MALDEN -- This was just the breakthrough Malden had been waiting for.
Trailing East Prairie 32-20 with 6 minutes to play, the Green Wave needed big plays. That's when Marcellus Fleming, Dominique Townsend and Brandon Heck stepped in.
Fleming started by stripping the ball from the hands of an Eagle running back. On the ensuing play, Heck broke through the defensive front, plowed through the secondary and scampered into the end zone for a 25-yard score.
"I just had in my head (that) I gotta get it. I gotta get back there and execute it," Fleming said. "My dad came, so I had to show out for my dad, and it was a good game."
Added senior Tye Miller, "We were kind of bringing him down and I saw him get both hands on the ball, and he's a big, strong kid, so he just kind of ripped it out and it fell down and I was like, 'Yes! Let's go!' That's what we needed was a turnover."
Fleming was all over the field. He finished the game with 10 total tackles and two forced fumbles. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles had completed a pass over the middle, and Fleming sprinted roughly 25 yards from his defensive line spot to chase down the receiver and make a tackle.
After the forced fumble, Malden still trailed by four.
With its back against the wall, the defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out.
The Green Wave then took the ball 55 yards down the field in eight plays, and Miller gave the team its first lead of the night with a 1-yard plunge.
"That's the biggest thing that pleases us as coaches is they kept fighting and finally got the result we needed," Malden head coach Kevin Collier said."
The Eagles still had three minutes to go, and with three scoring drives of four plays or less under their belts on the night, it felt like an eternity.
One play later, Townsend, Dalton Lewis and Fleming swarmed receiver Tyler McCurter after a short completion and tore the ball from his arms. Townsend recovered, and the team erupted with elation.
"Turnovers killed us," East Prairie head coach Chad Jamerson said. "Killed the drives. Two times we turned it over to them inside their own 35, and when we turn the ball over inside the 35, any team has the opportunity to score.
"Credit goes to Malden; they made some great halftime adjustments, and they scored when they needed to score."
Malden still needed a first down to ice the game. Miller didn't just give them that, he galloped to the end zone on fourth down for a 33-yard insurance touchdown to seal the game and give the Green Wave a 42-32 win over the Eagles.
Miller finished the night with 30 rushes for 201 yards.
"It feels good. It shows we're still the Green Wave, we're going to play our ball," Fleming said.
In past weeks, those plays were going in the opposition's favor. Not this time.
Malden (2-3) started slowly again, down 20-0 in the first half. But heads didn't drop, the penalties didn't pile up and the big plays started coming.
"We didn't have a lot of experience, graduating as many seniors as we did (last year)," Miller said. "People are kind of figuring out their niche in varsity games, what it takes to win."
East Prairie pulled out all the stops to start the game. Quarterback Carson Aycock completed what looked to be a screen to receiver Derez Tipler, but Tipler lateraled the ball back to McCurter who sprinted down the sideline for a 56-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage.
Aycock found Tipler for a 12-yard touchdown the next play. East Prairie's second drive lasted just four plays. Aycock and Tipler connected for 47 yards, and Aycock punched in a 14-yard score to give the visitors a two-score lead with just 5 minutes gone from the game clock.
In the second quarter, the Eagles slowed the pace and grinded out a 15-play, 89-yard scoring drive for a 20-0 lead.
Malden's first score came on a Miller run from a yard out with 16 seconds left in the first half, and it was all the momentum the hosts needed to spark a comeback and earn a much-needed win in The Swamp.
Senior Gavin Bristow provided a big boost on the offensive end. He carried the ball 17 times for 121 yards, marking the first time all season Malden has had a 100-yard rusher not named Tye Miller. It was also a season-high in points scored this season for the Green Wave.
"He's a tough kid," said Collier. "This is his first year having to go both ways, and he ran the ball with authority. He's doing good things for us. It's huge so no one can focus on one thing, and you have to be diverse on offense."