MK-8 wins over Grand Ridge on the gridiron
By: Shelia Mader
The Marianna Bullpups hosted cross-county rival Grand Ridge last Tuesday and showed their experience early, rolling to a decisive 58-12 victory.
Marianna struck first when quarterback Joshua Ortiz connected with Jamarion Gilbert on a 29-yard touchdown pass. Zack Cotton powered in the two-point conversion, giving the Bullpups an 8-0 lead with just over six minutes left in the opening quarter.
Less than three minutes later, Cotton broke through for a six-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a Kaegan Truitt conversion. Truitt kept the momentum going with a 16-yard scoring run, and Jamiere Brown tacked on two more points. By the two-minute mark, Marianna was up 24-0.
Grand Ridge refused to fold. With under a minute left in the quarter, A.J. Johnson hauled in a 68-yard strike from Brady McIntosh to put the Indians on the board. The conversion attempt fell short, but the score tightened to 24-6.
Marianna quickly answered when Ortiz and Gilbert connected again, this time for a 79-yard touchdown. The Bullpups missed the conversion but still led 30-6. Grand Ridge responded with a big defensive play, as Micah Williams scooped up a fumble and raced 80 yards to the end zone. Though the conversion failed, the Indians trimmed the deficit to 30-12 by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with fireworks from Marianna’s Jeremiah Hill, who took a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 36-12. Before halftime, Brown added a nine-yard rushing score, and Kingsley Webb capped it off with a successful conversion to make it 44-12.
In the third quarter, Marianna’s defense made its mark when Caden Allen recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Graham Milton later punched in a 10-yard run, with Caleb Schaus converting for the final points of the night. The Bullpups closed out the 58-12 win in convincing fashion.
Marianna, led by veteran coach Jamie Goodwin, is looking to build on another winning season. Grand Ridge, under the guidance of Coach Wayne Turnmire, continues to grow with each game and is expected to finish the season with steady improvement.