Sports > Schools
Off the Schnide: Marauders snap four-game hex, defeat Plano
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
FLOWER MOUND -- The Flower Mound Marcus football team knew the outcome of its non-district finale would bear no meaning on their overall standing in District 5-5A.
That didn't stop Thursday's clash with Plano Senior from being a must-win game for the Marauders (1-4), who entered the night still searching for their first win of the season.
A 35-21 victory over the Wildcats (3-2) erased that zero from the win column.
"We really needed to win this game," said Bryan Erwin, Marcus head coach. "We knew we had to have it and create a little momentum for ourselves. We just had to play well, show that we're improving and that the work we're putting in is paying off."
The Marcus defense set the tone from the get-go, keeping the Plano offense out of the end zone for the game's first 46 minutes.
The Wildcats did themselves no favors by committing four turnovers -- two interceptions and two lost fumbles -- missing two field goals and turning the ball over on downs on two more drives.
"I'm really proud of the way our defense played," Erwin said. "They really only gave up one touchdown. They had some big hits and just played outstanding."
Offensively, Plano was stuck in neutral on the ground, gaining just 24 yards on 42 rushes with 19 of those attempts equating 1 yard or less. Marcus was a bit more opportune, striking early with a 37-yard scamper by junior Mark Demery that set up a double reverse pass with senior Logan Sepanek finding sophomore quarterback Cade Erwin all by his lonesome for a 15-yard touchdown -- one of two completed passes by the Marauders on four attempts -- and 7-0 Marcus lead with 9:25 left in the opening quarter.
It marked the fourth straight game in which the Wildcats have surrendered a touchdown on their opponent's opening drive.
"I think [the struggles] had a lot to do with [Marcus]," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. "Interceptions, fumbles and it seemed like when we'd get on track, we'd fumble the snap, but Marcus is a good football team.
"They've continually gotten better and we didn't play our best game tonight."
Cade wasn't done there, chipping in on all three of the Marauders' first-half touchdowns. His next two came on the ground, darting up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown with 3:43 left in the second quarter and adding a 1-yard run on a sneak two minutes later for a 21-7 advantage the Marauders would carry into halftime. Cade totaled 43 yards on the ground.
The Wildcats' lone counter came after a quarterback pressure by junior David Griffith forced an errant pass by Cade, which was subsequently picked off by senior Bert McJunkin and returned 25 yards for a touchdown early in the second.
Marcus' defense enjoyed a similar spark to open the second half, recovering a fumble on Plano's fourth play and extending their lead to 28-7 one play later after Demery bolted up the middle for an 18-yard touchdown run that highlighted his 183 rushing yards.
Plano's defense would adjust though, holding the Marauders without a first down until there were six minutes left in the fourth.
While points on offense still proved tough to come by, Plano closed the gap to 28-14 following a special teams surge with 8:28 left in the game after Griffith blocked a Marcus punt and returned the ball 2 yards for the touchdown.
Marcus responded with an eight-play drive and 1-yard score by Court Prescott.
With nearly 46 minutes in the tank, Plano's offense averted the shutout one series later with senior quarterback Richard Lagow finding sophomore Mitchell Hansen for a 10-yard touchdown. Hansen was a popular target all night, tagging eight catches for 192 yards to go along with his score. Lagow totaled 298 yards through the air on 15-of-22 attempts.
"[Hansen] had a big night and we're proud of him," McCullough said. "Mitch is a team player and he wants to win. We're proud of the plays he made."
Scoring with 1:48 left to pull within 35-21, the Wildcats would recover the onside kick and even move to within 2 yards of another touchdown, but the Marauders defense stood firm in dashing any Plano rally.
"We needed to get this monkey off our back," Erwin said. "There's a lot of work that went into getting to where we are tonight and our kids deserve all the credit."
Marcus will look to build off its first win when district play fires up at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Denton Ryan. At that same time, the Wildcats will attempt to snap a two-game losing skid in their 10-5A opener against McKinney at Clark Stadium.
"I think everybody believes that we can play better than this," McCullough said. "We're going to have to play better because next week, it counts."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
That didn't stop Thursday's clash with Plano Senior from being a must-win game for the Marauders (1-4), who entered the night still searching for their first win of the season.
A 35-21 victory over the Wildcats (3-2) erased that zero from the win column.
"We really needed to win this game," said Bryan Erwin, Marcus head coach. "We knew we had to have it and create a little momentum for ourselves. We just had to play well, show that we're improving and that the work we're putting in is paying off."
The Marcus defense set the tone from the get-go, keeping the Plano offense out of the end zone for the game's first 46 minutes.
The Wildcats did themselves no favors by committing four turnovers -- two interceptions and two lost fumbles -- missing two field goals and turning the ball over on downs on two more drives.
"I'm really proud of the way our defense played," Erwin said. "They really only gave up one touchdown. They had some big hits and just played outstanding."
Offensively, Plano was stuck in neutral on the ground, gaining just 24 yards on 42 rushes with 19 of those attempts equating 1 yard or less. Marcus was a bit more opportune, striking early with a 37-yard scamper by junior Mark Demery that set up a double reverse pass with senior Logan Sepanek finding sophomore quarterback Cade Erwin all by his lonesome for a 15-yard touchdown -- one of two completed passes by the Marauders on four attempts -- and 7-0 Marcus lead with 9:25 left in the opening quarter.
It marked the fourth straight game in which the Wildcats have surrendered a touchdown on their opponent's opening drive.
"I think [the struggles] had a lot to do with [Marcus]," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. "Interceptions, fumbles and it seemed like when we'd get on track, we'd fumble the snap, but Marcus is a good football team.
"They've continually gotten better and we didn't play our best game tonight."
Cade wasn't done there, chipping in on all three of the Marauders' first-half touchdowns. His next two came on the ground, darting up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown with 3:43 left in the second quarter and adding a 1-yard run on a sneak two minutes later for a 21-7 advantage the Marauders would carry into halftime. Cade totaled 43 yards on the ground.
The Wildcats' lone counter came after a quarterback pressure by junior David Griffith forced an errant pass by Cade, which was subsequently picked off by senior Bert McJunkin and returned 25 yards for a touchdown early in the second.
Marcus' defense enjoyed a similar spark to open the second half, recovering a fumble on Plano's fourth play and extending their lead to 28-7 one play later after Demery bolted up the middle for an 18-yard touchdown run that highlighted his 183 rushing yards.
Plano's defense would adjust though, holding the Marauders without a first down until there were six minutes left in the fourth.
While points on offense still proved tough to come by, Plano closed the gap to 28-14 following a special teams surge with 8:28 left in the game after Griffith blocked a Marcus punt and returned the ball 2 yards for the touchdown.
Marcus responded with an eight-play drive and 1-yard score by Court Prescott.
With nearly 46 minutes in the tank, Plano's offense averted the shutout one series later with senior quarterback Richard Lagow finding sophomore Mitchell Hansen for a 10-yard touchdown. Hansen was a popular target all night, tagging eight catches for 192 yards to go along with his score. Lagow totaled 298 yards through the air on 15-of-22 attempts.
"[Hansen] had a big night and we're proud of him," McCullough said. "Mitch is a team player and he wants to win. We're proud of the plays he made."
Scoring with 1:48 left to pull within 35-21, the Wildcats would recover the onside kick and even move to within 2 yards of another touchdown, but the Marauders defense stood firm in dashing any Plano rally.
"We needed to get this monkey off our back," Erwin said. "There's a lot of work that went into getting to where we are tonight and our kids deserve all the credit."
Marcus will look to build off its first win when district play fires up at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Denton Ryan. At that same time, the Wildcats will attempt to snap a two-game losing skid in their 10-5A opener against McKinney at Clark Stadium.
"I think everybody believes that we can play better than this," McCullough said. "We're going to have to play better because next week, it counts."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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