was tempted to run a play and run some time off," Southern said.

"But I am glad we didn't, because Jared (Nenninger) made a great punt (it was killed at the Atlanta 9).

"I thought Jared did a great job of punting during the game."

Some other thoughts by Southern:

"They made some yardage in the second half, but most of it was in about three plays. Other than that I thought our defense played very well.

"I thought our offensive line played as consistent as it has all year.

"It was good to get Mario Walker back into the flow of things.

"It was a tough ball game, but I think the good thing about it is that our kids were able to come back and win, to rally and showed their character and how much they are learning to win."

And next?

It's district time. Every game counts more from now on, but none is more important than the other, but the Mavs want to get the 13-4A campaign underway on a positive note.

They will have to beat Hallsville there next Friday to do it.

Last Friday night Hallsville, 4-1, lost its first game, to Terrell, which has a good team.

"But they (Hallsville) didn't play their big running back (Roddrick Muckelroy). I am sure that had an effect on how they played.," Southern said.

HALLSVILLE — Sensational junior tailback Roddrick Muckelroy turned three routine plays into long-range touchdowns here Friday night and the quick-striking Hallsville Bobcats demolished the Marshall Mavericks 40-9.

It was the District 13-4A opener for both schools.

The victory raises the Bobcats' record to 5-1 overall, but more importantly, 1-0 in the district and perhaps puts them into the driver's seat for a possible playoff berth.

Marshall falls to 3-3 and 0-1.

Hallsville gained 312 yards and most of it came on four monster touchdown plays.

Muckelroy scored on runs of 53 and 83 yards and took a screen pass from quarterback Austin Davidson 64 yards for another.

Davidson also hooked up with wide receiver Chad Maxey on a 28-yard touchdown throw and scored on a four-yard run. With substitutes in the game, C.C. Lomax scored from a yard-out late in the fourth quarter for the final touchdown.

Hallsville scored the first two times it had possession in the game and nursed a 13-9 lead as the third quarter began. Muckelroy then broke it open early in the third quarter.

"We have to account for Muckelroy on every play he is in the game," Marshall coach Rodney Southern said. "When it is third-and-one, everyone in the stadium knows they are going to give the ball to Muckelroy. Everyone knows that we are going to give it to Jackie Robinson."

Hallsville elected to receive after Marshall won the coin toss and deferred until the second half.

Starting from from their 39, the Bobcats gave the ball to the 6-3, 215-pound Muckelroy on the first three plays and reached fourth-and-two at their 47. Muckelroy broke clean and outran the Mavs' defenders on a 53-yard jaunt. Jeremy Jenkins kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead at the 9:40 mark.

Victimized by three turnovers during the game, the Mavs wasted little time in giving the Bobcats a big break. On third-and-four from their 27, quarterback C.J. Byrd hit tight end Mario Walker with a short pass and Walker, fighting for more yardage, lost the ball and Hallsville recovered at the Mavs' 28.

On the first play Davidson hit Maxey in stride for an easy TD. The PAT was blocked, but at the 8:15 mark the Bobcats were up 13-0.

Marshall came back with an impressive 17-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard field goal by B.J. Somerford at the 1:04 mark in the first quarter.

Marshall then forced Hallsville to punt and drove 68 yards in 10 plays for what would be its only touchdown.

Robinson got the TD with a beautiful catch on a 16-yard toss from Byrd. Somerford missed the PAT and with 5:49 left in the first half, the Mavs trailed by 13-9. They would not get any closer.

The Mavs couldn't sustain a drive to open the second half, and Hallsville took over at its 46 following a punt by Jared Nenninger. After a 15-yard penalty moved the ball back to the Bobcats' 36, Davidson lofted a screen pass into the left flat and Muckelroy did the rest. Jenkins kicked it to 20-9 at the 8:53 mark of the third quarter.

Late in the third quarter Marshall drove from its 24 to a first down at the Hallsville 16. On fourth-and-two from the 8, Byrd's pass was dropped by Walker who appeared to have clear sailing into the end zone.

From then on, things fell apart for the Mavericks.

Muckelroy, on third-and-one from Bobcats' 17, broke free again and this time covered 83 yards, outrunning the Mavs' defenders. Jenkins kicked it to 27-9 at the 11:04 mark of the final quarter.

Hallsville then began running in substitutes and scored twice more.

At one time Hallsville had scored four touchdowns, but made only three first downs. The Bobcats ended with only six first downs while Marshall had 12.

Muckelroy gained 171 yards rushing on 13 carries and had 64 yards on the one reception.,

Robinson led Marshall with 125 yards on 20 carries. Byrd gained 98 yards on 15-for-23 passing and added 58 yards rushing.

Next Friday night, the Mavericks play host to Pine Tree at 7:30 p.m. and Hallsville takes on defending state champion Texas High.

Sports Editor

After facing six rugged teams, the Marshall Mavericks needed a breather.

They got it Friday night at Maverick Stadium.

Marshall smashed the Longview Pine Tree Pirates, 43-2. The victory raises the Mavs to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in District 13-4A. Pine Tree, which has been outscored 105-9 in its last two games, falls 2-5 and 0-2. Next week Marshall takes on Texas High and Pine Tree takes on Mount Pleasant.

Friday night the Mavs were never threatened and rebounded nicely from last week's 40-9 downer at Hallsville. Last week Pine Tree fell to Kilgore 63-7.

Jackie Robinson rushed for 151 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback C.J. Byrd was 11-of-14 passing for 149 yards. Overall, the Mavs rushed for 279 yards and a total offensive output of 428 yards.

On defense, the Mavs were just as dominating. They held Pine Tree to 116 total yards, including only 37 on 35 rushing attempts. Pine Tree managed only 40 total yards, six rushing, in the first half.

With the game firmly in hand, Marshall went to its backups at several positions in the fourth quarter.

The only highlight for Pine Tree was the punting of Toby Moon, who averaged 50.6 yards on eight punts, including one for only 16 yards and on that he made a great play to keep a high snap from going into the end zone. He had punts of 72, 53, and 52 yards.

Marshall showed it was ready to control the game defensively right at the start. Pine Tree recovered an onside kick to open the game and a 15-yard penalty on the kick set the Pirates up at the Mavericks' 30.

Two running plays netted a loss of three yards and quarterback Grayson Ford misfired on a third-down pass. On fourth down, Yarkendus Bradley sacked Ford at the 36.

The Mavs then gave the Pirates a heavy dose of Robinson, with Byrd chipping in with some nifty keepers and ball handling.

Marshall used up 5:27 of the clock, keeping the ball for 14 plays to cover the 66 yards.

Byrd threw just one pass on the drive and Robinson got the six-pointer on a one-yard run and scored the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead at the 5:00 mark of the opening quarter.

Moon's 52-yard punt nailed the Mavs at their three. Byrd fumbled into the end zone. The Mavs recovered but Pine Tree had a safety. It would be the Pirates' only points.

Early in the second quarter the Pirates got close enough for Moon to try for a 47-yard field goal. It fell about five yards short. They would not get any closer.

Midway of the second quarter, Marshall took over at the Pine Tree 42. Byrd and Robinson covered the distance in four plays — one- and five-yard runs by Robinson, an eight-yard pass to Nick Lewis and Byrd's 28-yard run for the touchdown. The PAT failed, but the Mavs led 14-2 at the 5:13 mark.

With 1:50 left in the first half, the Mavs took over at their 39. They covered the distance in 49 seconds.

The big play was a 50-yard pass-and-run from Byrd to Mario Walker for a first down at the Pine Tree 11. Byrd passed 10 yards to Nick Lewis for another first down and Robinson ran untouched for his second touchdown. B.J. Somerford kicked it to 21-2.

Moon's 43-yard punt forced the Mavs to start at their 12 on their first possession of the second half.

No problem. Robinson ran 15 yards and Maurice Brightmon ran for another 15. Byrd's pass to Nick Lewis lost a yard and a procedure penalty left the Mavs facing second-and-16 at their 36.

Robinson got the call, broke several tackles and outran the Pirates defenders for a 64-yard TD. Byrd scored the two-point conversion and Marshall led 29-2 at the 7:16 mark of the third quarter.

Robinson capped a four-play, 36-yard drive with a three-yard run at the 0:51 mark and Somerford's kick made it 36-2.

Backup quarterback Jared Hood directed a four-play, 42-yard drive for the final score. Hood got the TD on a seven-yard run and Somerford kicked the final point, 43-2, with 10:12 left in the game.

News Messenger Sports Editor

TEXARKANA — The Marshall Mavericks dug themselves a first quarter hole that they couldn't get out of despite a gallant effort here at Grim Stadium Friday night.

The Mavericks fell behind 14-0 and then 21-6 in the first quarter and tried to battle their way to a district 13-4A victory against the Texas High Tigers but couldn't pull out the victory.

Korey Sutton, Texas High's All-State running back, scored three first quarter touchdowns and made a key fourth quarter run as the Tigers held on to a 24-15 victory.

The Mavericks, by losing, fell to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in District 13-4A. Texas High won its eight straight game this season and 17 straight over two years and the defending class 4-A division one state champions clinched another playoff berth with the victory. Texas High is now 3-0 in district play and will face Kilgore at Grim stadium next Friday night as first place in the district. Both teams are 8-0 and 3-0 this season.

Sutton gained 151 yards all in the first quarter and Texas High gained 256 yards overall, all but 85 of the yards in the first quarter.

Sutton capped a 52-yard 8-play drive with a 12-yard touchdown run at the 8:55 mark of the first quarter.

Drew Benvow kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead.

The next time Texas High got the ball they grossed 62 yards on 7 plays with Sutton getting the touchdown on a 7-yard screen pass from quarterback Chris Marshall.

The Mavericks came to life on offense. The Mavericks drove 54 yards for their first touchdown in 6 plays.

Quarterback C.J. Byrd got the score on a 31-yard run.

The Mavs botched the two-point conversion attempt and trailed 14-6 with only 18 seconds left in the first quarter.

Texas High came right back. From the Texas High 29 Sutton took a hand off from their quarterback Marshall, hit a wall, sprung out of a tackle, broke into the clear and raced 71 yards for a touchdown and Benvow kicked the extra point and with no time left in the first quarter Texas High led 21-6.

The Tigers would not score again until late in the fourth quarter. They would not make a first down again until the fourth quarter.

Trailing 21-6 the Mavericks put together an 8 play 54-yard drive with Jackie Robinson capping it with a 4-yard run at the 4:35 mark in the second quarter. The big play in the drive was a 37-yard pass from Byrd to Jared Hood for a first down at the Texas High 12. Robinson got the score in two plays but again the Mavericks botched the two point conversion attempt and trailed 21-12.

Starting at their 42 the Mavs squandered a golden opportunity to get even closer with time running out in the first half. They had a first down at the Texas High 13. Byrd misfired on a pass, Jackie Robinson lost two yards on a run and then Byrd connected with Nick Lewis on a pass, but Lewis fumbled and Texas High recovered at their eight with 1:30 seconds left in the first half.

Midway of the third quarter, the Mavericks started from their 15 and drove all the way to the Texas High 11 but had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by B.J. Somerford.

The field goal left the Mavs trailing 21-15 with only 23 seconds in the third quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter Sutton, who missed the second and third quarters due to a rib injury in the first quarter, led the Tigers on a key possession that started at the Maverick 40 when Robinson fumbled.

The Tigers reached the fourth and one at the Marshall 21 and Sutton fought his way to a first down on the fourth down. But, the Tigers settled for a field goal by Benvow with 1:49 left in the game and a 24-15 lead.

The Mavericks had two more possessions but they couldn't do anything.

Byrd passed for 140 yards and ran for 58 for a total offense of 198 yards. Jackie Robinson ran for 119 yards with only 30 in the second half. Robinson went over the 1,000 yard mark in rushing for the year and Byrd went over the 1,000 yard mark in passing. Marshall ended up with 323 yard total offense. Texas High ended up with 256 yards, 171 of them in the first quarter.

News Messenger Sports Editor

On a night when members of the 1943 Marshall Mavericks district championship team were honored, the current Mavs didn't let them down.

Jackie Robinson rushed for 245 yards and scored two touchdowns on 30 carries and quarterback C.J. Byrd engineered a 19-7 victory over the Mount Pleasant Tigers on Friday night at Maverick Stadium.

If not for one dynamite strike, a halfback pass that covered 81 yards, coach Thed Harris' defenders would've pitched a shutout.

As it was, the Mavs needed a defensive gem from Kevin Flanagan, who was not even listed on the Marshall roster, to save the game.

The victory moves the Mavs to 5-4 overall, but more important, 2-2 in District 13-4A and gives them a shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Last year the Mavs finished 1-9 in head coach Rodney Southern's first season at the helm of the program.

The loss leaves Mount Pleasant 2-7 overall, 1-3 in district play and snaps their 10-year streak of making the postseason.

In other 13-4A action Friday night Hallsville defeated Pine Tree 34-10 and Texas High defeated Kilgore to claim the 13-4A championship for the second straight year and the No. 1 seed from the district in the postseason.

Marshall closes out the regular season next Friday night at Kilgore, now 8-1, 3-1.

The only thing officially cleared up as for the postseason after Friday night's action, is that Texas High, 9-0, 4-0, is the champion and has only to beat Pine Tree next week for a perfect regular season.

Hallsville, 6-3, 2-2, closes against Mount Pleasant.

If Marshall and Hallsville win next week, there will be a three-way tie for second place. Two would gain postseason berths. Coach Southern was not sure on Friday night how the tiebreaker would be determined.

Although Marshall beat Mount Pleasant, offensive coordinator David Brewer found some things to be displeased about.

"We should've had at least two more touchdowns. We should have handled that bunch a lot better," he said. "We let them throw a pass over us for a touchdown and we threw some interceptions and had some fumbles."

Marshall also had to score twice to get its second touchdown to count.

With the game tied at 7, and two plays after the Tigers had caught the Mav defenders slow to react on the halfback pass for a TD, Byrd and Nick Lewis hooked up on a 61-yard pass-and-run for an apparent score as the second quarter wound down.

The Mavs used what they call the "hide-out."

"We had used it twice before in games and the officials had allowed it," Brewer said. "This time they said we were deceiving the defense."

The play was called back and the Mavs penalized back to their 24 with less than two minutes were left in the first half.

No problem.

Byrd gained six on a keeper and then hit three straight passes — 17 yards to Mario Walker, 18 yards to Ronnie Edwards and 19 yards to Nick Lewis — and reached the MP 14 with a first down.

A 5-yard procedure penalty left the Mavs at the 19. Byrd threw an incompletion and then hooked up with Walker for the TD. The PAT was botched, but the Mavs were ahead 13-7 and would never be caught.

Marshall reached the MP 19 on the game's opening drive, but failed to score when B.J. Somerford barely missed on a 37-yard field goal attempt.

The second time the Mavs had the ball, they turned it over, but the third time was the charm. They took it 76 yards in 10 plays, eight of them rushes by Robinson, to initiate the scoring. Robinson powered across on a three-yard run and Somerford made it 7-0 with 3:28 left the first half.

The Tigers took just one minute to tie it at 7.

Halfback Courtney Walker took a pitch and running to his right launched a pass to MP's Nick Lewis 15 yards behind the Mavs' defenders and it was an easy touchdown at the 2:28 mark.

Neither team managed much offense in the second half. Midway through the final quarter, the Tigers appeared to have something going.

Facing third-and-21 from their own 30, quarterback Trevor Walker nailed Justin Peters, who wasn't even listed on the MP roster, for a 28-yard gain and a first down at the Mavs' 42.

A pass gained four, and Walker misfired twice. On fourth-and-six, as Walker tried to set up a screen, Flanagan made the play of the game and sacked the MP quarterback for a nine-yard loss.

The Mavs took over at the MP 47 and Robinson covered the distance in three carries, the score coming on a 29-yarder with 55 seconds left in the game. The PAT failed but the Mavs had won and now have their eyes and hearts set on greater things — a winning season and the postseason.