2006 Weekly Recaps
Each recap is taken from the Marshall News Messenger Saturday paper.
Shreveport Huntington Vs Marshall
Mavs romp to a 51-13 win over
Shreveport to open the season
By NANCY NILES, Sports Editor, Marshall News Messenger
Saturday, September 02, 2006
If Marshall football head coach Rodney Southern was concerned about how a group of young and inexperienced players would fare against Shreveport-Huntington, he needn't have been.
The only evidence of inexperience the Mavericks showed in their 51-13 trouncing of the Raiders was in the form of 11 penalties for a whopping 96 yards.
"They didn't play young and that was the big thing," Southern said. "I thought our offense line did a good job and we set up some things defensively. Our skill people are talented."
As predicted, Southern started Derrick Sneed as signal caller but frequently rotated in Darius Jones and even Chance Neel took some snaps in the fourth quarter. Neither Sneed, nor Jones had any success in the passing game but didn't really need to. Running backs Andrew Clough and K. D. Johnson had things well under control.
Clough handles the bulk of the running duties, carrying 12 times for 119 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson held his own with six carries for 67 yards and three offensive scores while tacking on a fourth touchdown off an 89-yard kick return in the second quarter.
"Keeping them fresh helps," Southern said of the team's ability to share the offensive load. "Keep both of them fresh like that in a game and you're always going to have a chance to make plays."
The Mavs dominated the game from the onset, taking a swift 13-0 lead off a pair of touchdowns by Clough before the Raiders were able to put points on the board.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, those points were negated when Johnson ran the kick off back for a score with 7:11 remaining in the first half.
Johnson followed that score up with another just four minutes later, breaking two tackle attempts along the way. Sneed ran in for a two-point conversion bringing the Mavs lead to 27-7.
Moments later, a bad snap over the head of Huntington quarterback Rashad Douglas was recovered by Marshall at the Raider's 12-yard line. The one second remaining in the half was more than enough for Marshall kicker Rigo Casas who sent a 32-yard field goal through the uprights for a 30-7 Marshall advantage at halftime.
After the Raiders threw another six up on their side of the scoreboard, Marshall took just two plays to score again this time a 56-yard scamper by Clough with 3:09 left in the third quarter.
Things began going downhill for Huntington as they fumbled and lost the ball on the first play of their next possession. Marshall defensive back A. J. Wilson scooped up the loose ball at the Huntington 33-yard line and it took the Mavs just six plays to bury the Raiders in a 44-13 hole off a 3-yard dash by Johnson.
"I was nervous because I'm little compared to them so I just came out and kept my mind on the game," Johnson said. "I knew I could do it so I just kept on giving it all I got."
Even though the Mavericks tossed in nearly all their backups, the Mavs still put another seven points of padding on their lead off Johnson's final score of the night a 24-yard rushing touchdown with 3:10 left in the game.
The game represents the first time the Mavs have begun the season with a win since 2001. Since then, the Mavs have played bitter rival Longview to begin the season and loss the last three years in a row. The Mavs haven't beaten Longview since 2000 and are hoping to use the momentum from this game to get them over that hump at Lobo Stadium 7:30 P.M. next Friday.
Marshall Vs. Longview
The Mavericks' comeback falls short, 38-35By NANCY NILES, Sports Editor, Marshall News Messenger
Saturday, September 09, 2006
The Marshall High School football team climbed out of what appeared to be an insurmountable 17-point deficit but just couldn't quite make up for costly first half mistakes in its 38-35 loss to rival Longview at Lobo Stadium Friday.
Down 31-14, the Mavs (1-1 overall) fought an uphill battle against a highly aggressive Lobo squad scoring three more times to close the gap.
With just 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Mavs running back Andrew Clough capped a seven-play, 71-yard drive with a 2-yard dash into the end zone. With 4:32 to go in the game Derrick Sneed snuck in with a 2-yard score as well, bringing the score to 38-28.
With less than four minutes left in the game the Mavs decided on an onside kick and recovered the ball at the Longview 48-yard line. Eight plays and one fourth-down conversion later the Mavs closed the gap to just a field goal off a 3-yard run by Clough.
Unfortunately for Marshall their second attempt at the onside kick was unsuccessful and Longview (1-1) ran the clock out for the win.
The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Marshall squad that racked up 13 penalties for more than 80-yards, gave up four fumbles and missed two field goal attempts.
In the first half we get inside the 30-yard line six times and get no points. If we'd made just one or two field goals or if we were fortunate enough to score there, we probably would have won the ball game, Southern admitted. But we didn't, so we go back and look at what we did right because we did a lot of things right. We look at the mistakes we made and we'll correct them.
The mistakes were plenty but there was evidence of improvement in the Mavericks offense over the past week as well. The non-existent passing game against Huntington was corrected as Sneed completed all of his first five passes for 99 yards. He ended the game 6-of-13 for 124 yards after suffering a passing drought that included six incompletions in the fourth quarter.
The Marshall running game was strengthened as well. They ran the ball 42 times for 398 yards, bringing the Mavericks total offensive to more than 500 yards.
Sneed hustled the ball 18 times for 111 of those yards while Clough provided the bulk of the yardage 148 on 14 carries. Jones added another 103 yards on just three carries.
The Lobos, meanwhile, were held to just 53 yards through the air evidence that Longview still has a ways to go on their passing game. They did manage 351 on the ground for a 404 yard offensive and accumulated plenty of their own miscues with nine penalties for 96 yards, including five unsportsmanlike penalties which resulted in one player's ejection from the game.
Nonetheless, Southern said that despite the loss he feels that his team is in good shape.
These games are getting us prepared for district and I think we took a huge step tonight, Southern said. I think we played well and I think we are in the position we need to be in with one more pre-district game to go.
Shreveport Byrd Vs. Marshall
Mavericks total Byrd, 47-3|By NANCY NILES, Sports Editor, Marshall News Messenger
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Despite what appeared to be an improved Shreveport-C.E. Byrd football team from what Marshall faced one year ago, another staggering offensive display by the Mavericks combined with a superior defensive effort kept the Yellow Jackets well at bay in the Mavs 47-3 pre-district finale win Friday night at Maverick Field.
Marshall starting quarterback Derrick Sneed threw touchdown passes to four different receivers his first passing touchdowns since taking the helm of the Mavericks varsity offense this season. He was 7-of-10 for 192 yards and four scores.
Junior starting running back Andrew Clough was the workhorse of Marshall's ground assault, carrying the ball 12 times for 93 yards and one touchdown a 3-yarder in his last carry of the night in the fourth quarter. K. D. Johnson toted the ball for the bulk of the rushing yardage with 10 carries for 138 yards all in the second half and a pair of third quarter scores. The pair combined for 90-percent of the ground yardage although seven different players ran the ball during the game.
After a disappointing 38-35 loss to Longview just one week ago, Johnson said he was pumped and ready to make up some ground.
"Last week I didn't do that good," Johnson said. "But this week I got all my mistakes (fixed) and came out to play hard. I'm not the type that likes to lose so I just come out and give it all I got."
Johnson scored on a 41-yard carry with 7:08 remaining in the third quarter to lift the Mavs 21-3 halftime advantage to 27-3 after a failed two-point conversion. His second touchdown was a single-play drive by the Mavs beginning at their own 36-yard line after the Yellow Jackets failed to convert on a fourth-and-two and turned the ball over on downs. With just 10 seconds remaining, Johnson's score gave Marshall a significant 40-3 cushion with which to begin the fourth quarter.
Byrd did not manage any second half points and had their longest drive of the night a 13-play march that ate nearly seven minutes from the clock spanning the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second cut short. Stopped at the Marshall 30-yard line on a fourth-and-nine, the Yellow Jackets were forced to trot out their Division I-college prospect kicker, senior David Hankins, for a 47-yard field goal.
Down 21-3 at the end of the first half, and in a similar situation, Hankins was brought out at the Mavs 26-yard line for 43-yard field goal but failed to get this one through the uprights.
Byrd ended the night with just 156 total yards including 86 net-rushing yards on 38 carries, 10 of which resulted in negative yardage. The Yellow Jackets had 77 of those rushing yards in the first half but weren't able to get anything going on the pass either.
Byrd quarterback Chris Eldredge finished the night 7-of-16 for just 70 yards. Six of his seven completions were in the first half as the Marshall secondary applied maximum pressure in the second half forcing hurried throws and and even more hurried reception attempts resulting in a string of incompletions in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, in the face of some stiff defensive pressure from Byrd, the Mavs found more success in the passing game than they had enjoyed in either of their previous two games this season. With a trio of capable Yellow Jacket linebackers, the Marshall running game was hampered in the first half and the Mavs managed just 25 rushing yards in the first quarter the longest of which was just 10 yards.
"What they were doing defensively with their down three linemen is they were trying to take away our inside run," head Mavs coach Rodney Southern said. "And they did a pretty good job of that early but when you do that you're going to give up something and I think they gave up some pass rush and if you don't pass rush we're going to have a chance to throw the ball."
And throw they did.
A pair of successful first-quarter passes to receiver Dameon Smith resulted in the Mavs first score of the night at 3:30 in the first frame. Two Mavericks possessions later, Sneed threw a pass to Jones who broke through for a 80-yard score with 4:33 showing on the clock in the second quarter.
Up 14-3, Jeramiah Fisher was Sneed's next target as the Mavs took their final possession of the half five plays and 68 yards, ending with a 12-yard dash by Fisher with a little less than two minutes remaining in the half.
Sneed connected with Kendric Willingham at 4:25 in the third quarter for his fourth and final touchdown a 20-yard pass capping a two-play drive after Brandon Sanders recovered the Yellow Jackets second fumble of the night at the Byrd 25-yard line.
Sneed then took a breather as both Jones and Chance Neel were brought out to take some snaps in the fourth quarter each taking the role of signal-caller for one series.
The win gave Marshall a winning record once again at 2-1 overall and dropped the previously undefeated Yellow Jackets to 2-1 as well. The Mavericks have a bye week before kicking off District 12-4A play 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Tomato Bowl against Jacksonville. who entered its Friday night contest as the only remaining undefeated team in the district.
Marshall Vs. Jacksonville
Mavericks
fall in Tomato Bowl Barnburner JACKSONVILLE - Jacksonville's Carmon Boyd-Anderson assured defending district champ Marshall of a scrap on the game's opening drive, running all over the Mavericks for 79 yards and a score. The senior running back then took many more steps toward dethroning them.Boyd-Anderson ran 33 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns, leading Jacksonville to a resounding 35-28 upset victory in the District 12-4A opener on Friday night at The Tomato Bowl.
Boyd-Anderson scored on runs of 28, 6 and 45 yards, the latter putting the Indians ahead for good with 9:20 remaining in the game.
The victory moves Jacksonville (4-0, 1-0), which fell 24-13 to Marshall (2-2, 0-1) last season, into a front seat on the road to the district title.
It also sets up an interesting game next week with Whitehouse, which upset 2004 league champ Kilgore on this wild district-opening night.
Boyd-Anderson heavily out-rushed Marshall by himself in the victory, in which the Indians defense held a renowned running game to 187 yards on 35 carries.
Marshall senior quarterback Derrick Sneed, who ran for 62 yards and three touchdowns and completed seven of 10 passes for 140 yards with an interception, tied the game at 28-28 from 1-yard out.
Boyd-Anderson, who finished the first half with 134 yards on 14 carries, almost single-handedly put the Indians ahead 7-0 on their first drive. He carried the ball four times for 79 yards on the drive, recording runs of 45 and 28 yards (touchdown) after Jacksonville recovered a fumble by Marshall's Dameon Smith at the Indian 21.
It took Marshall only one drive to respond, though, thanks to an eight-play series started at the Jacksonville 46. The Mavericks never attempted a pass on the drive, capped by a Sneed 10-yard touchdown run - on which he left his feet and flipped over the defense and goal line - with 3:39 remaining in the opening quarter.
Jacksonville made it 14-7 on its second drive, which spanned 11 plays and 71 yards and was capped by a Jazz Scott quarterback keeper with 10:48 showing in the half.
But a 1-yard run by Sneed and a 42-yard sprint right up the Jacksonville defense by sophomore running back K.D. Johnson - the latter coming after Jacksonville went for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 37, only to have Boyd-Anderson gain the needed yardage but fumble the ball thanks to a Marshall defender's hit - gave the Mavericks their only lead, 21-14, with 4:36 remaining.
But it seemed Jacksonville wasn't about to lead for most of the half and head into the locker room trailing.
Not on this night.
The Indians assured that with another 11-play drive, on which senior fullback Joe Whitaker (5-10, 235) used his big frame to push the ball across from 2 yards out and make the score 21-21 only 36 seconds before halftime.
Jacksonville scored the only touchdown in the third quarter, when Scott hit senior Jeremy Sanford for an 11-yard pass with 5:26 on the clock.
Pine Tree Vs. Marshall
Mavs turn it around in second half to beat Pine Tree|By NANCY NILES, Sports Editor|
Saturday, October 07, 2006
A second-quarter momentum shift pulled the Marshall High School football team out of a one-point halftime deficit to the Pine Tree Pirates.
Down 12-11, the Mavs came out and forced a turnover on downs in the Pirates first possession of the second half and sent them packing three-and-out in their second drive.
Meanwhile the Mavs (3-2 overall, 2-1 District 12-4A) racked up scores in each of their first two possession of the third quarter to claim a 26-12 Homecoming win.
Although many Marshall fans predicted a blowout for the Mavs against last season cellar-dweller Pine Tree (2-3, 1-2), head coach Rodney Southern said he wasn't fooled.
"This district is not like it has been in the past three years," Southern said. "It's going to be a battle every week wherever you play and I think that was evident tonight."
Marshall senior quarterback Derrick Sneed scored on a four-play drive from 37-yards out to regain a Marshall lead at 19-12 with 7:02 to go in the third frame and junior starting running back Andrew Clough capped off a an eight-play scurry which featured carries by sophomore running back K.D. Johnson for 26 yards with a 7-yard dash to reach the final with 2:05 showing in the third quarter.
Neither team managed to score in the fourth quarter as Pine Tree was forced into a second turnover on downs and Marshall defensive back Jamarcus Smith recovered a fumbled punt return in the Pirates very next possession.
Pine Tree went three-and-out on a triplicate of incompletions by Pine Tree quarterback Matt Hughes in their final possession of the night while the Sneed took a pair of knees to end the game.
But things weren't always going so smoothly for the Mavs.
Clough finished the night with nine carries for 50 yards while Johnson toted the ball 13 times for 70 yards. Sneed ran six times for 58 yards including the 37-yard score which was the teams' longest run of the night. Pine Tree amassed 125 yards on the ground against the shaky Mavericks defense but made up for it with a strong passing game.
Hughes went 15-of-26 for 177 yards and one pick while Sneed was 5-of-9 for 78 yards.
"Their quarterback has executed their offense a lot better this year than they did a year ago," Southern said. "They made some plays and they passed at the right times."
A stingy Pirate defense held the Marshall offense to just 52 first-half rushing yards and 32 passing yards in the first half. One of Sneeds two first-half completions was the Mavs only score of the first quarter, a 14-yard pass to receiver Kendric Willingham in the Mavs first drive of the night. A two-point conversion gave Marshall an early 8-0 lead but the Pirates closed the gap to just two in their first possession of the game a 14-play march from their own 21-yard line which featured four Marshall infractions for 20 yards and two Pirate penalty first downs. Hughes threw his only passing touchdown of the night 3 yards to senior tight end Cullen Mauritzen, but their conversion attempt failed.
The Mavs began their first drive of the second half at the Pine Tree 44-yard line but were held to a 27-yard field goal by Orlando Moreno giving the Mavs an 11-6 lead but those points were answered just minutes later as Pine Tree converted two third downs en route to a 6-yard rushing score by Pirate running back Kenny Hawkins. The score gave Pine Tree it's only lead of the night at 12-11 with five minutes remaining in the first half.
With just seconds remaining in the second quarter the Pirates decided to try to pad their one-point lead by going for it on a fourth-and-12 from the Mavericks 35-yard line, but Hughes' pass was intercepted by Sneed. Sneed got as far as midfield before being pushed out of bounds as time expired in the first half.
And although Southern said they didn't make any real adjustments at halftime, the defense that came out was more effective than the one that went in and the offense has much more success in the second half as well.
"They've done as good a job as anybody of coaching their offense," Southern said. "They took advantage of some things that we do blitz-wise. But we changed our calls and some down and distance situations to try to match what they were doing. When (Defensive Coordinator Thedrick) Harris finally got a bead on what they were doing on what downs I think that was the difference."
Hallsville Vs. Marshall
Marshall stampedes over Hallsville|By NANCY NILES, Sports Editor|
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Marshall quarterback Derrick Sneed and running back Andrew Clough combined for more than 400 of the Mavericks' 593 total rushing yards in the teams' 52-27 victory over Hallsville at Maverick Stadium Friday night in a game dubbed the "Harrison County Bowl."
Sneed rushed for 173 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries, averaging more than nine yards-per-carry while Clough averaged a whopping 16 yards-per-carry off his 228 rushing yard performance including one score in the second quarter. The Mavs racked up a grand total of 619 yards of total offense a season high while the 'Cats had 441 yards.
Despite the similarities in the Marshall and Hallsville offenses philosophy-wise, the Mavericks had one huge offensive asset the Bobcats couldn't seem to overcome and that's a superior offensive line. Holes were created and six different ball carriers found those holes with astonishing regularity for the Mavericks. In addition to Sneed and Clough, sophomore Darius Jones toted the ball seven times for 90 yards and one first-quarter touchdown while sophomore Dameon Smith added another 47 yards and a score in the third quarter.
In fact, the running game was going so well for Marshall that Sneed only threw the ball five times, connecting once with Jones for 26 yards in the Mavs's first drive of the night, a nine-play march capped by a 3-yard touchdown by Sneed to give the Mavericks an early 7-0 advantage.
In an apparent attempt to catch the Bobcats off guard, the Mavericks opted for an on-side kick which they conveniently recovered at the Bobcats' 44-yard line. Four plays later the Mavs were up 15-0 thanks to some fancy footwork by Sneed on his 16-yard scoring scurry.
Earlier in the week Marshall head coach Rodney Southern said he believed whomever won the turnover battle would win the game.
He was right on the money as the Mavs extended their lead to 28-6 on a four-play drive following a fumble both caused by and recovered by defensive powerhouse Demetrius Wilder.
Both Jones and Sneed were also able to snag interceptions on back-to-back drives by the Bobcats in the second quarter.
Hallsville quarterback Shane Fry was, however, able to connect with district-leading receiver Darius Valentine for three touchdowns one each in the second, third and fourth quarters. Fry finished the night 18-of-26 for 286 yards with three touchdowns and two picks.
Hallsville's only other score of the night was a two-yard dash by junior running back Chase Hollon in the 'Cats first possession of the night.
Starting running back Kendrick Survia led the Bobcats on the ground with 22 carries for 147 yards. Valentine hauled in the lion's share of Fry's throws with seven catches for 118 yards while Survia managed four catches for 93 yards off a handful of well-timed screen passes.
The loss was a tough one for the Bobcats who entered the game in a tie with Whitehouse on the district leaderboard but falls to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in District 12-4A play. The reigning district champ Marshall entered in the middle of the district pack but improves to 4-2 and 2-1 to remain in the thick of the hunt for the district title.
Marshall Vs. Henderson
Mavericks run up another victory over the Henderson Lions, 55-7BY JON DUSTIN BROOKS, Sports Writer, Marshall News Messenger
Saturday, October 21, 2006
HENDERSON Turnovers ran rampant in Friday night's game at Lion Stadium.
Marshall High School's football team didn't mind, however, because it forced all five of the takings, converting them all into touchdowns in a 55-7 romping over Henderson (1-6, 1-3).
The win was the third straight for the Mavericks (5-2, 3-1) after dropping a district-opening loss to Jacksonville.
The turnovers were good but the big thing was that we didn't turn it over ourselves, said Marshall head coach Rodney Southern. Normally, at this level when you win the turnover battle, you are going to win the game.
After trading scores with the Lions through the first quarter, the Mavericks proceeded to reel off 47 unanswered points to close the game and shut the door on Henderson.
Marshall made the best of its opposition's miscues, beginning midway through the first frame when defensive lineman Joseph Talbot scooped up a Joel Johnson fumble, which sophomore running back K.D. Johnson converted into points on the next play when he darted 58 yards to pay dirt.
That was one of three fumbles the Mavericks' came away with, the others coming from Ryan Hall in the second quarter and Leonard Leuttele in the third stanza.
Derrick Sneed and Lamar Green accounted for Marshall's other turnovers, as each senior picked off a Johnson pass.
Since being added to the defensive mix in the secondary, Sneed has had an interception in two straight games.
It gives us a little bit of security having Derrick out there because he is such a great athlete, said Southern. It's always dangerous having your quarterback on the field but we have got to do everything we can in order to prepare this team for the playoffs.
From his offensive post, Sneed added a 6-of-9 performance passing for 122 yards and a score which was a 51 yard strike to Green as well as 44 yards rushing and a score.
Sneed's antics took center stage just before halftime, when, with his team leading 14-7, he sparked the Mavs towards two touchdowns within a 33-second span to make for a much more comfortable 20-point advantage at the break, at 27-7.
Sneed got the scoring flurry started when he scurried past a host of unsuspecting Henderson defenders for a 38-yard sprint to the end zone on a fourth-down fake punt with 46 seconds showing on the clock.
Actually, that was probably the turning point in the game, said Southern. That was a formation that we haven't used before. We were glad to see that Henderson didn't make any adjustments at the line, but at the same time, Sneed made a great play too.
Sneed then picked off a Joel Johnson offering two plays later which set the table for his 51-yard hook-up with Green, which was Green's first touchdown of the season.
All four of the Mavericks' first-half touchdowns went for plays of at least 38 yards.
Darius Jones accounted for Marshall's other first-half tally with a 38-yard dash on a late pitch from Sneed in the second stanza, which came two plays after Hall's fumble recovery.
I thought we played better defensively tonight, said Southern. The pass defense was a lot better. We also executed on special teams and, basically, in every phase of the game.
Marshall then quickly picked up where it left off in the second half as Leuttele fell on a Joel Johnson fumble to end the Lions' opening drive, which promptly turned into points five plays later when K.D. Johnson tallied his second score of the night on a 13-yard scuttle around the left side.
K.D. Johnson made the most of his three totes, taking them all in for scores.
He later scored to close the third quarter on a seven-yard run, finishing the game with three carries for 78 yards and three touchdowns.
Andrew Clough the Mavs' leading rusher with 107 yards on 13 carries got in on the scoring party as well with a 19-yard run in the third quarter while backup quarterback Chance Neel finalized Marshall's output with a one-yard sneak in the waning moments of the fourth stanza.
Junior running back Jarvis Murphy paced all players with 111 yards on the ground for the Lions while Justin Horton set the standard in receiving with 66 yards on four grabs.
Henderson's lone score came, coincidentally, on a botched snap from the Mavs' 1-yard line which Joel Johnson was able to corral in the end zone for the points.
Nacogdoches Vs. Marshall
Dragons devour Mavs, 27-20|By NANCY NILES, Sports Editor, Marshall News Messenger
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Nacogdoches running back Kammeron Rhodes rushed for 315 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Justin McAninch passed for 90 yards and two scores in the Dragon's 27-20 upset win over Marshall at Maverick Stadium Friday.
Marshall signal-caller Derrick Sneed was picked off twice and the Maverick offense put the ball on the ground twice resulting 13 points off turnovers for the Dragons.
"They beat us. That's all I can say," said head coach Rodney Southern. "We didn't play well enough to win the ball game and they did. We made two turnovers (that resulted in Nacogdoches scores) and they didn't and they won the ball game."
Momentum was already on the Dragons side long before the first Mavericks miscue, however, as Nacogdoches (4-4 overall, 3-2 District 12-4A) drove the first possession of the game 76 yards over 10 plays for a quick 7-0 lead.
Then, tied at 7-7 in the waning moments of the first quarter, Sneed fumbled a punt return. This first of four Marshall (5-3, 3-2) turnovers was promptly cashed in on after six straight rushes by Rhodes beginning at the Mavericks' 42-yard line.
Marshall tied things up quickly with a four-play drive capped by a 47-yard touchdown reception by sophomore Darius Jones and got it's only lead of the night at 20-13 with 9:23 remaining in the third quarter off a 3-yard dash by sophomore running back K.D. Johnson, but less than seven minutes later, the Dragons knotted the game at 20-20 after a 14-play march from their own 18-yard line ended with a 19-yard hook-up from McAninch to Tyson Young, his second touchdown catch of the night.
In the fourth quarter, on a third-and-nine from the Dragon's 38-yard line, Sneed threw his first interception to Nacogdoches defensive back Logan Lanier. The Dragon's scored after six more totes from Rhodes and a 1-yard quarterback sneak by McAninch.
Poised to knot the game with just seconds left in their last possession of the night, Sneed was intercepted again by Lanier, this time on a second-and-10 from the 22-yard line. McAninch took a knee for the Dragon's second upset win in as many weeks after topping Jacksonville 14-12 one week ago.
And while a loss at this stage of the season is a hard pill to swallow, Southern admitted that Rhodes was on top of his game and Nacogdoches head coach Bill Harper had his team prepared.
"(Rhodes) looked a lot like Kendrick Survia (of Hallsville) to me, just how athletic he is," Southern said. "He played well and they had a good plan."
Rhodes accounted for more than 98-percent of the team's 320 rushing yards as McAninch netted another five yards off three carries, including a 5-yard carry in the third quarter which represented his longest rush of the season.
Through the air, McAninch finished 7-of-19 for 90 yards, favoring Young who hauled in six of those passes for 63 yards.
Andrew Clough handled the lion's share of the rushing for the Mavericks with 16 carries for 93 yards. Sneed chipped in for 39 yards off nine carries and one touchdown in Marshall's 198-yard ground attack. Sneed passed for 138 yards and one touchdown in the losing effort.
Marshall moves on to face district-leading Whitehouse next Friday on the road before closing out their regular-season schedule at Kilgore. And while the district is still as jumbled as ever, with three teams tied for second-place behind the Wildcats, Southern said he will be working this week to get his team back on track.
"The big thing is we've got to go back and look at what we did well and what we didn't do well. Obviously we probably didn't tackle as well as we did a week ago," Southern said. "We got to go back to work and figure out a way to win the next one."
