The Muskingum football team ended its season with a 24-14 victory against rival Marietta on Senior Day in McConagha Stadium on Saturday. The game also marked the annual Shriners Game between the Muskies and Pioneers. With the win, Muskingum moved to 5-0 all-time in the Shriner series.
Prior to the contest, Muskingum recognized seniors Alex Adams, Denny Ardman, Caleb Carpenter, David Carroll, Darius Coggins, Kevin Comerford, Shane Dotson, Josh Frederick, Erik Hall, Shawn Hannon, Josh Haase, Tristan Heath, Darell Jones, Frederick Lowe, Jared Penrod, Wes Rataiczak, Jon Soto, Hank Smith, Alvin Taylor, James Washington, Luke Weber and Evan Wiggall.
The contest saw senior wide receiver James Washington break the career receptions record held by former Muskie standout and current Purdue Head Coach Darell Hazell. Washington finished his career as the all-time leader in receptions with (133) and receiving yards with (2,145). Washington logged four catches on the day for 80 yards.
The Muskies looked poised from the beginning, as sophomore quarterback Cody Williams engineered a four-play, 68-yard drive that was capped off by a 15-yard burst into the end zone by senior running back Shane Dotson at the 4:57 mark of the first quarter.
The Pioneers quickly responded with a 77-yard, eight-play drive that ended when quarterback Tom Fulton found wide receiver Kirby Harris from nine-yards out to tie the game at seven.
On the ensuing kickoff, senior receiver Alvin Taylor changed the games momentum when he side stepped two Pioneer defenders and outran the rest of the kickoff team on his way to a thrilling 97-yard touchdown return. The kickoff return was the second longest in Muskingum history and put the Muskies back on top 14-7.
After a Pioneer three-and-out, the Muskie offense went back to work and orchestrated a four-play, 47-yard drive that ended when sophomore running back Melvin Smith rumbled in from 15-yards out. Following senior kicker Caleb Carpenter's extra point, the Muskies led 21-7 with 13:39 left in the half.
Marietta closed the gap to 21-14, after a five-yard touchdown scamper by Tim Conner with 8:29 remaining in the second quarter. The score capped off an 11-play, 83-yard drive. Conner led all rushers on day with 138 yards and one score on 36 attempts.
Carpenter completed the scoring with a 26-yard field goal at the 4:57 mark of the second quarter to give Muskingum a 24-14 lead heading into the break.
In the second half, the Muskie defense stood tall and stopped Marietta on a fourth-and-one and on a fourth-and-three with the ball in Muskingum territory to help preserve the win.
The Muskies ended the day with 341 yards of total offense, which included grinding out 261 yards on the ground. Williams finished the day 4-of-7 for 80 yards, while also adding 75 yards on the ground. Dotson rushed for 96 yards on 18 carries with one score. He ends his career with 1,005 rushing yards. Smith had 75 yards on 12 totes with a touchdown.
The Muskie defense was relentless all day registering five sacks. Leading the way was junior linebacker Damond Goggins and senior linebacker Erik Hall. Goggins logged 13 tackles, while Hall made 11 stops. Hall ended his tenure with 121 stops.
Also aiding the defense was senior defensive back Darell Jones and freshman defensive lineman Khalid Muhammed. Jones registered six tackles and one sack, as well as one forced fumble. He ended his career with 104 tackles and 21 pass break-ups. Muhammed made his presence known in the backfield tallying two sacks.
Marietta churned out 368 yards of offense. Fulton led the squad completing 15-of-26 passes for 202 yards and one score. Harris led the Pioneer receiving core with eight catches for 92 yards and one touchdown. Josh Llaneza had four receptions for 88 yards.
The Pioneer defense was led by linebacker Daryl DeWindt and defensive back Corey Hunsberger. DeWindt finished with 13 tackles and one forced fumble, while Hunsberger made nine stops and had one pass breakup.
Following the game, Muskingum's Taylor and Marietta's Conner were named the Shriners Most Valuable Players.