The Marlin Bulldogs are on the road again on Thursday and play against the Tolar Rattlers at 7:00 p.m. on November 30th. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Marlin walked away with it. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat the Bulldogs 46-14 on the road.
Marlin got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Mario Hopwood out in front who rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of I'aire Kee, who rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Tolar had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 46.4 points), and they went ahead and made it ten on Friday. They blew past Italy 61-28 on the road. Given Tolar's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 216th, while Italy is ranked 571st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tolar's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Peyton Brown, who rushed for 73 yards and three touchdowns. Kelvin Murray was another key contributor, rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries.
Their wins bumped Marlin to 11-1-1 and Tioga to 9-4.
Marlin took a serious blow against Tolar in their previous meeting back in November of 2022, falling 71-18. Can Marlin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
