Murphy — Marcus traveled to Murphy determined to clinch a district championship. 

Plano East (1-6, 2-8)  gave the Marauders (6-1, 8-2) all they could in the first half, but ultimately lost 46-13 on senior night. 

In a surprise twist, Ismail Mahdi took the field for Plano East at receiver, recovering from a knee injury two weeks prior. He had five receptions for 53 yards, helping spark two field goal drives in the first half for the Panthers. They trailed the Marauders 23-6 at the break. 

Marcus continued the run in the third quarter, outscoring East 24-0. After a six-minute scoring drive to open the second half, a backward pass was recovered by the Marauders and returned for a touchdown. 

Marcus’ win clinches itself a share of the District 6-6A championship while holding the tiebreaker for the top seed over Hebron and Lewisville. Plano East finishes the year with two victories, getting its first district win in almost two years.

For the complete story, see next Thursday’s edition of the Murphy Monitor. Support your community newspaper for less than $40 a year.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]