Maryville wins MEC championship, beat Lafayette 49-14
Oct. 22—Maryville spread the wealth en route to their first conference championship since 2019, beating Lafayette 49-14 on Friday at Scott Marriott Field behind a versatile offensive attack.
Maryville (6-3) senior Macen Shurvington spoke on being able to secure the MEC title for the first time in four years.
"It's a great feeling, we haven't won it since I was a freshman," he said. "So being able to secure that bag just feels great."
Playing against a Lafayette (0-9) team that struggled to move the ball, the Spoofhounds were unselfish on offense. Senior quarterback Derek Quinlin opened the game with three passing touchdowns in the first quarter to three different receivers, then called his own number for a nine-yard rushing score in the second quarter.
Shurvington, senior Drew Burns and junior Don Allen also scored on rushing plays in the second quarter.
But perhaps the most unlikely of Maryville's numerous scoring players was offensive guard Kort Watkins, who motioned into the backfield on a two-point play and bulldozed a Fighting Irish defender for a successful conversion in the second quarter.
He spoke on the play.
"Since I was little, I was always too big to run the ball and it was always a dream I've had to run it in," Watkins said. "Even though that was a two-point conversion, it was super fun to be able to run the ball. It felt great. I tried to keep the ball, but Coach Webb wouldn't let me."
With a running clock in the second half, Maryville didn't get much from their second team offense. The Irish, however, finally got signs of life late in the fourth from receiver Drake Losson. The junior caught a pair of long touchdowns from quarterbacks Antonio Williams and Jackson Compton, the second of which being an impressive circus catch that was bobbled multiple times.
Lafayette will end the regular season without a win, but coach Scott Finley has seen improvement during his first year with the team and wants to continue to see it into the postseason.
"They're really young, but the guys fight hard," Finley said. "They're getting better and we just have to keep building on that."
With the district as open as it has been in some time, Shurvington ruminated on the Spoofhounds' tumultuous season as they head into the playoffs riding two big wins.
"Towards the beginning of the season we did take a couple steps forward, then we took ten steps forward, then one step back and ten steps forward again," Shurvington said. "We're all clicking."
Lafayette and Maryville now await the Class 3 District 8 district tournament assignments.
Levi Smith can be reached at levi.smith@newspressnow.com.
