The postseason for Marion County’s public schools is just one week away, and all three teams will enjoy Round 1 at home.
In fact, it hasn’t been since 2019 where all four teams, including Columbia Academy, have hosted a first round playoff game in the same season. It’s been an exciting season for Marion County football, but Columbia, East Marion and West Marion aren’t done yet.
District winners Columbia and West Marion and district runner-up East Marion have their respective seeds locked in, and only East Marion has to wait another week to find out who it will face in Round 1.
The Columbia Wildcats have a favorable draw in the opening round of the postseason, as they are set to face off against Richland, who is currently 1-8 and 0-3 in district play. Region 6-4A only has four teams this season due to Wingfield shutting its doors for good in May, leading to each team in the region making the postseason.
Prior to its district slate kicking off, Richland faced off against lesser competition with two Class 3A opponents and three from Class 2A. McLaurin (2-7) of Class 3A is the only team the Rangers have defeated to date, winning 43-9 Sept. 13.
Against Class 4A competition, Richland has been outscored by 128 points over the last four weeks.
The first-round contest will be the first meeting all-time between the Wildcats (6-3, 3-0) and the Rangers.
The West Marion Trojans also can begin preparation for their Round 1 opponent, as Southeast Lauderdale claimed the No. 4 seed out of Region 5-3A.
West Marion sports fans are all too familiar with the school that the baseball Trojans took down in May to reach their first state championship. But football is an entirely different game, and the Tigers will be traveling to Foxworth this time.
The Tigers (2-8, 1-2) have one district game remaining, but it’ll be too little, too late for Southeast Lauderdale to improve its standing with a win over Kemper County. With only 38 points scored in district games this season, it would be virtually impossible for the Tigers to gain a tie-breaker after head-to-head matchups are factored in.
Similarly to the Trojans (6-2, 3-0), Southeast Lauderdale didn’t play anyone above Class 4A, but the Tigers went 1-6 in non-district play while West Marion went 4-1. The Tigers, whom the Trojans have never faced, are allowing an average of 35.4 points per game while scoring only 12 per contest.
The East Marion Eagles have the No. 2 seed out of Region 8-1A locked up, and they will face either Shaw (3-4, 2-2) or South Delta (3-6, 2-2) of Region 5-1A.
The two teams square off this week with seeding on the line, with the loser gaining the No. 4 seed and the winner earning the No. 3 seed and a face-off with East Marion.
South Delta beefed up its non-district schedule with a trio of Class 3A opponents and a pair from Class 2A, resulting in mostly losses but a solid resume for the Class 1A team. In district play, the Bulldogs hold shutout victories over the fifth and sixth-place finishers, respectively, in Leland (26-0) and West Bolivar (38-0). South Delta fell at first-place Simmons 38-0 and at home against West Tallahatchie 52-14 – the region's two best teams.
Shaw didn’t play nearly as tough of a schedule as South Delta, with the Warriors only competing in three non-district contests – against a pair of Class 3A teams and a Class 2A squad. The Warriors were plenty rested heading into October, as they enjoyed two bye weeks early in the season.
The Warriors' lone win in the early slate came at North Panola, 26-24. Shaw earned district victories with a 26-6 win at West Bolivar and a 22-0 win against Leland, with the Warriors losing 54-8 at West Tallahatchie and 36-0 vs. Simmons to even their district record.
South Delta holds much better splits on offense and defense, with the Bulldogs averaging 21.8 points per game offensively and allowing 21.6 points per game on defense. The Warriors, on the other hand, only average 12.9 points per game and allow an average of 30.3 points per contest.
It will be the first time the Eagles (3-6, 3-1) have faced off against either school.
No matter the opponent, there will be plenty of opportunities for Marion Countians to see their favorite team in action Nov. 8 as all three public schools will open the 2024 postseason on their home turf.
