Raiders put down Bulldogs 48-35

VERNON — The Marion County Raiders beat the Lamar County High School Bulldogs on the road 48-35 on Friday night, Nov. 1.
The Raiders scored one touchdown in the first quarter and were matched by the Bulldogs for a 7-7 tie.
The Raiders responded with a 59-yard rushing touchdown from Samuel Taylor. Tye Madison crossed the goal line afterward for 2 more points, putting the Raiders ahead 15-7 with about five minutes to go in the first quarter.
The Raiders and Bulldogs both came up short on their next possessions in the first quarter, with the Raiders holding the ball as the second quarter began thanks to an interception by Madison.
With 4:27 remaining in the second quarter, Madison broke through and scored on a 49-yard touchdown run. With the extra point, the Raiders held a 22-7 lead.
After the Raiders’ defense held the line and forced a punt, they scored again with 1:29 before the half.
Madison pitched the ball to Taylor, who threw the pass to Ty Hollis who scored the touchdown. The extra point was good once more, sending the Raiders ahead 29-7.
The Raiders kicked off, and the Bulldogs took over first and 10 at their own 16-yard line.
That was when Lamar County’s Bobby Austin Westbrook broke away from the pack and scored on an 81-yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs added 2 more points after that, leaving the score at 29-15 going into halftime.
The Bulldogs kicked off to open the second half. They went for the onside kick, and they got it.
Starting at first and 10 from their own 48, the Bulldogs made quick progress, and finally scored with 8:01 to go in the third quarter. The 2 point conversion attempt failed, but the Bulldogs were catching up now at 29-21.
The Raiders were first and 10 on the Bulldogs’ 49-yard line. On second down, Hollis caught a pass to move the chains.
From the 31-yard line, the Raiders started to lose yards, but on third and long, Hollis scored on a 38-yard rushing touchdown. With another good extra point kick, the Raiders widened their lead 36-21 with 5:06 to go in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs’ next drive almost ended on fourth down, but the Bulldogs went all in and completed a deep pass to Ja’quavious Long to get the first down.
From there, they made it all the way to the Raiders’ 1-yard line, where Westbrook scored again. The 2 point conversion attempt was broken up, leaving the Bulldogs behind 36-27 with 23.4 seconds left until the fourth quarter.
The Raiders had the ball second and four just across the 50-yard line in Bulldog territory, when Omarion Smith scored a 45-yard rushing touchdown. After failing to earn any extra points, the Raiders were still leading 42-27 with 11:49 left in the game.
The Bulldogs kept up the pace and quickly advanced into Raider territory, ending up first and 10 on the Raiders’ 20-yard line.
Nolan Gottwald ran up the middle and broke through the line to score Lamar County’s final touchdown on the night, leaving the score at 42-35.
Marion County’s final touchdown came a few minutes later when Taylor took the ball and jumped over a defender into the end zone. The PAT was no good, but with 4:04 to go the Raiders had sealed the deal with a 48-35 lead that held until the buzzer sounded.
The Raiders end their season with an overall record of 5-5, and a region record of 3-4.