BATTLING THE BEST

Mastering Meridian: Class 2A, DII’s top-ranked Mart Panthers maul short-handed Yellowjackets, Meridian hosts postseason hopeful Wortham in District 10-2A, DII matchup

Facing a bigger and faster team expected to challenge for the Class 2A, Division II state championship, Meridian proved no match for the top-ranked and undefeated powerhouse Panthers as Mart mauled the shorthanded Yellowjackets, 64-0, last Friday night at Mart ISD Athletic Complex.

With the Jackets playing without three injured starters in the District 10-2A, Division II opener, Mart (1-0 in district, 5-0 overall) piled up 568 yards of total offense as Panther junior quarterback De’Montrel Medlock tossed four touchdown passes and ran for three more scores.

“We struggled in all aspects Friday night,” Meridian football head coach Jim Kerbow said. “But there were some bright spots. Joshua Nunez really stepped up for us Friday night filling in at the quarterback role. He really did a great job considering the task at hand.”

Engineering the Jacket offense in place of injured starting quarterback Matty Jones, sophomore Joshua Nunez led Meridian (0-1, 1-4) with 33 yards rushing while completing seven of 14 passes for 31 yards. But the Panthers threw the Jackets for losses on 12 plays as Meridian finished with only 67 yards of total offense. Freshman Walyn Sheppard led the Jackets in receiving with two catches for 25 yards.

“We struggled moving the football all night,” Kerbow said. “Mart’s defensive front was a force to reckon with. When the offense struggles to move the ball, it puts a burden on the defense.”

While the Jacket offense could not find any room to run, Mart scored on its first three possessions to take a 22-0 first quarter lead. Medlock completed 11 of 14 passes for 285 yards while rushing for another 106 yards. In addition to catching a 33-yard scoring strike, junior running back J.D. Bell led the Panthers in rushing with 138 yards and two touchdowns, while junior D’angelo Rhodes led Mart in receiving with four catches for 156 yards and two scores.

“We struggled defensively all of the night,” Kerbow said. “Mart’s offensive line and skill players were big and fast, and we could not control the line of scrimmage or tackle effectively all night.”

Defensively, senior Brayden Wehmeyer led the Jackets with six tackles, followed by sophomore Jesse Scott and Sheppard with five each, while junior Alex Rodriguez came up with a fumble recovery.

With a comfortable lead, the Panther defense made things even more difficult for Meridian. The Jacket defense provided Meridian with its best chance to get on the scoreboard by recovering a second quarter fumble, but the offense could not capitalize.

It doesn’t get much easier this week as the Jackets continue District 10-2A, DII competition by hosting the Wortham Bulldogs (1-0, 4-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Jacket Stadium after Wortham opened district with a dominating 63-0 victory over Hubbard (0-1, 0-5).

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football picked Wortham as the district runner-up behind perennial powerhouse Mart and ahead of playoff qualifiers Dawson (0-0, 3-1) and Hico (1-0, 4-1).

“Wortham is a good football team,” Kerbow said. “They are pretty big up front and have a few skill players that can get loose. But if we can eliminate mistakes, take care of the football and play fundamental defense like we have shown we can, it will be a competitive football game Friday night.”