The East Marion Eagles might have come up short on the scoreboard Friday in a 21-6 spring jamboree loss to Jefferson Davis County, but head coach Brad Hughes said he saw what he needed to see from his team as they wrapped up another year of spring football. Now, the Eagles plan to build on that foundation over the summer in preparation for another exciting season of MHSAA football.
The Eagles showed flashes of brilliance on both sides of the ball, particularly early on in Friday's contest. After booting the opening kickoff, East Marion forced a turnover on downs with a big fourth-down stop by do-it-all rising senior Ka’Ron Weary. Though the unit surrendered touchdowns on its final three trips to the field, Hughes said he was pleased with the energy and intensity that he saw from his defense against one of the most renowned offenses in the Pine Belt.
"There were some bright spots, but of course, we still have a lot of areas we have to improve on like silly penalties and mental errors,” Hughes said. "But our kids played hard. The turnover we got there out of the gate was really big, and we hope we can attack that way early on each time we compete. We were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, which I think was a great sign."
The Eagles' returning starter at quarterback, LJ Andrews, was unable to participate in spring training this year due to an ongoing recovery process, but that didn't prevent East Marion from finding success through the air Friday. On the second play of East Marion's first drive, rising junior Ladaneion Harvey managed to buy time in a collapsing pocket and connect with a wide-open Weary downfield for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Andrews is one of multiple contributors who will rejoin the team over the summer, but Hughes said he was encouraged by the play-making abilities displayed by those who stepped up during their absence.
"We had a few key guys out this spring, and we're expecting to get a lot of them back before the season, but the guys who are out here with us did a really good job of taking charge and making plays," he said. "Every down is an opportunity for someone to prove himself, and we've got a lot of guys who want to show they can be counted on to come through whenever the ball comes their way."
Following the Eagles' early touchdown, JDC put together a 20-0 run to lock up the win, flexing the talent and depth that propelled them to a 10-game winning streak and a Class 3A state title to end the 2021 season.
But Hughes said the Jaguars delivered the exact type of challenge he was hoping to expose his team to on Friday. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Eagles got a small taste of what that's going to take.
"There's really no better measuring stick in South Mississippi than Jeff Davis County," Hughes said. "They do a lot of things at a really high level, and this is the time of year that you want to see flaws get exposed so you can see where you stand and know what you need to work on going into the summer. That's what we got tonight, so we're going to take what we learned and run with it."
