Scene Setter - Mount St. Mary AT Marlow

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   Week four is here and with it comes the start (for most) of district play across the state. Every week, we'll see some heavyweight match-ups that will go a long way to deciding not only playoff seeding but we could see these games ultimately deciding the district champion. In this scene setter preview, we're putting the spotlight on Class 3A and the game of the week in this class that will see #3 Marlow hosting #4 Mount St. Mary on Friday night.   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/erw0gwEQIG4" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/erw0gwEQIG4">- Interview With Marlow Head Coach Matt Weber</a>   Marlow has been on a roll so far to start the season and they come into this week with a little bit of rest after kicking off the season in week zero. The Outlaws are one of several heavy hitters to move up from Class 2A-1 this season and they look to be an instant contender. But they will be facing a Mount St. Mary squad that they saw when they both were in 2A-1 a year ago. The Outlaws beat the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs and while both teams look different and have added some important pieces to the roster, that 49-6 win in the first round a year ago still stands out.   Mount St. Mary comes into this game looking to get the bad taste out of their mouth after stumbling in week two. The Rockets got off to a 2-0 start and then hosted top-ranked Jones in week two. The Mount knew going into that game that it would be the first of two straight match-ups against top five competition in Class 3A. The Longhorns doubled up the Rockets and left town with a 42-21 win. The Rockets then went into the bye week with that feeling before getting ready to open up district play this week. But in a year that the Mount looks to take the next step, this is a game they expect to win.   Below, we take a look at five players for each team that will have significantly important roles on Friday night and will impact the outcome of the game.   MARLOW PLAYERS TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='2253630' first='Austin' last='Harris'] - 2027 Linebacker   Marlow is playing with a lot of confidence, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2253630' first='Austin' last='Harris'] leads a Marlow defense that has played lights out. In their last win, they only gave up one first down in a shutout win over Pauls Valley and it was a first down by penalty. Needless to say, that should give them a ton of confidence coming into a match-up against a Mount St. Mary offense that can light up the scoreboard. But they held them to six points in the playoffs a year ago.   [player_tooltip player_id='1716150' first='Brendan' last='Weber'] - 2027 Quarterback   Looking at this Marlow offense, it's easy to focus in on the two-headed monster they have at the running back position. But don't overlook senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1716150' first='Brendan' last='Weber'] and his ability to not only keep this offense on the move but make plays with his arm and his legs when asked. He came into this season with a lot of experience and the Outlaws have leaned on that early on this season. But looking at Friday night's match-up, this Mount St. Mary defense could be the toughest he's faced so far.   [player_tooltip player_id='1716151' first='Clete' last='Gilbert'] - 2027 Offensive Lineman   Here's the match-up that we're fired up to watch on Friday night in this one. Marlow's offensive line against the Mount St. Mary defensive line and front seven in general. The Outlaws will be challenged by one of the bigger defensive fronts that they'll see all season. That's where the experience and talent of senior [player_tooltip player_id='1716151' first='Clete' last='Gilbert'] along the offensive line will play a major part in the outcome of the game. Marlow wants to be balanced on offense but they will be run-first and Gilbert will look to get a push up front.   [player_tooltip player_id='2253633' first='Clint' last='Ladon'] - 2027 Running Back   Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='2253633' first='Clint' last='Ladon'] is the first of two running backs that you need to know about coming into this week's match-up and the season as a whole. Ladon was Marlow's leading rusher a season ago and having him return this season was going to give Marlow a massive boost. But then they got a major addition in the summer to the offense and that has kept Ladon significantly fresher in the run game. That should pay off in a major way as the Outlaws move through the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1832582' first='Noah' last='Torrez'] - 2027 Athlete   We saw plenty of players moving this summer and joining new teams and this is one that definitely flew under the radar around the state. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1832582' first='Noah' last='Torrez'] joined the Outlaws in July and he finished his junior season with a dominant performance in the Class C state championship. He was one of, if not the most dominant 8-man players in the state last season. And he's made the transition to 11-man football look easy. He and Ladon have been a legitimate two-headed monster.   MOUNT ST. MARY PLAYERS TO WATCH   [player_tooltip player_id='1680267' first='Christian' last='Tschudy'] - 2027 Running Back   We mentioned earlier how Mount St. Mary was going to come into this game with a sour taste in their mouth after losing a tough one to Jones two weeks ago. Senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1680267' first='Christian' last='Tschudy'] will be at the top of that list on Friday night. Tschudy ran for more than 100 yards in each of their first two games but was limited to 58 yards on 16 carries in the loss to the Longhorns. Tschudy is a big physical back that also runs with an incredible amount of patience but Marlow will be a big challenge.   [player_tooltip player_id='913667' first='Kade' last='Barton'] - 2027 Defensive End   Senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='913667' first='Kade' last='Barton'] has gotten off to a great start this season and he'll play a major role on Friday night as the Rockets try to slow down Marlow's rushing attack. The Outlaws can run two different guys at defenses but as we mentioned earlier, they haven't played a defensive front with the size and athleticism that the Mount has. And for us, it starts with Barton. We've said this since watching Barton in person at Guthrie last year. He's one of the more disruptive edge rushers in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1680645' first='Malachi' last='Hardiman'] - 2027 Offensive Lineman   We've been on the record plenty of times in the last 18 months when it comes to senior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1680645' first='Malachi' last='Hardiman'] and his potential as a prospect. We think that he's one of the more underrated prospects in the state's 2027 class. When we talked with head coach J.D. Runnels prior to the Jones game, he mentioned how Hardiman is doing his thing on the offensive line but hasn't been used as much defensively. It's only a matter of time before they unleash him on both sides of the line of scrimmage.   [player_tooltip player_id='1035105' first='Roman' last='Manella'] - 2027 Quarterback   Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1035105' first='Roman' last='Manella'] and the Mount St. Mary offense will look to put a dent in this Marlow defense. Manella rewrote the record book last season during his junior year. This season, his efficiency has been off the charts. In all three of their games, Manella has completed over 70% of his passes. His passing yards continues to get higher with each game. He was able to have success throwing the ball two weeks ago against Jones' talented secondary so we expect another big game from him this week.   [player_tooltip player_id='1837321' first='Zechariah' last='Robinson'] - 2027 Wide Receiver/Defensive End   Senior wide receiver and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1837321' first='Zechariah' last='Robinson'] is right there with Hardiman as one of the more underrated prospects in the state's 2027 class. Every time we've watched Robinson in person, he's been one of the best football players on the field. It doesn't matter if it's on offense or defense, he has a significant impact on the game every single time he's out there. He's once again being very productive on both sides of the ball and he'll be a match-up problem for the Outlaws on Friday night.

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