Maclay football beat Munroe 24-21, pick up 'tone-setting' win for remainder of season

There is a growing buzz within the Maclay football program.

The Marauders beat Munroe 24-21 on Thursday night, its first victory over the Bobcats since 2018 and Maclay head coach Jason Cauley feels the victory is a confidence boost for his team. He felt his team was practicing well heading into the matchup with the Bobcats and focused on getting the district victory.

"We went into this week with a mission," Cauley said. "Every single day they went on that mission to try to accomplish the mission that we accomplished here tonight."

Cauley is in his second season with the program, leading the Marauders to the playoffs and finishing with a 4-7 record in his first year as head coach. Now in year two with his style of football in place, Cauley has seen his youthful team grow into the team he wants them to be.

"In the early season, they weren't as polished, they were making good plays, but then we weren't playing good football," Cauley said. "Now it's turning into we're playing good football and making good plays and that's what happens when you have a young team, they mature throughout the season."

The Marauders defense stepped up in a big way against the Bobcats, forcing three fumbles and interceptions, including the game-sealing pick from junior Nash Beshears. With the postseason looming, Cauley thinks performances like Thursday's win over Munroe show his team what they can accomplish.

"It's huge," Cauley said. "Going into the postseason and going later into the season they know what they can do."

Two-way contributors

Two of Maclay's biggest contributors against Munroe were making plays on both sides of the football. Both junior George Grant and freshman Tucker Poppell play both ways for the Marauders, coming up with big plays against the Bobcats.

Poppell, who forced a fumble and scored a 28-yard receiving touchdown against Munore, feels the ability to make plays, specifically on defense, helps energize the team.

"It gives us a lot of confidence because then we can make big plays on offense and the opposing team is down because they just had a turnover," Poppell said.

The freshman carried much of the load at running back for Maclay against Munore, breaking tackles and showing good agility and vision to gain extra yards.

"I just have that vision," Poppell said about his ability to slip tackles. "I'm just trying to stay up as long as possible and keep moving forward."

Against the Bobcats, Grant threw for three touchdowns, the junior's fourth multi-touchdown game this season, and caught his second interception of the season. He feels the ability of the defense to get the ball back through turnovers helps him settle in the pocket and take advantage of those moments.

"It's very important, not just for me but for our whole team," Grant said. "Our sideline, the energy we have after a turnover, it helps me honestly to push through and just capitalize on those turnovers."

Grant thinks the team's performance against Munroe on Thursday is a big moment in the season and can help push the Marauders toward a playoff run.

"It's huge," Grant said. "It sets the tone for the rest of the season and we need to make the playoffs, and I think we will."

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Maclay football hoping to use Munroe victory as momentum boost