The Marshall Rams will face off against the Harlan Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Marshall, yet to win a game, are hoping to taste some of the success that has characterized Harlan's (thus far) undefeated season.
Marshall is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Sotomayor on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Rams took a blow against the WILDCATS, falling 63-7. The Rams were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-0.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Harlan). They blew past O'Connor, posting a 55-7 win. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 72nd, while the Panthers are ranked 612th) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Marshall better keep an eye on G'Ivori Graham. He was instrumental in Harlan's win, rushing for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine carries, while also picking up 116 receiving yards and one TD. Another player making a difference was Aldric Trotter, who threw for 240 yards and two TDs while completing 81.2% of his passes.
Harlan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 229 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Harlan didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Conner Smith and Taveion Ford. Ford got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Marshall's loss dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Harlan, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
Marshall took a serious blow against Harlan in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 49-7. Thankfully for the Rams, Caelan Grbic-Schultz (who picked up 95 receiving yards and one score) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
