By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
It was billed as the area’s top Week 4 game and a battle of unbeatens.
Tioga wasn’t hearing any of that, however.
The Indians made quick work of Marksville, which lost quarterback Elidrick Murray on the fourth play of the game, as Tioga raced to a 42-0 halftime lead and defeated the Tigers 42-14 to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Tioga needed just four plays to take the lead it would never relinquish. Junior Travis Adams ran untouched for a 20-yard touchdown one play after Ja’Corian Norris broke a 37-yard catch-and-run on an end-around.
Three plays later, Norris gave the Indians a 13-0 lead on a 26-yard interception return – his third pick-6 over the past two games.
After a blocked punt, it was 20-0 following Tioga’s next offensive play when Josh Loyd scored an 8-yard TD reception from Cace Malone.
Following a Loyd interception, the Indians’ 10th of the season, Tioga took a 27-0 lead after a 28-yard Adams touchdown run just over two minutes into the second quarter.
Another Norris big play, this one a 47-yard punt return, set up the Indians’ fifth score of the first half. After two incompletions, Malone rushed twice for eight yards, including a 1-yard score.
After a safety put Tioga ahead 36-0, the Indians added six more points on a 13-yard touchdown by Loyd from Malone – on the same end-around touch pass as Loyd’s first score. Tioga needed just 17 offensive plays in the first half to tally their 42 points.
Tioga coach Kevin Cook said the execution played out to near perfection for the Indians in the first half.
“For our situation it was obviously wonderful,” Cook said. “I do hate it really bad that they lost their quarterback and their lineman broke his leg. I felt bad for them. They lost their quarterback in the jamboree, and then they lost this one last night on the third play and it was demoralizing.”
Marksville came into the game boasting a 1-2 punch of Murray and running back Kyreon “Monk” Prier, but after Murray’s injury the bulk of the production fell upon Prier’s shoulders. The Indians did an outstanding job of shutting him down in the first half.
Prier did break loose in the second half against Tioga’s backups, getting Marksville (3-1) on the board with 97- and 93-yard touchdown runs early in the third and fourth quarters.
It wiped out what could have been a third shutout in four games for the Indians, who have only been tested in Week 2 against Breaux Bridge.
“I don’t know if it’s the best defense we’ve ever had,” Cook said. “I think it has some of the best players in different positions. In the quarterfinal run (in 2020) our secondary was really good. Is this secondary better? It’s a tough debate. They’re really good as a group.”
Cook also singled out the play of junior inside linebacker Kaleb Andrus and defensive linemen Jayden Padgett, AJ Adams and Brodi Goudeau.
It wasn’t a great night for offensive statistics for the Indians as they played backups almost exclusively in the second half with a running clock following the 42-point lead.
Travis Adams rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, while Malone finished with 86 yards on 6-of-12 passing with two TDs and an interception.
BARBE 20, PINEVILLE 13
The Rebels (1-3) battled back from a 20-point deficit to get within one score thanks to TD runs by sophomore Ayden Tate and senior Ty Sanders, but they were unable to complete the rally.
After trailing 7-0 at halftime and 20-0 at the end of the third quarter, Pineville got on the board thanks to a 3-yard run by Tate with 10:17 left in the game. Sanders had a 34-yard run and Tate a 26-yard run on the drive to set up the score.
Witty extended the second scoring drive with two fourth-down scrambles to move the chains and get Pineville into the red zone. Sanders powered his way into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown with 5:30 to play in the game.
Pineville wasn’t able to get the defensive stop it needed at the end of the fourth quarter to get the ball back for a chance to tie or win, as a couple of penalties and hard running by Eric Jones Jr. allowed Barbe to run out the clock.
“We showed fight there in the second half, but we just squandered too many opportunities in the first half that put us behind the eight-ball,” Bell said after the game.
The Rebels marched inside the red zone on their first and final possessions of the first half but came away with no points, and they also had two drives ended by interceptions.
Tate had the best game of the season for a Rebel running back as he totaled 145 yards and a TD on 18 carries, and Sanders added 74 yards and a score on 10 carries.
BUCKEYE 55, VIDALIA 18
Jim Burlew continued to pile up yards and touchdowns, and Adam Brodnax turned in his most efficient performance of the season to lead the Panthers (3-1) to a Homecoming victory.
Brodnax finished 8-of-10 passing for 213 yards and three TDs, including two to Haidyn Boone, while Burlew rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns for his fourth straight 100-yard performance.
The Panthers led 19-0 after one quarter thanks to two Brodnax TD passes and a Burlew score, and Brodnax’s second scoring pass to Boone put Buckeye ahead 26-0.
Buckeye, which came up three yards shy of 500 on the game, also got touchdown runs from Kolt Vercher and Jesse Standlee, and the Panther defense held previously unbeaten Vidalia to 255 yards of offense in the game.