Bulldogs undefeated in district play
The Marlin Bulldogs football team traveled to take on the Moody Bearcats on Friday. Marlin obliterated the Bearcats 61-7 to stay undefeated in district play.
The Bulldogs started the game lightning fast and shut out Moody in the first half, leading 35-0 at halftime. Marlin continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring Moody 26-7 to win the game 61-7. Moody’s lone score came on a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in the game.
“Our big thing this week was to start fast,” Coach Ruben Torres said. “I think every game we’ve played up to this point, we’ve had a slow start on both sides of the ball really, but especially on offense. So, that was the challenge this week was to come out and start fast. I felt like we weren’t physical to start our previous game, so we came out with a big heavy package and decided we were going to run downhill. So, I think we set the tone offensively up front with our run game. We’re blessed to have four great backs (Mario Hopwood, I’aire Kee, Ja’marien Womack, and Jacorian Johnson). (Quarterback) Roderick Suitors is coming along in the run game. He made some big runs and some great decisions. So, we’re going to need all that going forward and we need to get our passing game going.”
In addition with a special teams fumble, the Bulldog defense was spectacular, allowing just 82 passing yards, six points in the game, and recorded four interceptions, one of them for a touchdown.
“I thought our front four played really well,” Torres said. “We got healthy, it’s probably the most healthy we’ve been this year up front. We’re still getting some linebackers next week, so that should help our box. But, really I just think (it’s) our effort and our speed now, and our kids understanding the scheme, but up front, those front four controlled the line of scrimmage all night.”
The offense was dominant throughout the whole game. Despite the one interception thrown, Roderick Suiters had a great game, throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown, along with rushing for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Mario Hopwood, I’aire Kee, and Ja’marien Womack were an absolute nightmare for Moody in the run game. The three running backs combined for a whopping 293 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
“I couldn’t be happier for those guys,” Torres said. “They’re so unselfish and they root for each other, and it’s the same way in practice as it is during the game. They all know they’re going to get their touches, and as a coaching staff, we couldn’t be any more blessed to have the depth that we have at running back. I think that’s a big asset that we have and we’ve got to maximize that.”
With this victory, Marlin has a record of 3-2 and a district record of 2-0. Up next, the Bulldogs will have a tough test ahead of them as they host the Crawford Pirates on Friday.
“I think you got to play a complete game for sure,” Torres said. “Crawford is Crawford. They’re very disciplined, they’re extremely well coached. They don’t make a lot of mistakes at all, if any. So we got to play our best game that week, but we got to play our game. We’ve played Crawford in the playoffs, we played them in the regular season last year, so the big thing for us is to not play the name. We’re going to have to go out there and play, they’re going to give us a great game. I’m excited to have that game at home and we look forward to it next Friday.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.