Cam Evanich turned in a career night Friday, scoring five touchdowns as Marlington defeated Howland 38-20 to improve to 2-1.
Evanich found the end zone three times on the ground and twice through the air, finishing with 196 total yards. Quarterback Tyler Walder threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, both to Evanich, while Blaize Horn added 163 rushing yards, including a 75-yard touchdown run to put the game away late.
Back-and-forth early
Howland opened the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, but Walder answered with a 54-yard connection to Evanich. Lucas Williamson’s extra point tied the game at 7.
The Tigers reclaimed the lead on a 38-yard field goal before Evanich’s 5-yard rushing score put Marlington ahead 14-10 at halftime.
Dukes take control
Howland trimmed the margin to 14-13 with a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter. Evanich responded with a 1-yard touchdown run, but the Tigers tied the game at 20 early in the fourth on a quarterback sneak.
From there, it was all Dukes. Evanich caught a 69-yard touchdown pass, added a 36-yard scoring run, and Horn sprinted 75 yards for another touchdown as Marlington scored 18 unanswered points to close it out.
By the numbers
Marlington rolled up 438 yards of offense — 229 rushing and 209 passing — and 20 first downs while holding the ball for more than 43 minutes. Evanich led the way with 146 receiving yards on eight catches, plus 50 rushing yards.
Walder completed 17 of 25 passes with one interception. Horn averaged more than 20 yards per carry on his eight attempts.
Defensively, the Dukes forced two fumbles and limited Howland to 12 first downs.
