Marshall Takes Out Pine Tree, 49-24 to Finish District Unbeaten

LONGVIEW – Friday night saw the Marshall Mavericks put the cherry on top of its district championship with a 49-24 win over the Pine Tree Pirates, making it 18 connecting district wins dating back to 2016.

Pine Tree out gained Marshall in total yards, 341-323 but the Mavericks had a fumble return for a touchdown and a kick return that went for six.

Keshawn Williams went 4-of-8 for 38 yards and one interception. D.J. Williams went 2-for-4 for 33 yards and one touchdown. Sylvandan Stewart had a large chunk of those yards as he ran six times for124 124 yards and a touchdown. Gabe Nelson had 25 carries for 84 yards.

Marshall passed for 197 yards and ran for 126.  J.J. Green went 7-of-8 for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jakobe Mitchell hauled in three passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. DeMarcus Williams had three carries for 54 yards.

Mavs running back Treylin Lewis got the scoring started on a 1-yard run that was capped off with a two-point conversion from Tahj Washington to make the score 8-0 with 8:08 left in the first quarter. Green found Savion Williams for the next score as the PAT was not successful, leaving the score at 14-0 with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter.

Keshon Williams got the Pirates on the board with a 12-yard run with 7:24 left in the second quarter but 13 seconds later, the Mavs added another touchdown. DeKendrick Bender received the kickoff and got to midfield before pitching it back to to Washington who took it the rest of the way. That gave Marshall a 22-7 lead.

Pine Tree’s Jose Vasquez made a field goal from 38 yards away before Dominique Williams punched it in from a yard out. That was soon followed by a defensive touchdown when Brevin Randle recovered a fumble and took it back for an 80-yard return, making the halftime score 36-10.

After halftime, Marshall picked up where it left off. Savion Williams and Green connected again, this time the roles were reverse as Green hauled in a pass from the receiver for a 35-yard touchdown. Moments later, Green found Mitchell for a 76 yard score, lifting Marshall to a 49-10 lead.

Pine Tree’s final scores of the game and it’s season came when D.J. Freeman found J.J. Spark man for a 28-yard strike and with just 20 seconds left on the clock, Stewart ran for a 91-yard run. That made the final score 49-24.

Marshall will enter the playoffs with an overall record of 8-2 and a district record of 7-0 while Pine Tree ends its season with an overall record of 5-5 and a district record of 3-4.

The Mavericks will face Rosenberg Lamar Consolidated (7-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mavericks Stadium.