MARAUDER FOOTBALL HOLDS ON TO BEAT DESERT 48-42
Marauder Football was able to withstand a 29 point third quarter blitz by Desert, and ended the scoring with a 15 yard pass from Blake Shepherd to Alex Byers with 10:56 left in the game for the win – 48-42.
AVC gained 527 yards on the night – 393 of those on Shepherd's three touchdown passing night. Byers had two touchdowns receiving, bookending the scoring with the game's opening score, on an 11 for 190 receiving contest.
Dontell Reeves was the Marauders' top rusher with 120 yards on eight carries, including a 69 yard score that put AVC up 28-13 at the half.
The Roadrunners gained 251 of their 478 yards in the third quarter, where using a Marauder fumble and interception took the lead twice.
Still, the Marauders were able to counter within two minutes in both cases and at the end of the wild and wooly third, it was tied up at 42.
In the fourth, the Roadrunners lost a lot of their offense, gaining just a net of 44 yards and having 41 negative yards in the quarter. Part of that was penalties, but the Roadrunners had drawn the flag throughout the night. They were assessed 17 penalties on the night for 273 yards.
Desert's last possession ended eerily like the last game the two played in Palm Desert, except it was on the AVC 43 and not the one. Reginald Macon hit the line to try to get the first on fourth and one, only to be dropped two yards behind the line by Dakota Palmer.
The last time AVC was at Boone Field - in 2007, they required two goal line stands for the 18-13 win, including one with seconds left to win the Foothill Conference title.