Although West Marion and East Marion have yet to take the field in the regular season following their early-season matchup being canceled with the Eagles in quarantine, a lot has already been learned about all four ball clubs.
It’s always a bit dangerous to make predictions on high school football teams with so many things subject to change throughout the course of the season, but let’s give it a go anyway. The teams will be listed by projected win-loss record (East Marion’s forfeits to both West Marion and Columbia are not factored into the projections).
Columbia Wildcats (projected 8-1, reach Class 4A state title): After witnessing Columbia’s 34-12 beat down of Mendenhall in person, I’m projecting the Wildcats to reach their first state championship since 1998.
While it’s fair to be apprehensive about Columbia in its first year back in 4A, the Wildcats have shown repeatedly during the Chip Bilderback era that they can hang with the big boys. This year is no different.
Columbia is loaded across the board and have an embarrassment of riches at several positions. The Wildcats will have one of the state’s best offensive lines, a three-headed backfield that should be feared and envied by every team in the state and a fast, ferocious and intimidating defense.
The only hang up is what happens when the Wildcats are forced to throw late in a game against a quality opponent. Quarterback Carter Smith is a tremendous leader and showed he can be clutch against West Marion in the third round last season, but he’s at his best as a game manager who complements the running game.
I have the Wildcats reaching the state championship but losing to Louisville in an instant classic.
West Marion Trojans (projected 6-3, reach Class 3A South State): Over the past decade, the Trojans have fielded great and exciting teams several times but have yet to reach the state championship, going 0-3 in South State championships.
Unfortunately, I see that record dropping to 0-4 in 2021, but the Trojans will be an exciting bunch once again. West Marion will be led by its defense, which features Octavious Harvey, Kobe Pittman, Ra’Quan Johnson and Tyler Aikens and has given up just 10.3 points per game the past two seasons combined. But during West Marion’s jamboree, the Trojans secondary showed some holes that will need to be patched to excel into December.
Offensively, the Trojans are going to look a lot like they did during the Josh Miller and Adrian Miller days. Larry Magee is making the transition to quarterback after leading the county in both yards per carry and yards per reception last season. With the ball in his hands every play and playmakers such as Harvey and Jakaden Mark, West Marion will put up a lot of points. But how much can Magee develop as a passer and decision maker by the end of the season? He has the arm but lacks the experience at the position.
East Marion Eagles (projected 4-4, reach second round of playoffs): The Eagles are going to be one of those teams that can win any given Friday just as much as they can beat themselves. The talent is evident and there is a good amount of experience across the depth chart, but a lot of the key players for East Marion are sophomores and juniors.
The offense will make a lot of explosive plays, but it will also be frustrating at times with unforced turnovers and pre-snap penalties. The defense should be a great unit, but it also could get exposed at times.
The bottom line is head coach Brad Hughes and the young Eagles need a little bit more time before they’re ready to compete for titles again.
Columbia Academy Cougars (projected 4-7, reach second round of playoffs): Mark me down as a believer in first-year head coach TC Chambliss being a culture changer. Through three games, the Cougars already look like a completely different ball club, and that has nothing to do with the new schemes.
Columbia Academy has a lot of the same players that suffered through a winless season last year, but Chambliss has them playing like a team that can actually win a game or two in the postseason. Although the Cougars have lost their last two games, they were in position to win both of them and are just a play or two here and there from being 3-0.
However, the schedule is about to get a lot tougher, and that’s the only thing keeping the Cougars from finishing the regular season with a winning record.
I could be dead wrong about how this season plays out, but I would be shocked if all four Marion County teams don’t make the playoffs. -
Joshua Campbell is managing/sports editor of The Columbian-Progress. Reach him via email at joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com or call (601) 736-2611.
