Merrimack Falls To Nationally-Ranked Tarleton State After Contested First Half

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — AJ Hairston Jr. and Austin Palmer connected for a pair of first-half touchdowns to send the Merrimack football team into the half facing a mere three-point deficit against No. 4 Tarleton State at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. The second half belonged to the nationally-ranked Texans, though, as the hosts scored three third-quarter touchdowns and pulled out a 45-20 win in front of 24,612 fans. “I thought we came out and played really, really competitively in the first half,” head coach Mike Gennetti said. “We spotted them a touchdown, which was disappointing. But we rallied, got stops,…