MORAN — A late first-half turnover put Marmaton Valley Junior High’s football team in a hole too deep to escape Thursday.
The Wildcats, trailing visiting Hartford 16-6, lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown with less than a minute left in the second quarter.
Marmaton Valley upped its offense in the second half, but drew no closer than the 36-24 final score of its season-opener.
“I saw many positives,” Marmaton Valley head coach Dan Uhlrich said. “Hartford has some impressive players who had really good ball skills. Many times we were in position to make plays, but they came down with it. That is a credit to them.
“We can learn a lot from this game,” he continued. “We have six games left, and we will work hard to improve each week.”
Marmaton Valley travels to Yates Center Thursday.
