From staff reports
The Marietta Tigers passing offense roared to life again Friday night, giving the undefeated Jackson Ironmen a tough challenge early before faltering late as Jackson took a 35-21 win at Jackson High School.
Marietta sophomore Matt McKitrick completed 12-of-27 pass attempts for 283 yards and a pair of scores but also threw two interceptions.
Jackson took the early lead on a Drew Ervin seven yard run with 4:09 to play in the first quarter.
Forty-nine seconds later McKitrick threw the first of his two touchdowns, connecting with senior Billy Grizer on a 72-yard score with 3:20 to play.
In the game, Grizer became the fifth Tiger receiver in the school's history to go over 1,000 yards for a career.
Big plays proved to be the name of the final three minutes of the first quarter as Ervin promptly ran 63 yards to paydirt 17 seconds after Marietta tied the score.
Marietta again tied the game on a five-yard run by Dustin Baker before Ervin notched his third score of the night, a three-yard scamper that gave Jackson the lead for good with 5:05 to play before halftime.
Jackson's Eric Landrum added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one via the run and the other on a pass from Kruize Wandling.
Marietta senior Perry Wheeler accounted for the Tigers other score, collecting a pass from McKitrick and racing 53 yards into the end zone in between the two Landrum scores.
The Tigers actually held a 405-334 advantage on offense, but couldn't get the big plays when they needed them most and hurting themselves by committing 11 penalties for 79 yards.
Story from The Marietta Times 10-3-2009.