The Marianna Bulldogs made it interesting for a while, but in the end, the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders were again too good.
The defending District 1-2B champions made it six wins in a row Friday night with a 35-19 victory ended the home-standing Bulldogs.
Marianna got off to a hot start, with a couple of Michael Mader touchdown passes giving the Bulldogs the other lead.
Mader`s 49-yard TD pass to Tre Jackson early in the 1st quarter tied the stake at 7-7.
The left-handed junior then found Jackson again for a 38-yard score on a 4th-and-2 play to do it 13-7 Bulldogs with 4:33 left until halftime.
But in what became a base for the night, the Bulldogs were unable to hold the Crusaders` Marquis Sumler out of the end zone.
The speedy senior, who scored Catholic`s first touchdown on a 22-yard run, scored again right before the half on a 2-yard run.
The special point put the Crusaders up 14-13 at the half.
Sumler scored from 17 yards out on Catholic`s first possession of the 3rd canton to have it 21-13.
The Crusaders then executed a successful onside kick to get the ball back for the offense, which quickly cashed in again.
Yet again, it was another Sumler touchdown, this sentence from 4 yards out, to have it a 28-13 Crusaders lead.
Marianna cut the track to 28-19 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Chris Bowers, but an interception return for TD by Christian Gayo salted the plot away deep in the fourth.
It was the fifth straight loss for the Bulldogs, who fly to 1-5, but coach Steve DeWitt said there were several positives to choose from his team`s effort.
"I believe it was a fairly good game for us even though we lost. It went a lot better than I believe most people thinking that it would go," the carriage said. "The boys played hard all the way through.
"We were in the game most of the way. We touched the football and played good defense. I`m really pleased with the kids. We only looking at it as a building block for us."
Unfortunately, it wasn`t enough to block the Crusaders, who proceed to show that they`re the squad to get in the district.
"They`re a full team, no doubt," DeWitt said of Pensacola Catholic. "They`re about what we expected. It`s only a typical Catholic team. I believe it will be a war between them and Walton down the road for the district championship probably."
If the Crusaders do add another district crown to the trophy case, it will almost certainly make a lot to do with the efforts of Sumler, who rushed for 226 yards and four TDs on 25 carries Friday night.
"He`s a fairly good back," DeWitt said of Sumler. "When he gets the football, you`ve got to tackle him. We`d get a script on him, but he can go around pretty good. He`s a very good one."
Catholic finished with 358 total yards of offense, while the Bulldogs had 245.
Mader finished the game 6-of-10 for 118 yards and two TDs, while Bowers led the Bulldogs with 50 rushing yards and a mark on 14 carries.
Jackson finished with 3 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs next play host to Blountstown on Friday at 7 p.m. while the Crusaders will host Escambia before facing off with Walton on Oct. 22.
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