Marshall Mavericks (0-2)

vs.

Bossier City Parkway Panthers (1-0)

5 p.m. Saturday

Independence Stadium, Shreveport

 

Coaches
  • Marshall: Clint Harper
  • Parkway: David Feaster

 

Last week
  • Marshall: lost 26-14 to Longview
  • Parkway: won 55-13 vs. Shreveport Calvary Baptist

 

Next week
  • Marshall: at Whitehouse
  • Parkway: at Arkansas High

 

Playmakers

Marshall

  • QB Justin Hart, Soph. (29 of 38, 293 yards, 3 INTs)
  • OT Chett Munden, Jr., 6-5, 292
  • ATH Jaque Kuykendall, Sr. (2 rushing TDs)
  • RB Nolan Allen, Sr. (11 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD)
  • WR Marek Reyes, Sr. (10 catches, 108 yards)
  • ATH Deondre Osborne, Soph. (3 KO returns, 24.0 average)
  • K Emanuel Acuna, Sr. (3-for-3 PATs)

 

Bossier City Parkway

  • QB Brandon Harris, Sr., 6-3, 193 (committed to LSU; 16 of 28, 239 yards, 3 TDs; 4 carries, 28 yadrs)
  • WR Broderick Jefferson, Sr., 5-9, 156 (committed to Louisiana Tech; 5 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD)
  • RB Demetrius McAtee, Jr., (4 carries, 63 yards, 2 TDs; 3 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD)
  • RB William McKnight, Jr., 6-1, 180 (4 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 30 yards)
  • DT Alex Devine, Sr., 6-1, 304
  • DT Matt Harper, Sr., 6-1, 290
  • WR Cory Hamilton, Sr., 6-0, 180

 

Just the facts
  • Bossier City Parkway gained 514 total yards in last week's 42-point rout of Shreveport Calvary Baptist.
  • Parkway senior quarterback Brandon Harris, who is committed to LSU, holds 17 offers: the Tigers, Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.
  • Marshall head coach Clint Harper, who is in his first year leading the Mavericks, coached Leander to a 19-6 record during the last two seasons.
  • Harper is a Marshall graduate who played quarterback for the Mavs.
  • Marshall's first two opponents -- Kilgore and Longview -- outscored the Mavericks 68-21.
  • Marshall sophomore quarterback Justin Hart and senior receiver Marek Reyes, perhaps the Mavericks' best offensive combo, have also shared punting duties. Hart has punted twice for an average of 41.0 yards, while Reyes has punted 10 times for a 30.1-yard average.
  • Reyes has also returned seven kicks for an average of 17.0 yards.
  • Parkway's enrollment is 1,150 and the Panthers compete in Louisiana's Class 5A. That enrollment is equal to a small Class 4A program in Texas.
  • Marshall's enrollment is 1,583.

 

Key matchup: Marshall defense vs. Parkway quarterback Brandon Harris. The LSU-bound Parkway star will be one of the best players Marshall plays against this season. Harris can throw and run and puts defenses on skates with his playmaking ability.

Harris had a monster junior season to catch the attention of college programs across the country. He threw for 2,673 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 677 yards and 12 more scores during Parkway's 11-2 campaign.

Marshall, which put up a valiant effort as a heavy underdog against rival Longview last week, will need a similar defensive performance to stay in the game with the Panthers, who destroyed one of Louisiana's top small private school programs, Shreveport Calvary Baptist, in the season opener.

Don't be surprised if: Marshall fights early in the same fashion that the Mavericks did against Longview, but Harris and Parkway's offense prove to be too much.

Marshall will need significantly better offensive production than the Mavs have gotten in their first two games, when Kilgore and Longview have limited Marshall to only 191.0 yards per game. Marshall turned over the ball twice in each of those losses, including two fumbles in the Mavs' 146-yard performance in a 35-point season-opening loss to Kilgore.

One thing is certain: Harper and the new coaching staff have the type of difficult schedule that will more than prepare the Mavs for District 14-4A. Kilgore, Longview, and Parkway could all be primed for deep playoff runs in their respective classifications. While wins may be difficult to come by, playing those types of teams should only help Marshall in its rebuilding project to get the Mavericks back to where they were in the past.

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