Marshall Christian Academy finished its scrimmage schedule strong by dispatching Fulton and Balch Springs on Saturday in Balch Springs.

The Guardians defeated each team 8-0 in a live, eight-minute quarter. They also defeated Fulton 32-0 in a controlled portion of the scrimmage.

"The boys are very excited," said head coach Guy Barr. "They're bonding, coming together as a team. We're seeing some good team leadership, so we're real happy about that."

Barr said the team, which is in its inaugural season, is handling the installation of its offense and defense well heading into the start of the regular season this week.

Marshall Christian will open its regular season with a 7 p.m. game against Baytown Christian on Friday at Calvary Baptist in Shreveport, La.

On Saturday, the Guardians showed improvement in its passing attack, as Jared Shankle and Zack Lastra combined to complete 3 of 4 passes for 120 yards.

Half of those yards came when Shankle connected with Lastra for a 60 yard touchdown pass.

"Our passing attack was a lot better," Barr said.

Shankle added a 20-yard run for a score and a touchdown on a 40-yard screen pass during the scrimmage, while running back Sam Lastra had a 60-yard score on a run around the left end and a 30-yard score on a rollout pass play.

Zack Lastra also added a 30-yard touchdown on an interception return.

One of the things Barr was most excited about, however, was the Guardians' special teams play.

Marshall Christian was a perfect 4-for-4 on its point after attempts, which it was implementing for the first time.

Shankle connected on all four kicks, which are worth two points in six-man play.

"It was the first time we had kicked an extra point," Barr said.

"That may seem like a small thing to others, but it was a big thing to us."

Barr said because of the quick manner in which the players have picked up the offense, they will begin to introduce new aspects to their offense as the season approaches.