Marshall takes North State in thriller

Southern Sports & Travel

If one hadn’t known any better last night’s Class AA North State Championship game between North Delta and Marshall could have been taken from a movie script and when it was all over the old cliché “you can’t make this stuff up” was fitting. Fourth ranked Marshall spotted second ranked North Delta a 21-0 lead in the first half but roared back with 23 straight points to claim a 23-21 white knuckler in Batesville.

Marshall senior Roy Billions kicked a 23 yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining in regulation to send the Patriots into next Friday’s Class AA State Championship game against Brookhaven.

The finish was extraordinary due to one amazing stat, this was Billions first field goal of the season.

“I told him to be ready on that last drive,” said Marshall head coach Bart Jenkins. “He looked nervous when I sent him out but he came through like I knew he would.”

Jenkins knew Billions would make the field goal because of a dream he had the night before. “I actually dreamed we would come down and kick a field goal to win it and we did,” said Jenkins as he shook his head following the game.

Jenkins’ prophetic dream was at risk of turning into a nightmare early in the game as North Delta looked to run away in the first half.

A low snap on a Marshall punt resulted in Aaron McAlexander scrambling to the Patriot 26 yard line, four yards short of a first down, giving North Delta advantageous field position with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter.

The Greenwaves wasted little time in cashing in on the Patriot miscue as quarterback Tyler Pirtle burst through the right side and raced 26 yards for the first score of the night with 2:44 left in the opening quarter. William Dean’s PAT gave North Delta a 7-0 lead.

Marshall only had possession of the football for three plays before a Dakota Dailey fumble was recovered by North Delta defensive lineman Hunter Pitcher at the Patriot 42 yard line.

North Delta cashed in on the turnover and would cap an eight play, 42 yard drive on the second play of the second quarter when Taylor Morris plowed in from two yards out at the 11:49 mark. Dean added the PAT as North Delta extended their lead to 14-0.

North Delta would score again on their very next possession and this time it looked to have taken the air out of the visiting Patriots.

Facing a third and 24 from the North Delta 10 yard line quarterback Tyler Pirtle connected with Austin Hagstrom for a 90 yard touchdown pass after Hagstrom managed to get behind a Marshall defender to haul in the football. William Dean added the PAT and with 4:17 remaining in the first half Marshall was looking at a 21-0 deficit but the Patriots would get a much needed boost on the ensuing possession.

After quarterback Dakota Dailey connected with wide-out Randy Love for a short 4 yard gain to the Marshall 35 yard line Dailey hit senior wide-out Aaron McAlexander for a 65 yard touchdown pass to get the Patriots on the board with 3:19 left until intermission.

Billions’ PAT went wide left and Marshall would head into halftime down by 15 points at 21-6.

Marshall would pull to within a touchdown of North Delta on the Patriots second possession of the third quarter.

Dailey would step up in the pocket and deliver a strike to Aaron McAlexander on a crossing pattern and the senior wide-out did the rest as he sprinted into the endzone to finish off a 39 yard touchdown pass with 1:29 left in the quarter. Dailey then went right on a 2-point attempt and bulled his way into the endzone to pull the Patriots to within a touchdown at 21-14.

North Delta would move into Marshall territory on their next possession but the Greenwaves would stall at the Patriot 49 yard line after a fourth down pass from Tyler Pirtle went incomplete with 10:40 left in regulation.

Eleven seconds later the Marshall faithful were in hysteria as sophomore tailback Devin McGreger broke through the North Delta line and out-raced everyone 51 yards to pay-dirt to pull Marshall to within one point at 21-20 but Billions’ PAT went low and was deflected leaving the Patriots trailing by a point.

North Delta looked to retrieve a bit of much needed momentum and after moving to the Marshall 32 yard line in 7 plays the Greenwaves looked primed to preserve a win but the drive fizzled as a 15 yard unsportsmanlike infraction would ultimately force a fourth and 10 from the Marshall 34 yard line two plays later. That fourth down would be one of the turning points of the night as Tyler Pirtle’s pass went incomplete giving Marshall the football at the Patriot 35 yard line with 5:28 remaining in regulation.

Marshall got the start they needed as they began the drive with a 15 yard pickup from tailback Devin McGreger out to midfield. Two plays later McGreger moved the Patriots into North Delta territory with a 4 yard dive to the Greenwaves 46 yard line. After a motion infraction pushed Marshall back to their own 49 yard line sophomore quarterback Dakota Dailey made a game saving scramble.

Facing a third and 11 Dailey dropped to pass and was immediately forced to elude two North Delta defenders who looked to have Dailey cornered in the backfield. Dailey broke away from a near sack and scrambled around the right side all the way to the North Delta 29 yard line.

Devin McGreger picked up 9 yards on a first down carry to the Greenwaves 20 yard line and Zack Pritchett rumbled another 9 yards to the North Delta 11 but the North Delta defense stiffened and would force a Marshall timeout with 18 seconds remaining in regulation and the Patriots facing a fourth and six from the Greenwaves 7 yard line.

Enter senior Roy Billions who split a 23 yard field goal through the uprights with 13 seconds left garnering a thunderous explosion from the Marshall crowd and pandemonium on the Patriot sidelines. 

“I knew it was going through,” said Billions. “I had to be ready when my number was called and I had to believe in myself and I came through for my team. We’re all brothers out on the field and we all believe in each other.”

Marshall improves to 11-2 and will face Brookhaven for the state championship on Friday at Millsaps College. Brookhaven defeated defending Class AA Champion Simpson 21-17 on Friday night.

Devin McGreger rushed for 121 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown for Marshall. Dakota Dailey passed for 144 yards and two touchdowns and senior wide-out Aaron McAlexander had 6 receptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore defensive back Von Watson led a Marshall defense that held North Delta quarterback Tyler Pirtle to 61 yards on 24 carries with 12 tackles. Linebacker Zack Pritchett had 10 tackles and the Patriot defense recorded 7 sacks on the night.

Marshall will be making their third state championship appearance and will be looking for the school’s first state title in football.

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Post Game with Marshall Head Coach Bart Jenkins

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