It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact the Zane Trace Pioneers can now relate to. They fell just short of Purcell Marian by a score of 30-28. Zane Trace's defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Several Pioneers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Blake Phillips, who rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for five yards and a touchdown while completing 100% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Aaden Dunn, who picked up 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Jayel Harris was his usual excellent self, rushing for 246 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Sonny Ward was another key contributor, rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.
Zane Trace's defeat dropped their record down to 8-4. As for Purcell Marian, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season.
Zane Trace does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Purcell Marian will head out on the road to face off against Valley View at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Valley View knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past 12 contests -- so hopefully Purcell Marian likes a good challenge.
