For the second straight week, the Trigg County Wildcats found themselves inside the game’s final minute with a chance to win. And unfortunately for them, the Wildcats were on the wrong end as Marshall County handed the Wildcats a 28-27 setback at Purdue Field.
It was also the second straight week that Trigg was on the wrong end of a fourth quarter two-point conversion.
The Marshals scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:57 left on a four-yard touchdown by Kolten Winsett. The sophomore had four carries for 45 yards in the contest, with three of those coming on the go-ahead drive.
The Marshals opted to go for two points and the lead and were successful when quarterback Neyland Jezik ran it in for the 28-27 lead.
It was a case of deja vu for the Wildcats as Hart County converted a two-pointer inside the final minute of last week’s 35-34 Trigg loss at Perdue Field.
Down by a point, Trigg County used ten plays, nine of those runs by Ahmari Alexander, to reach the five-yard line with 13 seconds left. However, a game-winning field goal attempt was missed left, and the Marshals ran out the clock for their fourth straight win over the Wildcats.
The Marshals were methodical in running 62 plays to just 44 for Trigg, who used the big play capability to provide answers.
The Wildcats struck first as Davaree Gude took it around the right side for a 71-yard touchdown just two minutes into the contest.
Marshall County, which was unsuccessful on 4th down on its first two drives, answered with 3:05 left in the opening quarter and tied the game on a Jezik 12-yard run.
The Wildcats countered with an 11-play, 71-yard drive and took a 14-7 lead on a four-yard run by Gude. Trigg pushed their advantage to 20-7 when Caden Scott hit Peyton Williams on a short screen, with the Wildcat receiver spinning away from two defenders and going 93 yards for the touchdown. It’s the second time this year that Scott and Williams have hooked up on a 90-plus-yard touchdown.
Marshall County came right back as Jezik scored on a 10-yard run with 4:01 left in the half to cut the deficit to a touchdown.
Trigg County was unable to pick up a first down and punted the ball back to Marshall County with 2:08 left in the half. They needed just eight plays to go 54 yards with Jezik hooking up with Clayton Ordunez on a 16-yard scoring pass down the left sideline to tie the game at 20 at halftime.
Gude ran for 143 yards on 17 carries, but was ejected with three minutes to go in the third quarter when the referees indicated to the
Trigg coaches that he had thrown a punch during a skirmish that followed a tackle. Gude will also miss next week’s game with Hopkinsville.
The Wildcats fumbled the ball away four plays later, and Marshall County responded with a 15-play drive that ended at the Wildcat 20 when Jezik was sacked on 4th down.
Two plays later, Scott and Williams hooked up on a 70-yard scoring strike that gave the Wildcats a 27-20 lead with 6:26 left. The Marshals needed just four plays to take the lead with Winsett’s touchdown and Jezik’s two-point conversion.
It’s the first time in the 87-year history of the program that Trigg County has lost back-to-back one-point games. In 1991, Trigg County lost games by three, two, and one in consecutive weeks. In 1961, Trigg County won three consecutive one-point games.
Trigg County outgained Marshall County in yards, 450 to 363. Alexander added 88 yards on 14 carries, and Scott completed 8 of 12 passes for a career high 224 yards.
Peyton Williams had three catches for 182 yards and moved into seventh place on the school’s all-time list for yards receiving, receptions, and touchdowns.
However, for the second straight week, the Wildcats were bothered by penalties as 11 flags for 80 yards showed up on the Wildcat ledger.
Marshall County had 240 rushing yards, led by Jake Thomasson’s 154 yards on 22 carries. Jezik was 15 of 25 passing for 123 yards with Jett Jones making seven catches for 60 yards.
Trigg County was minus two in takeaways and hasn’t forced a turnover since its opening week win over Ohio County. Marshall County improved to 11-6 all-time in the series. Trigg last beat the Marshals in 2014.
Marshall County will play at Murray next week. The Tigers beat Graves County 32-14 on Friday night.
Trigg County will host Hopkinsville next Friday at Perdue Field. The game will be the first between the schools in 12 years and the last as Hopkinsville and Christian County are combining into one school for next year.
