Marshall Christian raced out to a 14-0 lead in its first-ever six-man football game, but was unable to withold Baytown Christian in the second half, dropping an 18-14 season-opening decision late Friday at Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport.
The Guardians' (0-1) Jared Shankle had a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to account for his team's points.
He finished with 214 rushing yards and also had 17 tackles on defense.
Shankle ripped off a 50-yard carry for a score on the second play of the game.
Marshall Christian let another scoring chance slip away later in the game, however, when it fumbled at the 1-yard line. Baytown Christian (1-0) slowly chipped away, taking over the lead in the fourth quarter after trimming it to 14-12 by the conclusion of the third.
"I think we played a team with a lot of athleticism," said Marshall Christian head coach Guy Barr. "They played hard all the way through the end. For it being our first football game, I thought they just lined up really tough with them."
MCA's Zachary Lastra passed for 15 yards and had six tackles, while Andrew Rosenquist ran for 17 yards and notched seven tackles. Stephen Cagle also blocked a punt, had three tackles, two quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery.
The Guardians caught an unfortunate break when starting running back Sam Lastra was injured on the second series of the game without having carried the ball yet.
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Contact the sports department at jbrooks@marshallnewsmessenger.com.
