PURCELL — Mike Wilson knew his team would have to step up defensively against Marlow Friday night.

And his Purcell players responded.

The Dragons picked up their biggest victory of the season with a 17-6 victory over No. 5 Marlow.

“We feel good,” Wilson said. “We played a lot better, obviously. We’re getting better every week.”

Purcell quarterback Seth Barrett threw touchdown passes to Justin Howell and Emiliano Gatewood and Matt Berrey kicked a 23-yard field goal to account for the scoring.

But it was the defense’s night.

The Dragons forced five Wildcat turnovers (three interceptions and two fumbles) and held Marlow’s star running back, Garrett Brown, to 27 yards on 10 carries.

“Now we have confidence in our defense, and they think they can step up and stop a good football team,” Wilson said. “That’s what makes the difference in becoming a good team, having the confidence to stop other good teams.”

The Dragons hope to build from the victory, one that inspired confidence not only on defense, but among the rest of the players.

“They were different tonight,” Wilson said. “They were excited about the way they played. We won last week, but we weren’t overly excited. After the game tonight, you could tell they were really proud of their accomplishment.”