By Chris Siers ~ sports@t-g.com
GREENBRIER — On a cold, dreary night that marked the regular season finale, the Marshall County Tigers (7-3, 5-3) grinded out a 17-7 win at Greenbrier.
The win was a bounce back into the win column after falling at Montgomery Central the week prior.
The game didn’t start as well as the Tigers had hoped.
After pushing deep into Greenbrier territory, the Bobcats (3-7, 3-5) intercepted Tiger quarterback Devonte Davis and set up shop on the Tigers’ 10-yard line.
With its back against the wall early on, the Marshall County defense answered the bell and forced a turnover on downs on the Tigers’ own 1-yard line.
Battling the elements, neither team was able to gain much of an advantage over the other through the remainder of the quarter.
It wasn’t until Demari Braden broke the score early in the second frame that either offense began to show signs of life.
Braden broke the plane near the eight minute mark of the second quarter, but the kick after failed, leaving the Tigers with a 6-0 lead.
Marshall County added to its lead later in the quarter on a Wyatt Joyce 33-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 9-0 lead at the half.
Marshall County padded its lead with Braden’s second touchdown run of the night on an 8-yard score with about seven minutes left in the third frame.
In lieu of kicking an extra point, the Tigers successfully added the 2-point conversion courtesy of a run by Davis to bump the advantage to 17-0.
Greenbrier responded in short order, barely two minutes later, on a 16-yard strike by Nolan Carson.
The successful kick after made it a 10-point game, but much like the first quarter, both teams struggled to keep the chains moving and the 10-point margin held through the remainder of regulation.
With the weather conditions affecting both teams’ offenses, the ground game was the biggest source of production for the Tigers.
As a team, Marshall County totaled 220 yards on the ground, against just 19 passing yards.
Braden was the top gainer on the ground. He had 111 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, while Davis chipped in 91 yards on 19 carries.
Through the air, Davis completed 7-of-11 attempts for 19 yards.
Kamon Dunnavant was the top Tiger defender, recording eight tackles and half a sack.
Braden also added a sack and two tackles as well.
With a fourth-place finish in Region 5-4A, the Tigers will pair up with the No. 1 seed Hardin County Tigers of Region 6-4A.
Hardin County opens the playoffs with a flawless 9-0 overall record. Hardin County’s enters Friday’s first-round playoff contest averaging over 40 points per game and allowing just over 7 per game.
In nine games this season, Hardin County (9-0, 5-0) has held opponents to seven points or less six times, with the closest margin of victory coming against Milan in the regular season finale in a 35-14 win.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Savannah on Friday night.
Marshall Co. 0 9 8 0 — 17
Greenbrier 0 0 7 0 — 7
Second Quarter
MC — Demari Braden, 4 run (kick failed).
MC — Wyatt Joyce 33 field goal.
Third Quarter
MC — Braden 8 run, (Devonte Davis 2pt. Run).
G — Nolan Carson 16 run, (Derek Taylor kick).
