Grundy County gave second-ranked Marion County all it could handle in the first half last Friday night, but the Warriors rallied with 22 unanswered points in the final two quarters to claim a 32-12 victory at Crisp Field.

The Yellow Jackets (6-2) found the end zone twice in the opening half and carried a 12-10 lead into the locker room. However, Marion County (8-0) took control after halftime, shutting out the Grundy offense in the second half to remain unbeaten.

Grundy wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Quarterback Beau Roberts connected with Cruz Myers for a touchdown on the Jackets’ opening possession to take an early 6-0 lead. The GCHS defense followed with a strong showing of its own, holding Marion to a field goal on its first series.

The Warriors took their first lead of the contest in the second quarter following a Grundy special teams miscue. A botched punt attempt left the ball loose in the end zone, where Marion sophomore Hayden Ward recovered it for a touchdown. The ensuing extra point gave the Warriors a 10-6 advantage.

Grundy responded late in the first half with a key defensive play to regain momentum.

With Marion driving after picking up consecutive first downs, River Hampton intercepted a pass and returned it to the Warriors’ 5-yard line. A penalty backed the Jackets up 10 yards, but Roberts connected with Vince Bryant on a short pass to the left side for the go-ahead touchdown.

The score sent Grundy into halftime with a 12-10 lead over the state’s second-ranked team.

Marion made adjustments during the break and quickly regained control of the contest. Quarterback Colin Beason capped an early third-quarter drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors back in front.

With the game still within reach for Grundy, Beason added another touchdown on a 41-yard run. Marion converted the ensuing 2-point attempt to extend its lead to 25-12.

The Jackets were unable to answer offensively as the Warriors held GCHS scoreless throughout the second half.

Running back Zaiden Humphry added a rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and Eli Barnette connected on the extra point to account for the final 32-12 margin.

The loss dropped Grundy to 1-2 in region play and fourth place in the standings. This Friday’s home game against Bledsoe County will wrap up region play for the Jackets and will hold major seeding implications based on the final two weeks of the regular season.

Kickoff against Bledsoe County is set for 7 p.m.