Southern Sports & Travel by Darron Thomas
After an unproductive first drive Marshall handed over possession to Leake via punt at the Rebel 26 yard line with 9:01 remaining in the opening quarter. Leake was forced to punt after three plays but the Rebels got the first break of the game on an unusual call that had many scratching their heads. Marshall’s Tyler Childers called for a fair catch on the Leake punt but upon receiving the ball Childers ran up-field and fumbled on the Patriot 33 yard line. Leake recovered the fumble and with flags littering the field they were given possession of the ball. It took Leake one play to convert as quarterback Grant Wilson hit wide-out Jake Wall with a 33 yard touchdown strike at the 7:33 mark of the quarter. Dylan Alford’s PAT gave Leake an early 7-0 lead.
(Above) Leake jumped out to a 21-7 lead after three quarters
Both teams would go three and out on their next possessions but Marshall evened the score when senior tailback Tyler Childers broke around the right end and ran 69 yards for a touchdown with 1:31 left in the first quarter. Chase Carpenter added the PAT to knot things up at 7-7.
Leake looked primed to retake the lead going into the second quarter. The Rebels had put together a 9 play drive that took them from their own 23 yard line down to the Marshall 15 with 10:43 left in the half. Facing a 3rd down and 15 Grant Wilson’s pass attempt into the end-zone was picked off by Marshall’s Elgin LaFever thwarting the Rebel threat.
Marshall took over at their own 20 yard line following the turnover and three plays later found themselves staring at a 4th and ½ yard. The Patriots decided to roll the dice but quarterback Hank Owens fumbled on the play and Leake recovered at the Patriot 30 yard line. It only took Leake four plays and less than a minute to take back the lead as Grant Wilson found sophomore wide-out Aaron Shepard on a six yard pass and catch. Dylan Alford’s PAT put Leake up 14-7 with 7:37 left in the first half.
Neither team threatened the remainder of the quarter and Leake took a 14-7 lead into the locker-room at the halfway point of the game.
Leake started the second half in prime field position thanks to a solid Joshua Mascagni kick-off return out to the Rebel 41 yard. Grant Wilson then led Leake on a 7 play 59 yard drive that was capped off when Wilson hooked up with Jake Wall on a 9 yard touchdown pass at the 8:58 mark of the third quarter. Alford’s PAT extended the Rebel lead to 21-7. Both defenses stiffened to finish the third quarter as the punting game took over and with very little going for them the Marshall Patriots seemed stagnant offensively as they struggled to protect quarterback Hank Owens from a strong Leake pass rush. 
(Above) Marshall quarterback Hank Owens (#5) hands to fullback John Tomlinson (#44)
As the final quarter started it seemed as though Marshall’s light switch went on. After a Leake punt pinned Marshall back at their 18 yard line just a minute and a half into the fourth quarter, lightning struck quickly as Patriot tailback Tyler Childers went right and served up an 82 yard touchdown run to pull the Patriots to within seven at 21-14. Leake appeared a bit shell-shocked as the Marshall crowd came back to life and promptly went three and out. A Dylan Alford 39 yard punt had Marshall setting up shop at their 38 yard line with 9:20 left in the game.
Highlighted by two Hank Owens scrambles that netted 15 yards Marshall moved down to the Leake 38 yard line. Tailback Josh Vanderburg rumbled six yards to the Rebel 32 but the drive appeared to have stalled at the Leake 31 yard line with 5:54 seconds remaining in the game and Marshall down by a touchdown. Facing a 4th and 8 Patriot head coach Keith Wicker decided to roll the dice again. But this time the result was different as quarterback Hank Owens avoided the Rebel pass rush in time to hit junior fullback John Tomlinson on a post route with a perfectly thrown pass to pull Marshall to within one at 21-20. Chase Carpenter converted the PAT to tie the contest at 21-21 with 5:49 left in the game.
Leake was unable to move after starting out their next possession at the Rebel 25 yard line. Three consecutive incomplete passes forced a 37 yard Dylan Alford punt that gave Marshall the ball at their own 43 yard line and 5:19 left. One play and eight seconds later the Marshall Patriots had their first lead of the night as Josh Vanderburg went up the middle and raced 57 yards for the go ahead score. Carpenter added the PAT to give the Patriots a 28-21 lead with 5:11 left.
(Above) Leake's Gib Brantley (#11) wraps up Marshall tailback Tyler Childers
Leake showed lots of resolve as the Rebels took the kick-off out to their 28 yard line and methodically moved down field. Grant Wilson hit Aaron Shepard for a quick 18 yards out the Leake 46 yard line. The two connected three more times the final one on a 12 yard gain to the Patriot 30 yard line with 3:46 remaining. Grant Wilson scrambled for 7 yards to the Marshall 23 yard line but a motion penalty on the next play put Leake in a 3rd and 8 situation from the 28 yard line with 2:33 left. Wilson dropped back to pass and was sacked by senior defensive tackle Will Patton for a big 12 yard loss back to the Marshall 40 as the Patriot fans went wild. Following a Leake timeout the Rebels failed to convert on a 4th and 20 when Grant Wilson’s pass fell incomplete.
(Above) Marshall's Will Patton sacks Leake quarterback Grant Wilson late in the game
Marshall ran out the remaining 1:42 to earn a second round home date with the Lamar Raiders.
On the Owens to Tomlinson 4th down touchdown pass to tie the game head coach Keith Wicker said “We just drew up a play in the sand during the timeout and Hank hit John on the post route.” On the momentum shift Wicker said “It looked like we were about to go down 28-7 in the third quarter but our defense held and that’s when the momentum started to change.”
Marshall rolled up 401 total yards on the night with 319 coming on the ground. Tailback Tyler Childers led the way with 216 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns.
Leake quarterback Grant Wilson had a solid night with 14 completions for 171 yards and three touchdowns and sophomore tailback Brad Hunter ran for 113 yards on 11 carries. Leake had 369 total yards on the night including 198 yards rushing.
Lamar will make the trip to Holly Springs next week. The Raiders were 35-0 winners over Oak Hill last night in Meridian. “Lamar is tough” said Wicker. “We have to play like we did tonight in the fourth quarter against them next week.”
It was a great playoff atmosphere at Marshall last night. The Holly Springs High School band performed at halftime and the hospitality and barbeque was something special.
