Another football season is now in the books for the West Marion Trojans, who fell at home Friday night in their season finale against Louisiana Class 1A juggernaut Ouachita Christian 49-18.
Trailing 7-0 early in the first quarter, freshman quarterback Braxton Albritton connected with Bryce Lewis for a 13-yard touchdown pass to put the Trojans on the board. The point-after attempt was missed, however, leaving the Eagles with a 7-6 advantage.
The Eagles' offense responded accordingly, launching a 58-yard touchdown pass on the very next play from scrimmage. After forcing a three-and-out on the Trojans' following drive, they scored again on a 30-yard pass to take a 21-6 advantage into the second quarter.
But the Trojans continued battling back. Just before halftime, Albritton threw his second touchdown pass of the evening, this time on a 30-yard pass to Cajyous Weary that narrowed the deficit to 21-12 entering the halfway mark of the contest.
The Trojans' offense tried a little bit of trickery on the opening drive of the second half, but the attempt backfired. Albritton pitched the ball back to senior running back Jakaden Mark, who launched the ball deep down field to Qua Ward, but the pass was intercepted by an Eagles defender. The Eagles then worked their way down field on a seven-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a 21-yard touchdown run that extended the lead to 28-12.
That momentum swing allowed the Eagles to pile it on through the rest of the third quarter, scoring on a 62-yard punt return and two more passing touchdowns. In the final moments of regulation, Albritton connected with Ward on a 38-yard pass for the final touchdown of the game and of the Trojans' season, bringing the score to 49-18.
The Trojans ended the season with a 1-9 record, which was far from the goals they had in mind entering the season after a successful run to the postseason in 2021. With a vast majority of the team's talent set to return in 2023, however, head coach Brandon Thornhill believes the Trojans will learn from their struggles this season and come together to get back to their winning ways in the year ahead.
"We've talked all year about how young this year's team is, but when you're looking ahead to the future, that's a good thing for us," Thornhill said. "Most of these kids will be back with us next fall, with a year of experience under their belts. This is a great group of kids with a lot of talent, and in time I think they'll get their opportunities to prove that."
