Maclay accomplished one goal and is now on to the next one.
On Friday night, the Marauders beat North Florida Christian, 43-20, to clinch their first district title in program history and improved to 7-1.
After completing its first task of the season in Arie Slone’s first year as head coach, he has no plans of slowing down.
“All I say is it has nothing to do with me,” Slone said after the game. “We have phenomenal kids. They are unbelievable. They come every day to work.”
NFC, on the other hand, has lost three of the last four games and fell to 3-4.
Maclay led 22-0 in the second quarter. However, turnovers kept the Eagles in the game and even cut the Marauders ‘ lead to one possession in the third quarter. The Marauders came up big in the fourth quarter when they outscored the Eagles 21-6.
Quarterback Beau Beshears’ deep-ball pass to receiver Tucker Poppell and an interception catch by Blake Brannen clinched the game for the Marauders.
“It has been an inconsistent up and down, like it has been all year,” Slone said.
“It started out fast and then, in the middle, it was not very good, turning the ball over and some stupid penalties, but then it finished strong. That’s who we tried to build as our DNA. It’s tough, physical and finish.”
Poppell, who had a two-touchdown performance, credited Maclay’s linemen for setting the foundation on the line of scrimmage and being the X-factor of the game.
“Definitely in the trenches. Our line better than theirs,” Poppell said.
“That’s what we’ve been preaching all week, if we can cover their receivers because they got some great receivers, but our line, they dominated.”
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s game.
Maclay’s defense bails out offensive mistakes
While Maclay was putting up points over the NFC, the offense had its fair share of errors. The Marauders gave the ball three times in the whole game, including two interception passes.
“Our goal is to always play physical, but also cause some chaos,” Slone said.
“I think we do a pretty good job of moving and stunting and getting the guys in gaps. Our defense has been pretty good this year.”
The defense held down the fort by not allowing the Eagles to capitalize on their takeaways, such as a blocked field goal inside Maclay’s red zone. They also generated three turnovers of their own, two of which came in the second half.
Maclay wins physical battle over North Florida Christian
While both teams were playing on both sides of the field, Maclay had the physical edge. The Marauders ran the ball effectively with the rotation of Brannen and Anthony Whitte III in the backfield.
Both are downhill runners that are hard to bring down. Brannen led with two rushing touchdowns. On the defensive side, got a sack and a pick to take down the NFC.
For Brannen to play both ways, it didn’t matter where he was lined up as long as he could make plays for his teammates.
“I love what I’m doing whatever my teammates need me to do,” Brannen said.
“I like to be that guy who I can put in there and tell to do something and do it for them. That’s what I like.”
Maclay looks to make a historic run
Maclay is on a mission, and winning the district for the first time was the first task at hand. Slone and his team have been looking at the bigger picture by winning here on out and having the best record in school history, even if the odds are against them.
“This is something I think not many of us around the committee thought we had in us, but from the summer, we said that this is our goal,” Slone said.
“We have phenomenal kids and an amazing coaching staff, as you can see, the guys put them in position.”
With two more games left to play, the Marauders are hoping to secure a high enough seed to earn home-field advantage, allowing them to make another run in the playoffs. The Marauders are tied with Saint Andrew’s with a .875 percentage.
“We want to win every game from here on out,” Poppell said. “Then make a deep run in the playoffs. That is the goal.”
The next game for Maclay is on the road against the undefeated Deerfield-Windsor next Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Maclay’s 2025 football schedule
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Maclay captures first district title on the road against North Florida Christian | Takeaways
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
