Richardson’s Big Night Leads Latta to Lopsided Win

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LATTA | </strong>Week 1 officially kicked off Friday night and nearly every team around the state was in action. Two of those teams were the Marion Swamp Foxes and Latta Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What was a back-and-forth contest early turned into a 54-19 Latta win. It used a dominant second half, fueled by the rushing attack of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822831' first='Fischer' last='Richardson']</strong> and others. Richardson (pictured above) finished the evening with 23 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns. He knew the gameplan set up nicely for him and he felt good about his chances of having a good night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"From the beginning of the week, I was involved in the gameplan. The coaches trusted me to go out there and produce at a high level and I feel that I accomplished that," Richardson said. "Our line did a great job of giving me holes to run through and I made it work to the best of my ability."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Richardson was just one of several Latta players that were heavily involved in the ground attack. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1816923' first='Gavin' last='Aubin']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1817573' first='Irangabiye' last='Johnson']</strong>, and <strong>Jaydon Alford</strong> all contributed along with Richardson in the run game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Other Latta Standouts</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824362' first='Luke' last='Huggins']</strong> QB, 2029 - The freshman quarterback looked good in his limited pass attempts. He completed three-of-four passes for 23 yards. Two of the three completions came on touch passes and his one downfield throw was accurate and on time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820322' first='Hayden' last='Bullard'] </strong>ATH, 2026 - Bullard made an impact in nearly every aspect of the game. He had one carry for five yards, two catches for 10 yards and an interception on defense. He is a playmaker in all phases and has a bright year ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1738838' first='Jayden' last='Alford']</strong> ATH, 2026 - Much like Bullard, Alford made an impact in all aspects, including on special teams. He had four carries for nine yards, one catch for 13 yards and a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown. His speed and athleticism were both put on display during his punt return.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639778' first='Xy'Mari' last='Bethea']</strong> RB/LB, 2026 - Bethea made his impact felt on the defensive side of the ball with his constant hard hits and tackles for loss. He had just one carry for three yards, but his defensive impact more than made up for that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1825246' first='Ryion' last='Gurley']</strong> LB, 2026 - Gurley played opposite of Bethea at linebacker and he made an impact as well. He was more of a speed and sideline to sideline linebacker compared to Bethea's hard-hitting ability. That duo at linebacker all season long will be problematic for several offenses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Marion Standouts</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821491' first='Kaleb' last='Moore']</strong> RB, 2028 - Moore had the biggest play of the night for Marion with his 48-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He finished the game with 44 yards on four carries and the touchdown we just mentioned. He is a physical runner that also possesses a bit of breakaway speed when it's least expected.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1824195' first='Kameryn' last='Davis']</strong> RB, 2028 - Davis provided the second biggest play of the night with a 39-yard touchdown to get Marion on the board. It was just one of two carries on the night for Davis, with the other going for three yards. With more carries, he should be able to put up much better numbers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822040' first='Malachi' last='Graham']</strong> WR, 2028 - Graham was the recipient of the only two completions on the night. They went for 30 yards and that went along with seven carries for six yards. His playmaking ability shined when given the opportunities, and those should continue throughout the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822043' first='Jacaurie' last='Brown']</strong> ATH, 2028 - Brown was one of three quarterbacks used, and he completed one pass for 25 yards. He added four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown. He could've had nearly 100 more rushing yards if not for holding penalties on multiple occasions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821488' first='Ka'Mari' last='Watson']</strong> CB, 2027 - Watson was a bright spot on defense at certain times during the night, including when he forced a fumble to get Marion the ball back early in the game. He was in on several tackles and should be able to hold his own when tested in the pass game later in the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->