MARION COUNTY 55, FORREST 14
The star: Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Sampson ran for three TDs and threw for another for the Warriors. He was 6-of-11 passing for 65 yards.Up next: Marion County hosts Austin-East next Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
CHAPEL HILL, Tenn. - It was clear after the game's first possession that Marion County's Warriors were going to have to make some adjustments.
And clearly they did.
After falling behind by a touchdown, Marion scored eight consecutive touchdowns and beat host Forrest 55-14 in a TSSAA Class 2A state-quarterfinal football game Friday.
Marion (12-1) will be at home in the semifinal round against Austin-East (12-1), which won its quarterfinal 20-13 over Happy Valley.
Forrest (11-2) received the opening kickoff and drove the ball 70 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead.
"They came out sky high," Marion County coach Joey Mathis said of the Rockets. "We had to make some adjustments. But we've got a good coaching staff that's good at that."
Aided by Hunter Zeman's 60-yard kickoff return, Marion answered in 2:46 with quarterback Isaiah Sampson keeping around left end on fourth-and-1 from the Rockets' 4.
"That's good when you're on the road," Mathis said of his team's response. "You can't let the momentum get too far in one direction."
The Warriors then forced a three-and-out, thanks in large part to the first of two first-half sacks by Ismael Avila. They ended up with four sacks in the half for minus-22 yards.
After a 22-yard punt, Marion drove 55 yards for the go-ahead score. Sampson flipped a swing pass to Jacob Saylors, who did the rest around the left side for a 12-yard touchdown.
Zeman's 7-yard run at the 6:15 mark of the second quarter capped the first-half scoring, and the Warriors went to halftime up 21-7.
They built the lead to 28 points by midway of the third quarter, but the Rockets showed signs of life when they hit Sampson while he was on the run, forcing a fumble that Jacob Jones scooped at his 29. Jones headed down the sideline toward the goal line, only to be chased down at the Marion 20 by Alex Kirkendoll - more noted for his prowess as a linebacker than on offense anyway.
Forrest ended up throwing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal at the 2.
"We give out heart-speed awards every Monday," Mathis said. "We preach things like hustle plays - plays that might not show up on the stat sheet. Of course, he's a Mr. Football finalist for a reason. You don't ever give up on a play. And they didn't score right there."
Mathis said Sampson, a sophomore, made a few mistakes, but bounced back from them nicely.
"I've come a long way," Sampson said. "But I can't do it without my offensive line."
Zeman paced the Warriors with 118 yards on 11 carries, and he added a 13-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Saylors got most of his 99 rushing yards on a 74-yard scoring run with 10:30 to play.
"We can be great at times," Sampson said, "when we play and execute everything right."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.