The East Marion Eagles (2-4, 1-0) are flying high into their Week 7 matchup against Amite County (0-4, 0-0), eager to prove that last week's 51-39 win over Loyd Star was no fluke as they continue to battle for a spot in the Class 2A playoffs.
The Eagles have plenty of reason to believe last week's success can be sustained. Through two games against fellow 2A schools, the Eagles are 2-0, outscoring North Forrest and Loyd Star by a combined total of 92-39. Head coach Jerry Fletcher said he credits this to two things: the level of competition the Eagles faced in non-district play and the level of talent on the Eagles' roster that was inevitably going to peak its head at some point in the season.
"We knew we had a lot of talent to work with, and we knew our guys were going to get their chance to show that," Fletcher said. "We took our lumps early, but we were playing against teams that were twice our size, and I think we really benefitted from taking on those challenges. We know we've still got plenty of tough tests ahead, but I think it does a lot for our kids' confidence to see what they're capable of doing against teams in their own district."
Amite County is still searching for its first win of the season. They've had two weeks to prepare for their trip to East Marion, with a bye week following their most recent game, a 34-23 loss to Franklin County on Sept. 23. Despite their record, Fletcher said the Eagles won't take any of their district opponents lightly as they continue to work their way through region play.
"They've lost some tough games this season, but that just means they're even hungrier for a win," Fletcher said. "Ultimately, though, we're less concerned about what our opponents do and more concerned about how we take care of our own business. If we can continue to play well at the line of scrimmage and stay away from costly mistakes like turnovers and penalties, we like our chances of winning football games."
The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
