Bulldogs defeat Crawford in 33-30 thriller

The Marlin Bulldogs football team hosted the Crawford Pirates on Friday. Marlin came out victorious, defeating Crawford in a 33-30 thriller. 

Marlin had the lone score in the first quarter with a 30-yard touchdown run by Mario Hopwood for a 7-0 lead. The Pirates scored the first points of the second quarter on a 9-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7. The Bulldogs responded with a 9-yard touchdown run by Mario Hopwood for a 13-7 lead after a missed extra point. Crawford closed the gap with a safety to make the score 13-9, which would be the score going into halftime.

Marlin had the lone score in the third quarter with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Roderick Suiters to William Workman for a 19-9 lead after a failed two-point conversion. The Pirates scored the first points of the fourth quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run to make the score 19-16. The Bulldogs responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Hopwood to make it a 26-16 lead. Marlin extended their lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by Suiters to make the score 33-16. Crawford tried to rally back with 14 unanswered points, but it would not be enough and Marlin held strong to win 33-30.

Roderick Suiters had a great game, throwing for 79 yards and a touchdown along with rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown. I’aire Kee had a monster game, rushing for 178 yards. Mario Hopwood was outstanding, rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns. 

With this win, Marlin has a record of 4-2 and a district record of 3-0. 

Up next, the Bulldogs will travel to take on the Riesel Indians, who is also 3-0 in district in a battle for the top spot in the district standings. The game will be on Friday and kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.