Maryville puts away Savannah again to claim C3D8 title

It was a big night for the Maryville Spoofhound football team. Not only did the Hounds put away MEC rival, the Savannah Savages, in a 34-12 contest November 9 that awarded them the Class 3 District 8 title, but there were some big numbers involved.

This district title marked the 12th straight for the Spoofhounds, continuing a streak carried since the seniors were in first grade.

“I asked those seniors if they remembered who their first grade teachers were, and many of them didn’t,” Webb said. “That’s just the type of winning culture we want to have in this program.”

The win at the Hound Pound also marked the 60th straight home win, also meaning that even the seniors don’t know what it’s like to lose a home game since that streak goes well beyond their years in high school.

While the score shows that Maryville eventually had their way, the W didn’t come easy because the Savages went down fighting.

It was a defense-controlled game early on as both teams fought the bitter cold and the snowy field conditions as well as top-notch defense from the other side. Trading possessions made up the entire first quarter, which ended in blanks for both sides.

Back-to-back fumbles by Maryville led to short field recoveries by Savannah, who made the most of the second one with a touchdown with just under two minutes remaining in the first half to take a 6-0 lead due to Maryville blocking the extra point attempt.

Maryville’s final drive of the half was saved by a screen pass from Eli Dowis to Tyler Houchin who trucked his way into the 15 yardline. One play later and a diving catch by Deon Metezier from Dowis tied the game up at 6-6 with just seconds remaining as the teams entered halftime all tied up.

Savannah got into a scoring opportunity first in the second half, attempting a field goal kick late in the third quarter. A block fell into the hands of Trey Houchin who marched it back to midfield before being brought down. The spark was just what Maryville needed, and the drive resulted in a 36-yard touchdown pass from Dowis to Tyler Houchin to double the lead to 12-6 into the fourth quarter.

Maryville’s momentum continued into the fourth quarter as Dowis scored on a quarterback keeper up the gut for a 20-6 advantage. That lead grew midway through the fourth quarter when Dowis connected with Metezier for the second time of the game, this time on a 57-yard bomb to make it 26-6. Savannah struck back with a huge kickoff return for a touchdown  to score their second and final score of the night.

With Oglesby taking over as quarterback, the Savages had a hard time adjusting to the continued changes in Maryville’s offense, and the senior made his way untouched for a 39-yard touchdown to put the final nail in the coffin against Savannah with 4:52 left in the game as the Hounds went up to 34-12.

“A winning team takes guys who are willing to step up to the challenge and becoming adaptable to position changes,” Webb said. “We’ll have some guys back next week, which will make our lineups even stronger.”

Despite four fumbles that all resulted in turnovers, Maryville overcame and even got a turnover back late with an interception from Dowis.

Dowis finished the night with 253 passing yards and Tyler Houchin ended the night leading the team on the ground with 73 yards.

The district title win puts Maryville in the state championship bracket where they will host Odessa at 1 pm on November 17.