Football Recap: Appalachian Falls Short of Marion County in the Playoffs + How To Watch

Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Appalachian couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They received a blow on Friday as they fell 28-13 to the Marion County Red Raiders. The Eagles were red-hot offensively heading into the matchup (they scored no less than 31 points in the four contests prior), but the Red Raiders' defense proved too tough.

Ian Putman

Receiving Yards

11/14/25 @ Marion County	82
10/24/25 @ Valley Head	65
09/19/25 @ Ider	48
09/05/25 @ Locust Fork	36
10/17/25 vs Woodville	31

Appalachian's loss came despite strong showings from Caleb Conn and Colton Caldwell. Conn picked up 89 receiving yards and one touchdown, while Caldwell threw for 365 yards and a pair of TDs. A healthy portion of that aerial production (82 yards to be exact) also went to Ian Putman.

Marion County's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kiptyn Adkins, who threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.1 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 90 yards and one score. Those 338 passing yards gave Adkins a new career-high. Marion County's leading receiver Ty Hollis was Adkins' top target yet again, picking up 151 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, while also rushing for 62 yards on only eight carries.

Having lost for the first time this season, Appalachian fell to 11-1. As for Marion County, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.

Appalachian does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Marion County, they will challenge Addison at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Red Raiders will need to watch out since the Bulldogs have now posted at least 31 points in their last three contests.