Isaiah Burns led Merkel with 112 yards rushing and a score. Joey Zink added 75 yards passing, including a pair of TD strikes.
The Mavericks will meet Dublin (7-2, 3-1) on the road next Friday with a possible league title in the balance, depending on the outcome of the Jacksboro’s home date with Millsap.
Chris Teten led Dublin with 345 yards passing and five TDs.
Trailing 32-13 at the break, the Lions (7-2, 3-1) rallied with a 26-13 second half but fell short. Millsap improved to 4-5 and 2-2.
The game was equally important for Comanche, which is pursuing a playoff seed.
The Indians will face Merkel (3-6, 0-4) next week with a chance to land a fourth seed if Millsap falls to Jacksboro.

