Mingus Union High School football took a stand against defending state champions Blue Ridge High School in the Marauders season opener, but the Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets went home with the victory.
Blue Ridge beat the Marauders 16-13 in a strong defensive battle throughout the entire game on Friday, Aug. 24 at MUHS.
“Defense did a great job,” Marauders head coach Bob Young said. “They kept us in the game in the first half. They got a little tired in the second half but our D gave us that hold that gave us a chance to win the game-all you can ask for is a chance.”
Blue Ridge had a series of long drives, thus controlling the line of scrimmage for a good chunk of the game. Yet the Marauders defense stopped the Yellow Jackets in big defensive plays, including two sacks from Zach Pelletier and Greg Charles. Blue Ridge averaged 40 points per game last season and they only scored 16 on Friday night.
A bad snap on a Marauders punt in the endzone led to a blocked punt and the first score of the game: a safety for the Yellow Jackets.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 29, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
