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Home > ajcsportstalk > Archives > 2006 > December > 09 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLyons leads Marist
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marist held an advantage over East Paulding in tradition and playoff history coming into Friday’s Class AAAA semifinals at the Georgia Dome.
Once the game kicked off, it was Marist’s triple-option offense that the Raiders had the most trouble overcoming. The War Eagles rolled up 413 yards of offense for a 27-7 win and advanced to their sixth title game since 1960.
Fifth-ranked Marist (13-1) will visit unbeaten and top-ranked Northside-Warner Robins on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
East Paulding’s breakthrough season came to a crushing end. The Raiders’ 12-2 record was the best finish since the Dallas school opened in 1991. Before coach John Reid’s arrival from Tennessee, East Paulding had never made the playoffs, and its best finish was 6-4 in 1994 and 2004.
Reid won two championships in Tennessee, but beating Marist proved to be a daunting task. The Raiders had no answer for the War Eagles’ 218-pound fullback, Preston Lyons, who finished with 211 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
To keep East Paulding from keying on Lyons, quarterback Gary Marshall provided another option with 119 yards rushing and 38 yards passing.
The Georgia Dome had been a house of horrors for the War Eagles before winning a semifinal game in 2003 en route to the school’s second state title.
Marist had lost six of its past seven semis, including four of five in the Dome, before beating Thomas County Central there and winning it all against Statesboro in 2003.
The War Eagles cruised to a 13-0 halftime lead after collecting 255 yards of offense, 217 on the ground. As usual, Lyons was the workhorse. He rushed for 113 yards on 10 carries.
Marist established itself from the onset of the game with the opening drive. Marshall capped an 80-yard, 11-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive.
East Paulding, the runner-up in Region 5-AAAA, was never able to respond in the opening half.
With 10:03 remaining in the game, the Raiders finally gave their fans a reason to cheer. Quarterback Chas Henry, who will attend SEC champion Florida on a kicking scholarship, scored on a 7-yard run for the Raiders’ lone score.
Marist 7 6 14 0 — 27
East Paulding 0 0 0 7 — 7
M — Gary Marshall 3 run (Colin Gallagher kick)
M — Gallagher 28 FG
M — Gallagher 32 FG
M — Preston Lyons 13 run (Gallagher kick)
M — Marshall 29 run (Gallagher kick)
EP — Chas Henry 7 run (Henry kick)
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