(GREENVILLE, Ky.) — Marshall County pulled off a thrilling upset Friday night, edging past Muhlenberg County 23-21 in a pivotal Class 5A, District 1 battle that breathed new life into their playoff hopes.
The visiting Marshals (3-3, 1-1 district) arrived as underdogs against a surging Mustangs squad that entered the Week 6 clash at 4-1 and firing on all cylinders. Muhlenberg County had been imposing its will on opponents with a potent offensive attack averaging 30.4 points per game, while its defense had been equally impressive, surrendering just 15.4 points per contest.
Marshall County came in carrying a different narrative—an explosive offense averaging 28 points per game offset by defensive woes that had them giving up 39.2 points per outing.
With both teams hungry for a critical district victory, the stage was set for a shootout. The first half delivered, with the Marshals and Mustangs trading blows to a 14-14 stalemate at halftime.
Marshall County found its footing after intermission, though, dominating the second half 9-7 to claim a gutsy two-point road victory.
The win pulls the Marshals back to .500 on the season and vaults them into a tie for third place in the district standings alongside Owensboro Apollo.
Marshall County will aim to ride this wave of momentum into this Friday’s road date with the Owensboro Red Devils (4-2), who currently share the district lead with Madisonville-North Hopkins. The showdown represents another vital opportunity for the Marshals to solidify their playoff positioning in what’s developing into a tightly contested District 1 race.
MARSHALL COUNTY TEAM STATISTICS
Offense: 224 rushing yards, 188 passing yards
Defense: Allowed 188 rushing yards
PASSING
Senior QB Neyland Jezik completed 19 of 28 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns.
RUSHING
- Sophomore Kolten Winsett led the ground game with 20 carries for 93 yards and one touchdown
- Senior Kayson Holland added 44 yards on eight attempts with one touchdown
- Jezik contributed 45 yards on eight carries with one score
- Sophomore Jake Thomasson had 38 yards on five attempts
RECEIVING
- Senior Kamren Brown hauled in four catches for 63 yards and one touchdown
- Senior Ethan Webber caught six passes for 59 yards and one score
- Sophomore Jett Jones added four receptions for 31 yards
- Senior Kaden Mohler grabbed three catches for 29 yards
- Senior Aiden Roy had one catch for eight yards
- Junior Carter Rudd caught one pass for negative two yards
SCORING SUMMARY
Total Points: 23
- Jett Jones: 1 receiving TD (6 points)
- Neyland Jezik: 1 rushing TD (6 points)
- Kamren Brown: 1 receiving TD (6 points)
- Junior Brayden York: 1 field goal, 1 PAT (4 points)
- Freshman Thatcher Newnum: 1 PAT (1 point)
SPECIAL TEAMS
- York: 1-for-2 on field goals, 1-for-2 on PATs
- Newnum: 1-for-1 on PATs
DEFENSE
- Junior Carson Fogg: 8 solo tackles, 2 assists (10 total)
- Senior Deegan Croley: 6 solo tackles (6 total)
- Kamren Brown: 4 solo tackles, 1 assist (5 total)
- Senior Cheston Townsend: 2 solo tackles, 3 assists (5 total)
- Senior Wyatt Holley: 3 solo tackles, 1 assist (4 total)
- Senior Clayton Ordunez: 2 solo tackles, 1 assist (3 total)
- Kolten Winsett: 2 assists (2 total)
- Senior Grant Franklin: 1 solo tackle, 1 assist (2 total)
- Junior Kaden Merrick: 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 sack (2 total)
- Sophomore Jerreck Harris: 1 solo tackle, 1 assist (2 total)
Team totals: 28 solo tackles, 13 assists, 41 total tackles, 1 sack