Brian Pointdexter leads North Marion past Preston, 37-19
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KINGWOOD - North Marion running back Brian Pointdexter ripped off a 33-yard touchdown run late in the half, then raced 80 yards for another backbreaking score midway through the third quarter on Friday night to lead North Marion to a 37-19 road victory against Preston High.
For a second consecutive week, the Knights (0-2) had a strong showing in the fourth quarter, but Pointdexter’s scoring runs provided the difference in the game.
North Marion (2-0) got on the board first when Gavin Floyd tackled Preston quarterback Rowan Cramer in the end zone for a safety, then expanded their lead to 8-0 on their subsequent possession when Kolson Brown's pass found a wide-open David Kucish for a 51-yard score.
However, Preston fought back early in the second quarter when Cramer connected with Kaleb Stone on a gorgeous post-route pass that Stone secured with a full stretch, fingertip snag. The Knights had a couple chances to get off the field late in the half, but Brown miraculously escaped from what looked like a sure sack for a first down scramble, followed by Poindexter's first score.
As the fog rolled into Knights Stadium, the two teams exchanged second half punts, but then the Huskies workhorse back took an inside handoff, burst through a hole, and sprinted untouched to bump the lead to 23-6. NM then perfectly executed a surprise onside kick and quickly scored on a 19-yard Brown-to-Kucish connection to make it 30-6.
Although North Marion scored again early in the fourth quarter, the Knights continued to battle, putting up two touchdowns on a 4-yard plunge by Zaden Peddicord and a 40-yard bomb from Cramer to Stone, who finished his stellar night with a dozen catches for 175 yards to go with his two TDs.
After the game PHS head coach Mark Deep recognized a significant improvement from his team from Week 1 to Week 2.
"That's when you hope your team makes the biggest jump forward, and that is what I saw tonight," he insisted. "We have eight new starters on offense and eight new starters on defense, so things are going to take time to develop. We have some young kids playing varsity ball for the first time, and there's a learning curve, a process.
"We tackled much better," he continued, "and I thought the defense did just what we asked of them in stopping the run, because that's what North Marion does best. Yes, we got hurt by some splash plays - they're kids, and mistakes are a part of the game – but we were much improved overall, and the defense stood tall for most of the game, no question."
Despite the loss, Deep remains relentlessly bullish about his team.
"They play hard every minute of every game," he smiled, "and that's a good identity to develop. We all know the gauntlet we have to run with our schedule, but these guys just want to play good, clean, physical football, and everyone is positive and together. We have been competitive against two good teams, and we will continue to push to get better, and hopefully string together four quarters of solid football next week."
The Knights host Class AAA powerhouse but surprisingly winless Fairmont Senior next Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Box score
North Marion 8 7 15 7 – 37
Preston 0 6 0 13 – 19
SCORING SUMMARY
NM–Gavin Floyd safety
NM–David Kucish 51 pass from Kolson Brown (kick blocked)
PHS–Kaleb Stone 30 pass from Rowan Cramer (kick blocked)
NM–Brian Poindexter 33 run (James Williams kick)
NM–Poindexter 80 run (Jackson Fluharty run)
NM–David Kucish 19 pass from Kolson Brown (Williams kick)
NM–Colton Campbell 42 pass from Brown (Williams kick)
PHS–Zaden Peddicord 4 run (Brady Taylor kick)
PHS–Stone 40 pass from Cramer (kick failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING: North Marion–Brown 5-11-0 110 3TD, Tucker Noechel 0-2-0 0. Preston–Cramer 15-25-0 213 2TD.
RUSHING: North Marion–Brown 7-29, Poindexter 18-153 2TD, Richard Blake 1-6, Jackson Fluharty 5-26, Nicholas Smith 2-11, Noechel 1-0, Julian Carter 1-3. Preston–Cramer 12-23, Zaden Peddicord 7-51 TD.
RECEIVING: North Marion–Kucish 2-70 2TD, Poindexter 2-(-2), Campbell 1-42 TD. Preston–Landon Adams 1-2, Stone 12-175 2TD, William Lilly 1-16, Jake Gibson 1-20.