The Nacogdoches Dragons''s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They had to suffer through a rough 70-40 loss at the hands of Marshall. While losing is never fun, Nacogdoches can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 304th, while Marshall is ranked 146th).
Loss or not, Nacogdoches got some senior leadership from Mikail Lockett who threw for 464 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 12.9 yards per attempt and Lajarian Leadon who picked up 206 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Leadon's longest reception was for an incredible 80 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of James Williams, who gained 88 total yards and a touchdown.
Marshall's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Collier Slone, who threw for 295 yards and six touchdowns on only 19 passes. Another player making a difference was Semaj Gatson, who rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Marshall's defensive line and their three sacks. Leading the way was Kaiden Rodgers and his two sacks.
Nacogdoches has not been sharp recently, as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-7 record this season. As for Marshall, their victory bumped their record up to 5-5.
Nacogdoches does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Marshall will be playing in front of their home fans against Whitehouse at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Whitehouse is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
