Crossover Preparatory Academy walked into a buzzsaw last Friday as the Marmaton Valley Wildcats posted a 74-6 victory Friday.
After taking their first loss of the season the week before, the Wildcats got back to business against the Crossover Prep Lions, who trailed 46-0 by the end of the first quarter, prompting referees to end the contest at halftime.
“Sometimes you have humbling experiences, or bumps in the road, and it’s about how you respond to that,” Marmaton Valley coach Max Mickunas said. “Our guys did a great job of responding. We just want to be playing our best football at the end of the season.”
Tyler Lord, senior Marmaton Valley quarterback, seemed to do everything but the dishes last Friday. He averaged more than 27 yards per carry while rushing for 136 yards and three touchdowns. He completed two passes for 28 yards and a touchdown, while also intercepting a pass for a score as well.
“I just got confident and hit practice hard this week. That’s about it,” Lord said. “We’re ready to go. This was a good way to bounce back from last week. We were motivated to go forward.”
Lord was far from Marmaton Valley’s only standout. Had the contest not ended early, MVHS may have had three players rush for more than 100 yards, as junior Cooper Scharff and sophomore Kaden McVey reached 40 and 39 yards respectively before Mickunas pumped the brakes. Scharff attributed much of the Wildcats’ rushing success to the offensive line.
“We had a lot of confidence. We get it from working hard in practice,” freshman center Xander Finch said.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to a record of 4-1. The Wildcats take on district opponent Waverly (2-3) Friday. With games against St. Paul and Crest remaining, the Wildcats could secure a home playoff game with a victory this week.
“We heard all the talk about how we might fall off because we lost some players,” Mickunas said. “We’re undefeated in our league and heading into districts in the next few weeks. We’re pretty excited about that.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
