The Warriors held a 28-14 lead entering the final quarter; however, Marlington scored 15 unanswered points as the Dukes rallied for the seventh victory of the year, 29-28. West Branch (4-5) had won three of their last four prior to Friday night's fourth-quarter collapse. Brenden Wells gained over 100 yards again (for the seventh game in a row) as he ran for 115 yards on 25 carries and 3 touchdowns (4, 2, 16) for the Warriors.
Marlington has dropped West Branch four consecutive times. Jesse Carpenter found Clayton Staib on a 15-yard touchdown strike to close the gap to 28-27 with 1:43 remaining in the game. Instead of trying the conventional kick, the Dukes decided to go for two. Alex Williamson came up big for Marlington as he snagged a Carpenter pass for a successful two-points to take the 29-28 lead.
The Dukes (7-2) finish the regular season with a 3-2 road mark.
West Branch will attempt to finish the season with a 5-5 record with a road test against Salem next Friday. Marlington is set to host Alliance.
