(State Center) Preston Pope carried the ball 24 times for 136 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead West Marshall past Atlantic 27-7 in a Class 2A 3rd round playoff game at State Center on Friday night.
West Marshall’s stingy defense held Atlantic to 20 plays on offense for 138 total yards and countered with 57 plays for 292 yards, 255 yards on the ground, and held the edge in time of possession with 35-minutes-and-45-seconds of offense to Atlantic’s 12:15.
“They’re an excellent football team, and not only are they big upfront, but they are physical,” said Atlantic Head Football Coach Mike McDermott. “We had to take some shots because they are a ball control football team, and that’s what we wanted to be. That was the name of the game and a big credit to them.”
The Trojans ended the night with 81 rushing yards and 57 passing. Caden Andersen went 4-10 in the air for 57 yards. Joe Weaver led the Trojans receiving corps with two catches for 33 – yards. Corey Parrott led the ground attack with seven carries for 40 yards and one touchdown.
Peyton Hart plunged into the end zone from one yard out to cap off a 75-yard opening drive to give West Marshall a 6-0 lead with 5:51 to play in the first quarter. Atlantic blocked the extra point.
The Trojans flipped the field late in the first quarter and took a 7-6 lead on a Corey Parrot 20 yard jaunt. Lane Nelson kicked the PAT to give Atlantic the lead. A high snap buried West Marshall deep in their own territory. Faced with a 4th down and 38, the home team punted out of their own end zone, giving Atlantic excellent field position. The Trojans took advantage and grabbed the one-point lead as time ran out in the first quarter.
The West Marshall defense held the Trojans at bay in the final three quarters and countered with three straight touchdowns. Hart connected with Brayden Evertson on a six-yard scoring strike. Preston Pope converted on the two-point conversion to lift his squad to a 14-7 advantage going into the break.
West Marshall scored twice in the second half on Preston Pope’s 17 and one-yard touchdowns. Additionally, West Marshall was 10-12 on third down and forced three Atlantic turnovers.
Atlantic bows out at 7-2. The Trojans captured the Class 2A District 9 title, including a run of seven straight wins and five straight shutouts.
“That’s a big credit to our assistant coaches and our seniors,” said McDermott. “Those 21 guys came to work every day, and I am so proud of how far they’ve come, and we’re going to continue to battle for Steele McLaren.”
West Marshall moves to 8-1 on the season and faces Prairie City, Monroe, in the quarter-finals at State Center next Friday night.
