Lions reel off third straight win, down UMHB
MHU battles weather conditions for second straight week, emerges victorious.
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill football team (3-1) defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor (1-2) by a score of 21-7 Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight week, lightning delays played a role in the contest, delaying the game an hour and a half, ending up with a 2:30 kickoff. Despite the inconvenient circumstances, the Lions came out rolling in the quarter, going up 7-0 with under seven minutes to play as JR Martin punched home a three-yard run.
Early in the second quarter, Jack Hight's 24-yard field goal put the Crusaders on the board. Over seven minutes later, a botched snap on a Lions' punt attempt allowed the Crusaders to capitalize and force a safety, pulling within two points, 7-5, before entering the half.
The Lions, in the third quarter, struck twice. Ed Louis Jr., wide-open in the end zone with 5:18 to play in the frame, was on the receiving end of Martin's 26-yard strike, building the Lions' lead to nine.
With under a minute to play, a trick play saw Jon Gullette connect with Charlie Guinade for a 71-yard touchdown pass as the Lions went up by double-digits with 53 seconds to play in the frame.
Mary Hardin-Baylor, with 11:17 to play in regulation, recorded their second safety of the game, to cap off the scoring on the afternoon.
Despite running just nine more plays (71-62), the Lions doubled-up the Crusaders in total offense (406-203) with 285 coming through the air. Martin led all players with 191 yards, going 16-of-27 on the day.
Gullette combined for 204 yards of total offense; rushing for 83, throwing for 71, and pulling in seven catches for 50 yards. Louis Jr. led all receivers with six catches for 109 yards.
Defensively, Isaac Weaver led the Lions with eight tackles followed by seven from Cherron Holt. The duo of Dante Harbison and Russell Barnett each recorded six tackles apiece.
Mars Hill takes to the road for the first time in the 2025 campaign, returning to South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday, October 4 when they face Catawba. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
