From Staff Reports
BLOOMING GROVE — The Malakoff Tigers took care of business Friday night to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 35-22 win over the Blooming Grove Lions.
The win makes Malakoff 7-2 on the season and 4-1 in District 14-2A. Blooming Grove dropped to 1-7 and 1-4.
The Tigers are in a must-win situation against Kerens Friday night. If they lose, they would miss the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers will be looking for their first win against Kerens since 1991.
Malakoff scored the first three touchdowns of the game well into the second quarter on a 20-yard Jackson Blacketer run, a seven-yard plunge from Cornelius Richardson and a six-yard scoring run from Bernard Hall.
With 54 seconds to go in the first half, Blooming Grove got on the board when DaVante Starlings ran it in from a yard away. Trey Davis ran in the conversion and Blooming Grove Narrowed the lead to 21-8 to end the half.
The Lions found paydirt first in the second half when they scored on a 45-yard touchdown run. Jordan Tennell threw a pass to Jake Wassinter for the two-point conversion with 6:18 to go in the quarter. Malakoff still held a 21-16 lead.
Hall then found Marquise Dowell in the third quarter with 3:43 to go. Garcia added the extra point to give Malakoff a 28-16 lead.
He struck gold for a second time in the fourth quarter on a pass to Blacketer from 42 yards away to give the Tigers a 35-16 lead.
