Bulldogs headed for Quarterfinals
The Marlin Bulldogs football team traveled to Crowley ISD Stadium in Fort Worth on Friday, Nov. 24, for the regional round of the playoffs. They took on the Tioga Bulldogs and were victorious, handily beating them 46-14 to advance and keep their season alive.
Marlin played shutout football in the first half, going into halftime winning 12-0. Their points came from a 5-yard touchdown run by Ja’Marien Womack (3) and a 5-yard touchdown run by Mario Hopwood (8). During halftime, Coach Ruben Torres reminded the team that the job was not yet complete and told them to finish strong.
“Last week we did a poor job finishing in the second half and Coleman did a great job of exposing that,” Coach Ruben Torres said. “So, the whole message this week was to play four quarters. That’s what we told them at halftime: Don’t let up, don’t let up; and I thought they did a great job out there.”
Marlin received the ball to start the second half and was determined to keep that same fight from the first half. They faced a fourth and 1 and succeeded in the fourth down conversion. Marlin stayed aggressive and drove down the field with a 38-yard pass to Je’mere Hartsfield (4), followed by an 18-yard run by Hopwood. Marlin capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Hopwood for an 18-0 lead. Tioga continued to struggle on offense and Marlin forced a three and out. Marlin came back on offense and marched down the field scoring on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Roderick Suiters (9) to D’Marion Butler (7) to keep the shutout in tact at 25-0, which would be the score at the end of the third quarter.
The Marlin defense started out the fourth quarter strong and forced another punt. Marlin failed to move the ball on offense and would punt the ball right back. Tioga showed some life with a 23-yard pass. Marlin tried to halt their drive by forcing them into a fourth and 12. Tioga went for the fourth down conversion and succeeded. Tioga ended the shutout with a 15-yard touchdown pass to make the score 25-8.
Marlin responded to the Tioga score in a big way with a 35-yard touchdown run by Kee to take a commanding 32-8 lead. Marlin began to bend a tad on defense and gave up a 64-yard pass. Tioga finished their drive with an 8-yard touchdown run for a score of 32-14. Marlin came right back out on offense and scored on an explosive 48-yard touchdown run by Kee to increase their lead to 39-14. The onslaught continued with fumble on the kickoff that was recovered by Marlin. They would pile on with a 12-yard touchdown run by Hopwood for a whopping 46-14 lead, which would be the score at the end of the game. Marlin played a complete game, scoring 46 points, allowing only 14 points, and forcing turnovers on special teams.
“That’s what it’s going to take,” Coach Torres said. “If we want to keep advancing, we’re going to have to be solid on all three phases. They (Tioga) have a lot of stuff that they do on special teams that took a lot of time of our preparation this week. I’m really proud of our guys being able to handle that and adjust.”
The defense played a fantastic game, allowing only 14 points, 46 rushing yards, and had an interception.
Roderick Suiters had a great game, throwing for 111 yards and a touchdown along with rushing for 74 yards. D’Mariion Butler was a big factor in the game, catching nine passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. The three running backs (Ja’marien Womack, Iaire Kee, and Mario Hopwood) were a nightmare for the Tioga defense. They combined for 281 rushing yards and a whopping six touchdowns.
Up next for Marlin will be the Tolar Rattlers in the quarterfinals. The game will be on Thursday, Nov. 30, at Midlothian ISD Stadium in Midlothian and kickoff is set for 7 p.m.