By CAMDEN JOINER Photos by VANESSA BEACH
The Region 4-4A game between the Marshall County Tigers and Spring Hill featured major playoff implications, but the Raiders failed to improve their postseason chances.
The Raiders (4-4, 1-3 region) fell to Marshall County 49-12 to drop to a tie for fourth place in the region with Lawrence County. The two square off for the final playoff spot in the final week of the regular season.
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“We’re missing several key starters on defense,” Raiders head coach Jay Emmons said. “We’re trying to get them back healthy for the stretch, but I wish we could’ve had them tonight. We’re battling a few injuries, but in the first half we did everything we wanted to do. We came out in the second half and they caught us sleeping on one or two plays early on. The momentum went away from us and we had a hard time recovering.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Spring Hill took the lead on their first drive of the second frame. Quarterback Tyler Ennis found Justin Oden in the end zone for six, but the Tigers blocked the extra point.
The blocked kick halted the Raiders’ momentum, which never swung back in their favor for the duration of the game. Marshall County answered Spring Hill’s score with a quick touchdown, and Cain McWilliams gave the Tigers a 14-6 lead with a touchdown run near the end of the first half.
After a failed onside kick to begin the second half, Marshall Co. scored quickly on consecutive possessions with big yardage runs from Javarria Rucker and Kamron Liggett.
Spring Hill’s offense couldn’t keep up with the Tigers’ and rarely moved the chains in the second half. This led to favorable field position for the Tigers, which often ended in a score from either Rucker or Liggett. Jay Howard also caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Bryce Wallace.
The running clock rule came into effect late in the third quarter, making for a short final frame.
Jahmal Steele added a rushing touchdown for the Raiders late in the fourth quarter.
“We have to go back and look at our ultimate goal,” Emmons said. “It was to try and win enough games to get into the playoffs and that’s what we want to do. We’re still in a position where we can do that, so we still have something to work for.”
The Raiders will look to end their three-game losing streak next week at Lipscomb Academy.
