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| MARSHALL - The championship-bound Marshall Mavericks ride at the top of the standings in District 11-AA Saturday, the only undefeated team in the league, after a bruising 13 to 6 triumph over Longview Friday as Tyler fell before Kilgore Friday night by the same score.
The last time the Mavericks sought a district crown was in 1930 when the team was beaten in Greenville (in old District 8) in the mud, 8-0. The Thanksgiving Day game in Tyler, with the crown at stake, will start at 2:30 p.m. The Mavericks start their drills for the Lions with several mainstays crippled, grim evidence of a rough encounter with the Lobos, which eliminated Longview as a title contender. On the injury list were fullback Y.A. Tittle, tackle Dick Lindsay, quarterback James Power and halfback Byron Gillory. Tittle's injury, a knee, was considered serious and Coach Odus Mitchell feared that he may not start spending upon how he responded to treatment. He received the injury in the first quarter of the Longview game after being tackled when taking a flat pass when "Big Man" Grigg, 253-pound Longview tackle, jumped on him. Lindsay reinsured a shoulder, hurt in an earlier game and experienced difficult breathing Friday night. He was taken to a physician Saturday and it was considered hopeful he would be able to play. Power hurt a hip, but was able to get around while Gillory still limped from a wrenched knee, receiving in a workout last mid-week. Gillory is expected to be ready for action as is Power. Billy Dinkle, who was ill last week and left a sick bed to play Friday, continued to improve and is due to see service against the Lions. The Mavericks simply smothered the Lobos for three quarters before a crowd of more than 4,000 and the speed and deception, couple with some of the most alert ball-playing ever seen on an East Texas grid, kept Longview out of the game until the fading minutes of play. Then the Lobos started a drive that carried from their own 19 to the Mavs 12 before it was halted by end James Taylor who intercepted Jim Blakeley's pass. With one and one-half minutes left in the game, the Mavs dug in. Up until that time, the clean-playing, hard-fighting and charging Mavericks had not allowed Longview to make a single first down and kept the Lobos from penetrating deeper into Marshall territory than the 49-yard line, except when the visitors got a break for their touchdown in the fourth period. This was then Grigg blocked Tittle's punt on the Marshall five and Boyland recovered. Dunaway went over on the third try after Blakeley had been smeared twice. Grigg's attempted conversion was blocked by Bobby Furrh. The Mavericks opened the scoring mid-way through the first period on a beautiful 38-yard pass from Tittle to Gillory who ran 10 yards for the score. Power's try for point was blocked. The game was iced in the third when Power grabbed a pass off Boyland's fingers and returned it to the Longview 32. On the next play, Power spun and handed the ball to Furrh who picked up interference and scooted around left end for the touchdown. Power's placement was good. Marshall scored again in the second quarter but an offside penalty nullified the six-pointer. The scoring play was set up on a 25-yard pass from Tittle to Gillory, who was hauled in on the four but two plays later, Tittle plowed over. The game as a honey to watch and the Mavs, besides stopping the Lobo offensive threat, intercepted five Longview pass attempts and recovered two fumbles. All told, the Mavs were just too good for the Lobos and the forward wall of center Gerald Dossey, guards Charles Fry, Vernon Root and Bob Storey, tackles Dick Lindsay and Tommy Morris and ends Taylor and Roy Moore played the best games of their career. |