Football Recap: Easton Malone Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Compass Academy

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Merkel walked away with it. They enjoyed a cozy 35-18 win over the Compass Academy Cougars on Thursday. Merkel's victory was all the more impressive since the Cougars were averaging only 12.82 points allowed on the season.

Merkel got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Easton Malone out in front who threw for 183 yards and four TDs, and also rushed for 73 yards and one score. Malone also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing one fumble, making six total tackles (1.0 for loss), and defending one pass. Another pass catcher making a difference was Kaden Blubaugh, who picked up 80 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Merkel's defense and their four sacks. LaDainian Boalts was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.

Merkel's record is now 7-4. As for Compass Academy, with the loss, they broke their six-game winning streak and moved their record to 9-2.

As of now, neither Merkel nor the Cougars have any future games scheduled.