Demopolis puts Marbury away early
Demopolis got optimum production out of its starters early and got them off the field before halftime in a 49-7 rout of Marbury in Class 5A, Region 3 play Friday.
“We talked all week long about getting on them in a hurry. We felt like we were the better football team,” Demopolis coach Stacy Luker said. “We felt like if we could just get on them fast and stay fast, we could get a lot of people in the ball game. That’s what we were able to do.”
Logan McVay hit Shakari Williams on a screen and watched the junior receiver take it 18 yards for the first touchdown of his varsity career to put the Tigers up in the first quarter.
“We needed to get him involved. I think we had thrown one ball his way in the first three games. Shakari is a weapon,” Luker said. “We try to reward him for his blocking a little bit. We know he is going to be big for us moving forward.”
Just 18 seconds later, McVay intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for a score to push it to 14-0. McVay than scored on a 4-yard run to set it at a 21-0 advantage after one quarter of play.
McVay scored on a 32-yard run in the second quarter before streaking down the Marbury sideline for a 42-yard touchdown sprint with 7:59 to play in the half, stretching it to 35-0. McVay then hit Tyler Jones in the end zone for a 10-yard strike just 16 seconds later to make it 42-0.
After A.J. Besteder fought his way out of the end zone and avoided a safety late in the second quarter, the Tigers faced an ominous third down with 21 yards to move the chains. Freshman Tyler Gamble took the ball up the middle, course corrected around a set of Bulldog defenders, broke a pair of tackles, lost both of his cleats and sprinted 99 yards for a shoeless touchdown. The sprint ties a state record held by many.
“That was a great run though. That was a great run. He popped out there, found his blockers and broke a couple of tackles,” Luker said. “We were just wanting a first down to get into halftime. That was a big run for Tyler. Good for him.”
Marbury got on the board in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout.
Gamble led the way with 154 rushing yards on 15 carries, the first 100-yard game of his career. McVay had 81 yards and three touchdowns on four carries.
Chance McVay and Matt Beckum each had an interception while Davion Williams recovered a fumble.
Demopolis (3-1, 2-0) travels to face unbeaten Calera in a key region contest next Friday.
