War Eagles Top Pirates 56-0

The result excited fans, players and Coach Alan Chadwick. On their second shutout of the season, Chadwick said, “We played well on both sides of the ball. Anytime you get a shutout, you have to be excited about that.”

In the first quarter, Marist offense dominated the field with four touchdowns, including a two-point conversion after one. Halfback Spencer Taylor picked up two huge plays- the first TD of the game with a 21 yard run and also a 59-yard run for his second and final touchdown of the night.

Will Pearson, as an offensive lineman, recovered a fumble for the second touchdown of the game. Halfback Nathan Maulding finished off the first quarter with a 44-yard reception from quarterback Sam Phelts.

By the second quarter, the scoreboard already read 29-0. Cameron Pearson and Michael Addicks added 14 more points in the following 15 minutes with a touchdown each.

In the second half and with a huge 43-point lead, starters took the bench.  “We had a good number of different people out there scoring touchdowns,” said Chadwick. “It was good to give people opportunities to play who had been there working hard all along.”

The lead gave a number of different Marist players a chance to get on the field. Defensive lineman Brendan Burke recovered two fumbles on defense.

According to Chadwick, Conner Bolton, who recently returned to Marist from Dallas, Texas, gave the War Eagles more depth at linebacker. “Michael Addicks at fullback [is] continuing to do well at that position, as is Jack Dinges at quarterback,” Chadwick said.

Both Will Goldberg and Ryan Pepperman picked up a touchdown each in the second half, making the final score 56-0.

It also provided the War Eagles with time to work on some of the team’s weaknesses. “It was an opportunity for us to work on things we had not been executing very well,” Chadwick said. “We got to pass the ball and gain some confidence in that area.” The passing game did improve this week, with a 71 percent completion rate compared to last week’s 38 percent.

It was a tough night for Stone Mountain High School, who accumulated 130 yards throughout the game.

The final score was 56-0.

By Lily Holmes For The Crier