Marcus Dowell Runs for Five Touchdowns in Malakoff’s 47-28 Win Over Westwood

MALAKOFF -- A battle of unbeatens in a District 11-3A, Division I opener proved a big night for Malakoff senior running back Marcus Dowell.

Dowell ran for 217 yards and five touchdowns on 15 carries Friday night to help the eighth-ranked Tigers stay undefeated with a 47-28 win against the scrappy Palestine Westwood Panthers before an overflow Malakoff homecoming crowd.

Dowell scored four times in the first half on runs of 2, 37, 41 and 8 yards to help the Tigers build a 33-14 halftime lead.

Dowell's 67-yard run with 7:15 left in the final quarter put the Tigers up 40-20 and enabled them to seal the deal.

Westwood wasn't without big plays.

Kaigan Baker scored on a 78-yard run late in the second quarter to pull Westwood win 27-14. He also had a 61-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to set up a six-yard D.J. Hicks touchdown.

Hicks scored the game's final touchdown with 4:48 left on a 39-yard run.

With Malakoff up 13-0 on Dowell's second score of the game, Steven Green had an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown wiped out by a penalty.

Malakoff improved to 6-0. Westwood fell to 5-1.

The Tigers are 6-0 for the seventh time in school history and for the first time in back-to-back seasons.

Westwood stays on the raod next week against seventh-ranked Teague. Malakoff travels to Elkhart.