Marauders prepare for Battle of the Axe

After winning their past eight games, the Marauders are looking forward to taking on the Lewisville Farmers, one of their biggest rivals. The team is hoping to get the axe back after losing it last year. The game will be held at 7 p.m. in Lewisville’s Stadium.

“To get the axe back for this team would be really good for [us] as we get into the playoffs,” junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier said.

The Farmers’ offense is coming into the game with multiple star players. Dual-threat junior quarterback Taylen Green has thrown for 21 touchdowns with 1756 passing yards. He also has two interceptions with 62 percent completion. Green uses his speed to rush for 411 yards on scrambles with nine touchdowns with his feet. 

Sophomore Damien Martinez is the starting running back for the Farmers. He has 532 rushing yards on the season and eight touchdowns. 

Their top wide receiver is sophomore Armani Winfield, who has a total of 43 receptions with 637 yards and eight touchdowns.

“They’re a fast team, they like to move the ball,” senior safety Marcellus Lockley said. “They have a lot of aspects and different people on the team, so we believe that we’ll stop their offense and help us win the game.”

 The Farmers’ defense has held all but one game under 20 points or less. Their defensive line is known to be aggressive, putting opposing quarterbacks under pressure.

“Their defense is very fast and physical, but we’re a fast and physical offense so it should be a good game,” junior wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant said.

Last year the Marauders lost the Battle of the Axe 17-13. The team won the annual game nine years in a row from 2007-2015, but they haven’t had a victory since 2017. The team has a record of 18-15 over the Lewisville Farmers.

“I think we’re different than a lot of teams, Coach A says it all the time,” Nussmeier said. “We’re one team, we’re one unit and we have one heartbeat. If we continue to push that aspect of our team and continue to have one heartbeat then I think we can do some amazing things.”

This past September, the Farmers lost sophomore 16-year-old Deshaud Williams when he was reported to have collapsed in his twin brother’s arms. Williams played on the junior varsity team as a defensive tackle. Several of the Marauders’ players and staff reached out to the Farmers via twitter to gave their well wishes. Head coach Kevin Atkinson addressed the team about the situation. 

“That was bigger than football,” Nussmeier said. “That was bigger than a rivalry between two different schools. It was a huge deal as far as how it affected our community. My prayers go out to his family and Lewisville High School and Lewisville football players. I couldn’t imagine losing a brother.”