The East Marion Eagles continued their momentous run through Region 7-2A competition Friday, overpowering Bogue Chitto in a 36-6 victory that lifted them into first place in the district standings with only two weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule. Having already earned tie-breaking victories over Bogue Chitto and Amite County, the Eagles have cemented their spot as the No. 1 seed from the district for postseason play.
"A lot of people were doubting us early in the season, but we just kept on working and getting better each and every week," head coach Jerry Fletcher said. "Even now, some of the teams we beat are ranked ahead of us in the Class 2A standings. That's just motivation for us to finish strong and keep proving people wrong."
Although the final score was lopsided, East Marion struggled to find its rhythm out of the gate. Jadarrius "Koolaid" Mallard broke loose for a 38-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, but the play was negated due to a holding penalty. The Eagles lost possession on a fumble three plays later, which set up a 26-yard field goal to give Bogue Chitto an early 3-0 lead.
The first quarter was filled with much of the same. The Eagles forfeited their ensuing possession by fumbling on the kickoff return, and another East Marion fumble on the following drive set up yet another field goal for Bogue Chitto, lifting the home team to a 6-0 advantage late in the first quarter.
"We had a few issues early in the ballgame with turnovers and penalties, but I thought our defense did a great job of holding them to only six points," Fletcher said. "I told our offense not to sweat it. They were moving the ball well, and I knew we'd get chances to put those points back on the board after the scores were called back. We just stayed the course and let the rest take care of itself."
Slowly but surely, the Eagles' offense began extending drives and building momentum. Mallard broke free on a 36-yard run into the red zone then capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run on the following play. LJ Andrews scrambled across the goal line on a successful two-point conversion attempt to give East Marion an 8-6 lead entering the second quarter of action.
On the first play of the following drive, an interception returned possession to the Eagles' offense, and Andrews connected with Ka'Ron Weary for a 42-yard touchdown pass on the very next play. After the Eagles' defense forced a three-and-out, Mallard earned his second touchdown run of the night from 36 yards out and lifted East Marion to a 21-6 lead entering the locker room at halftime.
The Eagles kept their foot on the gas in the second half. After an 81-yard touchdown pass to Chris Magee was negated by a penalty, Mallard burst down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown three plays later, adding even more cushion to the lead with his third score of the ballgame. Fletcher said Mallard's presence and production in the backfield has been a vital part of the Eagles' success during their late season push to the top of the district standings.
"Koolaid played lights out tonight," he said. "We had a couple others out with injuries, and I told him before the game, 'We need you to be that man tonight,' and he did exactly that. ... To have a guy like that who can just be a workhorse in the running game takes all kinds of pressure offense, and it's been huge for us. It'll be even more important going forward as the temperatures keep dropping and it gets more difficult to open up the passing game."
The last score of the contest came midway through the fourth when Cory Johnson caught a screen pass from Andrews and carried it 55 yards to the house for another East Marion touchdown. The extra point brought the score to its final tally of 36-6, leaving the Eagles as the only remaining undefeated team in Region 7-2A competition.
The Eagles, now flying high on an active three-game winning streak, will take a break in district play Friday to take on Sacred Heart before closing out district competition on the road against West Lincoln on Oct. 28.
