LUFKIN –Marshall’s football season came to an end Saturday afternoon when it fell to the Crosby Cougars in the area round of the playoffs 52-14 at Abe Martin Stadium in Lufkin. The Mavericks finish the season with a final record 8-4 while the Cougars advance to the next round with a record of 10-2.
“Man, this senior class was phenomenal,” Marshall athletic director and head football coach Jake Greidl said. “Like I just told them, they did everything we asked them to do. They played their tails off and they did it to the best of their ability. That’s all you can ask as a coach. You want the kids’ best and we got it. I’m so proud of that group. To be playing week 12 of the football season with that group is pretty remarkable. They earned every bit of it. There are a lot of life lessons that happened this year. There are a lot of lifetime memories that have happened. This one is going to sting for a little bit but at the end of the day, we’re going to remember all those great moments and I’m so proud of those guys.”
Marshall was held to 11 first downs and 195 yards total offense, 150 came through the air and 45 on the ground. Davernious Robinson went 6-of-18 passing for 136 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Domar Roberson was on the receiving end of both touchdowns as he caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Crosby came away with 33 first downs and 554 total yards, rushing for 345 and passing for 209. Cyrin Myles came away with 319 yards total offense, passing for 15-of-17 with 202 yards and two touchdowns and rushing 18 times for 117 yards and one touchdown. Quincy Jones led the rushing attack by carrying it 23 times for 206 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 82 yards. Kameron Kirkwood had four catches for 33 yards and one touchdown and David Ards was on the receiving end of a 23-yard touchdown pass.
The Cougars went 75 yards on nine plays to score on a three-yard run by Myles. The extra point by Helburg made it 7-0 with 8:59 to play in the opening quarter.
The Cougars put together a 95-yard drive that resulted in an 11-yard touchdown run from Jones to spread their lead to 14-0 with 1:33 left in the first quarter.
Myles found a wide-open Ards in the end zone for a 23-yard strike, making the score 21-0 with 10:33 left in the first half.
The Mavericks got on the board on the first play of their next possession when Robinson connected with Roberson who ran down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown. That made the score 21-6 with 10:15 left in the second quarter.
Helburg’s 25-yard field goal gave the Cougars a 24-6 lead with 7:54 remaining.
Jones found the end zone on a 14-yard run with 4:41 left to score the final points of the first half, making the halftime score 31-6.
Jones scored the first two touchdowns of the second half, the first coming from a yard out and the second coming from three yards out. That gave the Cougars a 45-6 lead with 1:57 to play. Myle’s touchdown pass to Kirkwood was from four yards away, to make it a 52-6 score as 10:47 was left on the clock.
The final points of the day belonged to Marshall. Robinson launched a pass in the end zone where Roberson made a leaping catch for the touchdown. Roberson was the holder for the extra point but was forced to scramble with the ball. With defenders surrounding him, he lobbed the ball to a wide open Quin Hawkins for the 2-point conversion. That made the final score 52-14.
“Crosby is a great football team,” Griedl added. “They played a great football game today. They’re a heck of a football team. I’m not going to sit here and hark on a game when we’ve got seniors who gave blood, sweat and tears for years. We’re really proud of them.”
The Cougars will return to action in the next round where they will take on A&M Consolidated.