2009 Weekly Recaps

Jacksonville's Ryan Black found Tradarreon Moreland for a 5-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-1 overtime conversion, lifting the Indians to a stunning come-from-behind 35-27 win over Marshall in both team's season opener Friday night at Maverick Stadium.

The Mavericks, who won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first, had a chance to respond and quickly moved the ball to the 5-yard line, but Jamal Anderson fumbled a handoff on first-and-goal, and Jacksonville's Tevin Garland promptly fell on the loose ball, allowing the Indians to escape with the win.

It was Marshall's fourth turnover of the night — Jacksonville had two.

"I never saw them hanging their heads," Marshall head coach Thedrick Harris said of his players. "That's what we have to take away from this game. We have to look at the good things we did."

Marshall led by six points with just more than three-and-a-half minutes remaining but the Indians used a clock-draining, 11-play drive at the end of regulation to notch the third tie of the game.

Junior quarterback Ryan Black had three passes for first downs on the 70-yard drive, which seemed to end with a Marshall stop on a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 20 seconds left.

On that play, the Mavericks sent a blitz as Black lofted a floater intended for LaVante Franklin in the right corner of the end zone, but Marshall's Alandric Tutt broke the pass up, which would've sealed the win for the Mavs had there not been a roughing the passer penalty called.

The penalty gave the Indians a fresh set of downs and Black found Moreland for a 3-yard score on the next play, knotting the score at 27-27 with 20 seconds left.

Marshall's Brandon Williams then blocked Jeff Landrum's extra point attempt to force the extra period.

"Jacksonville made some plays there and the end and was able to get a victory," said Marshall head coach Thedrick Harris. "I thought Jacksonville was a much-improved team, but not that much improved. We had a chance to put them away. We just came up a bit short."

Marshall assumed a 27-21 lead with 3:34 remaining after an Aaron Franklin fumble recovery — his second of the night — gave the Mavs a short field and sparked a, three-play drive that Anderson capped with a 21-yard touchdown run.

Anderson had a game-high 173 yards on 17 carries, including three runs of 30 or more yards. Black finished 23 for 36 for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

FIRST HALF

Each team took scoring on the other during a run-and-gun opening half that began with Jacksonville marching off a 96 yards on a 14-play drive that drained the first 5 minutes, 37 seconds of the game.

Kendrick Hatton — who had a team-best 82 yards on 24 totes — finished the drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge up the middle, but it was Black's passing that got the Indians to that point.

Black completed passes of 14, 17 and 28 yards, respectively, two of which came on third downs.

The Mavs quickly answered, though, when Brandon Fitzgerald found Demarques Sadler, who had slipped past Jacksonville's Stacy Whitaker, down the left sideline for a 77-yard strike, knotting the tally at 7-7 with 5:03 showing in the first.

Fitzgerald completed 7-of-17 passes for 160 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, both of which came from Duke Hamilton.

Marshall then held the Indians to a three-and-out to set up an 8-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Fitzgerald finding Daveon Williams on a 31-yard score, giving the Mavericks their first lead at 14-7 early in the second.

A short kickoff and a 15-yard facemasking penalty set Jacksonville up with a short field from the 50-yard line, though, and Hatton did the rest from there, picking up 46 of the yards himself, including a 34-yard rumble on a misdirection handoff up the middle that brought his team back to within a point with 10:13 left in the second.

Marshall's Deonte McKinney blocked Landrum's extra point attempt to keep the score in the Mavs' favor.

Marshall's next two possessions then ended in turnovers, including a Hamilton interception after the Mavericks had advanced all the way to the Indians' 11-yard line. Hamilton's interception in the second half also came after Marshall had reached Jacksonville's 20-yard line.

The Indians didn't convert either pick into points, but they benefitted from an errant pitch on an option play late in the second that Jacksonville's Michael Hatton fell on at the Mavs' 32-yard line.

Four plays later, Black hooked up with Justin Davis in the right corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown and another Indians' lead. Black then found Moreland for the two-point conversion, accounting for a 21-14 cushion with 1:50 left in the half.

Davis had a team-best 94 yards receiving on five catches. Marshall's Sadler led all players with 105 yards on four grabs.

Sadler also helped in special teams, returning Jacksonville's ensuing kickoff 56 yards at the end of the first half to set Marshall up on the Indians' 32-yard line with 1:38 left.

Six straight rushing plays then came, the final one being a Fitzgerald 1-yard sneak into the end zone to tie the game yet again, at 21-21, with 22 seconds left in the half. Fitzgerald added 56 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Marshall's offense played much like it did last week in the eyes of head coach Thedrick Harris.

The only difference was the turnovers.

A week removed from four turnovers that led to an overtime loss, the Mavericks committed none Friday en route to a 64-6 demolition of Shreveport (La.) Huntington at Maverick Stadium.

Marshall's backfield spearheaded the effort as eight players combined for 404 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Four of those players had 50 yards or more, led by Jamal Anderson's 119 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

"We were very similar last week in a loss," Harris said.

"The problem last week was we turned the ball over and this week we didn't.

"I think as long as we protect the football and do the things we're supposed to up front, we're going to be okay."

Demeon Timmons added 75 yards and a score on six carries and J.C. Haigwood tacked on 64 yards on five totes. Haigwood's final three carries of the night ended in touchdowns, including a 40-yard scamper with 54 seconds left in the game that capped the Mavs' scoring with their 61st unanswered point.

Bryce French, meanwhile, added 54 yards and a score on three carries.

"I was pleased with every one of them," Harris said. "Once they had their opportunity, they did a good job."

Marshall trailed, 6-3, with 5:36 showing in the first after Texas A&M commit Jarrett Fobbs went 51 yards down the left sideline on a screen pass to give his team the lead.

The Mavericks, though, managed to shut Fobbs down for the rest of the night, limiting him to only one rushing yard on six carries and one additional reception for six yards.

Harris said that played a key role in the outcome.

"I thought our secondary came back and played well," the coach said. "Basically, make sure (we) understood where Fobbs (was) on the field. ... Once our kids were able to understand that, they shut them down."

———

FIRST HALF

Marshall came away with points on all five of its first-half possessions to go into halftime with a 30-6 lead.

Anderson book ended the Mavs' first half scores, including a 63-yard run up the middle to provide his team the lead for good with 5:16 left in the first at 9-6.

The senior later capped Marshall's first half outburst with a 13-yard touchdown on a counter handoff up the middle.

Brandon Fitzgerald later extended the Mavs' lead to 16-6 on their third possession when he found Bryce French for a 25-yard strike on a screen pass left, a play that came on the heels of a 57-yard connection to Daveon Williams.

Fitzgerald completed 4 of 10 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

French then set up Marshall's next score with a 36-yard gain to Huntington's 1-yard line on a direct snap, paving the way for Anthony Davenport's bulldoze into the end zone, giving his team a 23-6 advantage with 8:53 left in the second.

Following a four-and-out by the Raiders, Marshall capitalized on a short field to notch its final tally of the half.

The Mavericks' opening score came on a 28-yard field goal by Jeovani Acuna on a drive that was set up by a 22-yard fumble return by Darria Clough.

Marshall's Eric Alaniz later had a 13-yard interception return in the second half to set up Haigwood's 40-yard score.

Marshall stopped Huntington's Jacob Moseley at its own 1-yard line as time expired in the opening half.

Moseley, who led the Raiders in passing (129 yards on 8 of 16) and rushing (35 yards on nine carries), tried to score with a quarterback keeper through the middle of the field, but was stopped by a group of Marshall defenders after he dove in search of the end zone from the 2-yard line.

Huntington had no time outs remaining to stop the clock.

MONROE, La. — Marshall found its groove late in the fourth quarter Friday night, but it was too little, too late in a 17-8 non-district loss to Monroe (La.) Neville on a wet, muddy field at Bill Ruple Stadium.

The Mavericks (2-2) saved their most fruitful offensive effort for their final possession, marching off 59 yards on nine plays, capped by a 5-yard J.C. Haigwood plunge for a touchdown.

Brandon Fitzgerald then found DeMarques Sadler for the two-point conversion, but with only 2:14 left in the game, the Tigers (2-1) recovered a squib kick and ran out the clock on the strength of a 13-yard run by Jeremiah Runner.

Rain persisted before the game and throughout the first half but trailed off after halftime. By then, however, the playing surface had already been significantly altered.

"We knew that the team that would overcome the elements would be the team that won," said Marshall Head Coach Thedrick Harris. "I'm not going to make excuses. I'm not going to use the mud and rain as an excuse. They played well enough to win and we didn't."

Much of that had to do with Marshall's previous nine possessions, which resulted in six three-and-outs.

Of those drives, only three of them reached Neville's territory.

Marshall advanced to the Tigers' 35-yard line late in the fourth after Anthony Davenport ripped off a 26-yard run, but a Fitzgerald offering was intercepted by Wa'Derrious Sellers on the next play, killing the drive.

Davenport was the most productive of six Marshall rushers, garnering a game-high 117 yards on five carries, four of which went for at least 19 yards.

The Mavs' other five ball carriers combined for 32 yards on 20 carries.

Rico Pollard paced the Tigers with 96 yards on 18 totes while Burch followed with 49 yards on three carries and Runner notched 48 yards on 15 chances.

Pollard notched the only score of the second half for Neville, slicing through the middle for a 24-yard score to propel his team to a 17-0 advantage with 3:07 remaining in the third.

First half

The inclement weather affected each team, as neither completed a pass, going a combined 0-for-5 through the air.

Marshall also had trouble protecting the football, fumbling five times, two of which were recovered by Neville.

The second coughup, pounced on by Neville's Hagan Lawrence deep inside Mavericks' territory late in the first, set up the only touchdown of the half by either football team.

Neville's Taylor Burch capitalized on the miscue on the Tigers' following play when he faked an inside handoff to Pollard and took off around the right side on a quarterback keeper, scrambling 38 yards into the end zone.

That gave Neville a 7-0 lead with 22 seconds left in the first.

The Tigers added to their lead just before halftime with a 6-play, 35-yard drive that Matthew Squyres finished with a 27-yard field goal, moving the cushion to 10-0 with nine seconds remaining before the break.

Burch had a 19-yard gain to kick off that drive on a similar play call as his scoring run.

Marshall advanced deep inside Neville territory on its third possession, using a Davenport 49-yard burst around the right side to get into the red zone.

The Mavs advanced to Neville's 4-yard line but fumbled on fourth-and-3 and although Haigwood recovered the loose ball, it was short of a first, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Davenport also had a 22-yard run late in the first, helping Marshall into Neville territory, but the drive stalled at the 36-yard line after a loss of six yards on a Haigwood carry was followed with an incomplete pass.

Neville fumbled once in the first half — and none in the second — but didn't lose possession of the ball.

Marshall forced four second half turnovers and used its big-play capabilities to pull away from a pesky Mount Pleasant team en route to a 42-14 District 13-4A win Friday night at Maverick Stadium.

The outcome gave the Mavericks (7-3, 5-1) a season-best three-game winning streak and set up a bi-district playoff match at Kilgore at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Marshall defeated Kilgore, 41-14, earlier this season.

Although the Mavs never trailed against the Tigers (3-7, 1-5), Marshall did commit a season-high 11 penalties for 91 yards, while allowing Mount Pleasant to control the pace of the game through its grinding rushing attack.

But the differences in the teams showed midway through the third, just after the Tigers reeled off an elongated, seven-minute drive that spanned 82 yards on 13 plays. Cash Thompson capped the march with an 18-yard scoring pass to D.K. Mitchell on a 4th-and-13, pulling Mount Pleasant to within 27-14 with 9:10 left in the fourth.

Then Jamal Anderson struck.

Marshall's shifty senior running back ripped off a 53-yard scoring run on the next play from scrimmage, lifting his team's lead back to three possessions just 14 seconds after the Tigers' laborious scoring drive.

"It was just staying focused," said Anderson, who led his team with 98 yards on eight carries. "I was just being focused and concentrating, knowing it's going to be there, following my blockers and believing in it."

Two plays after Anderson's run, the Mavericks' Bryce French intercepted a Buff Hurndon pass to set up a three-play scoring drive that Anthony Davenport punctuated with a 12-yard scoring rumble, putting the game out of reach with 6:37 left.

"Any time you win the turnover ratio, you're going to win the ball game," said Marshall head coach Thedrick Harris. "I wasn't pleased with the penalties. We preached it all week, but I think at the beginning, they looked ahead a little bit and that's something we can't do. But now, all that's over. We still got a big victory with some of the mistakes we made and we still finished out the regular season with a bang."

Davenport (three carries, 33 yards) had two rushing touchdowns, as did J.C. Haigwood (eight carries, 63 yards). French added 50 rushing yards on three carries and Demeon Timmons (three carries, 45 yards) notched a score on the ground.

Leading 14-7 late in the third, Marshall again used the quick-strike formula to string together a pair of touchdowns within a 17-second span.

The first came from Haigwood on a 2-yard bulldoze, capping a 20-yard drive. Jaquan Kelly then recovered a Mount Pleasant fumble on the next play from scrimmage, leading to a Timmons 7-yard score and a 27-7 advantage.

Sam Oney and Davenport also recovered fumbles for the Mavericks.

—-

FIRST HALF

Mount Pleasant did exactly what it set out to do, using its bruising ground game to chew up yardage and the clock.

The end result, though, was still a 14-7 Marshall lead at the break, despite the Tigers' 16:27 to 7:33 advantage in time of possession.

Mount Pleasant's longest march lasted 8 minutes, 46 seconds and was capped by a touchdown plunge by Thompson that knotted the score at 7-7 with 10:42 left in the second.

The Tigers garnered six first downs during the drive, which consisted of 14 plays, all of which were runs.

Followin a fumble on the Mavs' ensuing drive, Mount Pleasant again reeled off a long drive, this one lasting five-and-a-half minutes, but Marshall turned the Tigers away on a 4th-and-2 with just more than two minutes left.

The turnover on downs set the Mavs up with a short field, and they capitalized with a five-play drive that Haigwood finished with a 2-yard touchdown plow.

Marshall notched the only score of the first quarter when Davenport found the end zone from two yards out with 7:44 showing on the clock. Anderson had a 28-yard rush and French had a 30-yard keeper during the possession.

KILGORE — It took a half for Marshall's offense to find its stride, but once it did, a half was all that was required as the Mavericks rolled to a 44-7 win over Kilgore in a Class 4A, Division II, Region II bi-district playoff game Friday night at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium.

The win avenged a 31-28 playoff loss to the Bulldogs (5-6) from last season and propelled Marshall (8-3) into an area match against Corsicana tentatively set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tyler's TMF Rose Stadium.

Corsicana was a 32-21 winner over West Mesquite.

Each team's defense shined in the first half, as the Mavs bullied their way to a 10-7 halftime lead, but the second half was a different story — with Marshall setting the tone early.

DeMarques Sadler returned the half's opening kickoff 38 yards, providing his team with a short field, and the Mavericks capitalized with a Jamal Anderson-fueled scoring drive that the shifty senior finished with a 17-yard, tackle-breaking exhibition to push the lead to 16-7.

The five-play scoring drive was a preview of things to come for Marshall, which recovered from a slow-moving first half to grind out 355 rushing yards on the night, led by Anderson's 120 on 14 carries.

Anthony Davenport also chipped in with 105 yards on nine carries, all of which came in the second half, while J.C. Haigwood had 93 yards and two scores on 13 totes.

Davenport supplied what was perhaps the back-breaker when — with the score still at 16-7 — he rumbled 58 yards on a 3rd-and-12 from Marshall's own 3-yard line late in the third.

The run got the Mavs out of shady field position and was the key shift in momentum in an 8-play, 95-yard scoring drive that Haigwood eventually capped with a 2-yard score.

"It all started with the O-line," said Davenport of his long run. "We knew all we had to do as a team was play hard and get focused."

Marshall's Bryce French recovered a Kilgore fumble on the ensuing kickoff — French's also recovered a surprise pooch kick earlier in the third — to spark a six-play drive that Davenport finished himself with a 3-yard tally, pushing the lead to 30-7 with 11:56 remaining.

Demeon Timmons notched a 1-yard score later in the quarter and Haigwood found the end zone from 20 yards out to close the scoring after Marshall's Brandon Williams recovered a fumble to stop a Kilgore drive. It was one of three turnovers the Mavs forced; Alandric Tutt had a fumble recovery in the first.

Marshall's fluid second-half offense was in stark contrast to the first two quarters, though, when the Mavericks mustered only 104 total yards and were held to a pair of turnovers on downs.

Over the same span, however, the Mavs also limited Kilgore to only 131 first-half total yards, a figure that shrunk to 45 yards in the second half (and only two in the momentum-shifting third quarter).

"They came out with a good plan defensively," said Marshall head coach Thedrick Harris. "We went in at halftime and did a good job of adjusting."

Despite not scoring an offensive touchdown in a half for the first time since a muddy Sept. 18 game at Monroe (La.) Neville, the Mavs still maintained a 10-7 margin at the break after Miguel Luna converted a 27-yard field goal on a free play with no time remaining in the second.

Luna's kick capped a frantic Marshall drive in the final minute during which back-to-back Kilgore penalties gave the Mavericks new life after it appeared the drive had stalled.

A crucial defensive offsides penalty overturned a Deontre Williams interception as time expired, moving the ball up five yards and setting up Luna's go-ahead field goal.

Sadler scored the game's first touchdown when he broke through traffic in the middle of the field on a punt return, sprinting into the open field before breaking a tackle by Kilgore punter Ryan Bustin near the 30 and taking it the rest of the way with 8:38 showing in the second.

The Bulldogs struck for their lone score on the ensuing possession, though, when Riley Toler connected with Matthew Dickey on a 66-yard flea flicker to knot the score at 7-7.

Marshall let a prime scoring opportunity slip away on their opening possession after Tutt's fumble recovery, which set up the Mavs inside Kilgore's 25-yard line. Marshall netted only one yard on a pair of rushes and two incomplete passes, though, resulting in a turnover on downs.

TYLER — Marshall's game plan Friday night looked quite similar to the one it carried out in a playoff win over Kilgore last week. The result looked quite the same, too.

The Mavericks' defense held another solid running game in check while their own running game put up its usual numbers in a 34-14 win over Corsicana in a Class 4A-Division II, Region II area playoff game at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.

The one change to Marshall's (9-3) plan against the Tigers (6-6) was that it complemented its ground game with an effective passing game, especially in the first half, which helped the Mavs keep their opposition guessing.

"We knew we were going to have to throw the ball effectively," said Marshall head coach Thedrick Harris, whose team now moves into a regional playoff game against Denison tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Mesquite's Hanby Stadium.

"That's something where, the further you get into the playoffs, you're going to have to be able to throw the ball at some point. And we were able to," Harris continued.

The Mavericks passed when they needed to in the first half, as Brandon Fitzgerald Fitzgerald completed 5 of 7 passes for 94 yards, including a critical 29-yard touchdown to Bryce French on a fourth down-and-12.

On the play, French, who was the lone Marshall player surrounded by three Corsicana defenders in the right corner of the end zone, out jumped two players to haul in the ball, giving his team a 21-8 lead with 57 seconds left before the break.

"I saw three people around me and I saw the ball and I thought I had to go get the ball," said French, one of three Marshall players to catch a pass, led by Daveon Williams, who had three grabs for 57 yards.

"(The ball) was too high for them and I just made the play and caught it," French continued.

"I just had a feeling and went with it and just put it in his (French's) hands," said Fitzgerald, who wound up with 100 yards passing on 6 of 8 attempts, marking his fifth straight game without an interception.

With the momentum squarely in hand, Marshall then let its defense and running game go to work to put the finishing touches on the Tigers in the second half.

The Mavs stopped Corsicana on each of its first two drives in the third, giving up its only first down on a fake punt, before putting the game away with a J.C. Haigwood-fueled 7-play, 77-yard drive that Anthony Davenport capped with a 1-yard scoring dive with 8:49 left in the third to provide a 27-8 lead.

Haigwood, who finished with a game high 141 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, took the first five plays of the series for 62 yards, including a 36-yard burst to kick it off.

Jamal Anderson, who chipped in with 101 yards and a score on 12 carries, also had a 14-yard dash to set up a first down-and-goal situation.

"That put the knife in them," Anderson said.

It marked the fourth time in the last five games that the Mavericks have had two players each hit the 100-yard mark. Anderson and Davenport did the honors last week against Kilgore.

Haigwood said the key was reading the defense.

"You have to have good vision," he said. "The play might be desinged to hit a certain hole, but if it's not there, you have to be able to see the cutback."

In the meantime, Marshall's defense recovered after surrendering an 83-yard scoring drive on Corsicana's first possession, holding the Tigers scoreless from that point until the final 45 seconds of the game.

By that time, Marshall had built a sturdy 34-8 lead, thanks to another 1-yard Davenport touchdown plunge earlier in the fourth.

"Mentally, I think they're very prepared and I think that's been a big key," said defensive coordinator Steven Grant of his players, who held Corsicana's Cody Evans to 77 yards on 21 carries a week after Evans set the school's playoff rushing record with 267 rushing yards.

"A couple times this week they had defensive meetings and they talked about limiting and containing (Evans) and I saw it tonight," Grant continued.

MESQUITE — Marshall was able to contain Denison's power running back D.J. Jones in the first half of a Class 4A-Division II, Region II regional semifinal playoff game Saturday afternoon.

But the second half was a different story.

Jones ran for 133 of his 169 yards in the final two quarters, including a 21-yard touchdown run late in the third that gave his team the lead for good in a 35-26 win at E.H. Hanby Stadium.

With Marshall leading 19-14 midway through the third, the Mavericks (9-4) backed Denison (12-1) up to its own 3-yard line, but Jones muscled his way through the middle of the defense on a second-and-12 and rumbled 59 yards, setting up his own 21-yard score later in the drive that gave his team a 22-19 lead with 2:43 left in the third.

That put Denison on top for good.

Marshall did climb back to within 28-26 on a 5-yard scoring toss from Brandon Fitzgerald to Bryce French with 9:19 remaining, and had a chance to reclaim the lead after forcing a Denison punt, but the Yellow Jackets stopped J.C. Haigwood for no gain on a fourth-and-2 to force a turnover on downs.

Denison put the game away on its next drive, a 66-yard march that ended with a 10-yard scoring strike from Jordan Taylor to Jimmay Mundine on a fourth-and-4 with 3:50 remaining.

Forced to abandon the running game, the Mavericks' next two possessions ended in interceptions.

"I still feel like we should have won that football game," said Marshall head coach Thedrick Harris, whose team led 19-7 at halftime after scoring on three of its four first-half possessions.

"Things didn't go the way we wanted them in some situations," Harris continued.

"I'm not going to take away from (Denison). They came out and made plays and there were times when we didn't and that's the name of the game."

The Mavericks assumed their halftime lead as Jamal Anderson recorded three touchdowns and the Mavs converted the game's only turnover into an 80-yard scoring drive.

Trailing 7-6 late in the first, Marshall's defense bent but didn't break after Denison — which had marched 51 yards for a score on its first possession — drove to its 25-yard line on six plays.

The drive halted, though, when Marshall's Jesse Alejandro forced Taylor to fumble on a quarterback scramble and Sam Oney fell on the ball just before it bounced out of bounds.

Two plays later, French, on his only carry of the game, broke a Devonte Kemp tackle three yards deep in the backfield, and turned it up the west sideline for a 39-yard gain.

Fitzgerald later hit Daveon Williams for a 12-yard strike on a third-and-7, and Anderson eventually capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring dive.

Anderson finished with 162 yards on 19 carries.

On the ensuing possession, the Mavs forced Denison to its only three-and-out of the half, with the big play coming on an Aaron Franklin sack of Taylor on second down.

Marshall's offense then picked up where it left off, compiling a four-play scoring drive that consisted of three runs of at least 19 yards apiece, including Anderson's 25-yard run that made for a 19-7 lead with 4:51 left in the second.

"I thought we did a good job running the football," Harris said.

"Anderson and J.C. (Haigwood), all those guys did a great job. Our offensive line did an outstanding job. (Denison) came back late and did some things to slow down the running game, but we were still able to run well against them."

Denison claimed the lead early when Taylor took a keeper around the left side from six yards out on his team's first possession.

The 6-5 signal-caller finished with 198 yards passing and two scores, including a 66-yarder to Kyle Gaylon in the third to extend the lead to two possessions, and two rushing touchdowns.

Marshall countered Denison's first drive with a 12-play, 60-yard possession that included a pair of third down conversions and a 2-yard Fitzgerald keeper on a fourth-and-inches.

The key pickup came on a third-and-5 from Denison's 44, when Fitzgerald found French for a 27-yard strike in the middle of the field.

It was Marshall's first completion of the game.

Five running plays followed, three of which were from Anderson, including a six-yard score with 3:11 left in the first to cut the gap to 7-6.

A bad snap on the extra point attempt prevented the Mavericks from tying the score.

"I'm extremely proud of our kids for as far as they went this year," Harris said. "We still had opportunities (to win) until the very end. We were just short."

Denison will advance to face Sulphur Springs in a regional final next week.