Macailyn Wilder Leads Hallsville’s 48-23 District-Opening Win Over Marshall

[By Jeff Henderson, Special to ETSN.fm]

HALLSVILLE -- Senior quarterback Macailyn Wilder opened district play for the Hallsville Bobcats in dramatic fashion against Marshall.

Hallsville notched a 48-23 victory against Marshall on Friday night as Wilder piled up 230 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

Wilder added a fourth touchdown in the air to Andre Jones. The Mavericks’ defensive line could not contain the Bobcats’ zone-read offense and Wilder’s quarterback keepers.

Hallsville improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in District 14-4A. Marshall fell to 1-5, 0-1.

Hallsville struck first in the middle of the first quarter on a Wilder-to-Jones 12-yard touchdown on a fade pass to the back right corner of the end zone. The Mavericks made it a game with seconds left in the first on a Jauque Kuykendall 11-yard touchdown run set up by a 62-yard strike down the middle of the field by Marshall sophomore quarterback Justin Hart to Mitchell Leonard.

Hallsville’s Wilder took advantage of the ensuing kickoff return’s good field position to score again 20 seconds later on the second play of the second for a 14-7 Bobcat lead. After a Marshall field goal by Emanuel Acuna closed the gap 14-10, Hallsville quickly and convincingly took control of the game with three touchdowns.

Two of the touchdowns were courtesy of Wilder runs, the first an 18-yard scamper, and the second a 43-yard quarterback sweep set up by a Jacori Crayton interception.

The third touchdown was courtesy of Hallsville's defense. Tyler Martinez forced a fumble with a vicious hit on Hart and and Dwayne Johnson scooped and scored from 44 yards for a 35-10 advantage.

Marshall’s Hart went 14 of 30 for 197 yards and an interception. Marshall used a bevy of running backs led by Kuykendall’s 13 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown, and complemented by underclassmen Deondre Osborne, who ran seven times for 57 yards. Senior Nolan Allen, on light duty due to an injury earlier in the season, also had a solid night with nine rushes for 58 yards.

The Bobcats’ tailback response was junior speedster Khalil Sneed, who rushed 16 times for 138 yards. The Bobcats outgained the Mavericks 440-385. Marshall won the turnover battle 4-2, but scored only seven points off those four takeaways, whereas the Bobcats scored off of both of their turnovers.

Marshall committed 11 penalties for 100 yards.

Next week, Hallsville hosts district rival Pine Tree and Marshall hosts Mt. Pleasant.