A tough start to district play got even tougher for the West Marion Trojans on Friday, as they played host to the St. Stanislaus Rock-A-Chaws and fell 30-6 in a second straight loss against a Region 8-3A foe.
Field position played a significant factor in the contest from start to finish. The Trojans started their opening drive pinned deep into their own territory at the 5-yard line and were unable to move the chains, resulting in a punt that set up the Rock-A-Chaws at the Trojans' 38-yard line with a chance to claim an early lead. This time, St. Stanislaus' drive ended with a missed 45-yard field goal attempt, but the positive field position trend would continue for them throughout the evening.
"There's no doubt about that. Field position definitely made a big difference in the ball game," head coach Brandon Thornhill said. "I thought our defense really held their own most of the night. They only gave up a couple of scores in the first half, and they created a couple opportunities for the offense to get back on the field, but we just weren't able to do anything with it offensively. St. Stanislaus has got the best kicker in the class. He's going to play Division 1 football, and he did a pretty good job on Friday of pinning us back on our own side of the field."
The Trojans' second drive ended when a pass from Jakaden Mark ricocheted off the hands of its intended receiver and into the hands of a Rock-A-Chaws defender at the Trojans' 36-yard line. The next play resulted in a 36-yard touchdown pass, followed by a successful point-after attempt to give St. Stanislaus an early 7-0 advantage.
West Marion's offense continued to struggle throughout the first half. They went three-and-out on the ensuing drive after a high snap soared over Mark's head on first down for a 9-yard loss, and minutes later a fumble by the Trojans put the Rock-A-Chaws offense back on the field on West Marion's 10-yard line. A 10-yard touchdown pass just before halftime then gave St. Stanislaus a 14-0 lead entering the locker room.
"We're playing with a really young team right now, and they're still learning every time they take the field," Thornhill said. "Right now I've only got about five kids on the team who have a driver's license, if that tells you anything about how young we are. Mistakes like that are going to happen occasionally. It's just a part of the process, and hopefully we'll keep learning and growing each time it happens."
The visitors continued building their lead in the third quarter, orchestrating back-to-back scoring drives to tack on nine more points. The Trojans finally managed to march into Rock-A-Chaw territory late in the third quarter, but a skirmish on the sideline resulted in the loss of two valuable pieces of the Trojans' offense in Mark and Brandon Bullock, stopping the unit in its tracks near midfield.
"Unfortunately, that's part of what happens sometimes when you have a young team, too," Thornhill said of the skirmish. "Teenagers let their emotions get the best of them and get caught up in the moment. It shouldn't have happened, but it's another important lesson for our kids. Things don't always go your way in life, but it's the way that you respond in those situations that makes all the difference."
On the first play of the following drive, a St. Stanislaus receiver got behind the secondary and caught an 84-yard touchdown pass to increase the deficit. The Rock-A-Chaws defense then intercepted a pass by Braxton Albritton and returned it to the end zone, extending the lead to 30-0.
The Trojans' only score of the evening came on the penultimate drive of the contest. A 34-yard pass from Albritton to Elijah Kendrick set up a 2-yard push into the end zone by Kendrick for a West Marion touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, bringing the score to its final tally of 30-6.
Now 1-6 on the season and 0-2 in district play, the Trojans will look to rebound and preserve their playoff hopes on Friday in another home game against the district rival Perry County Bulldogs. Thornhill said that while he knows he and the Trojans have an uphill climb ahead of them, they still have an opportunity to finish the season strong and achieve their goal of reaching the postseason.
"All of our goals are still right in front of us. If we win this week against Perry Central, we'll be right back in the mix for a playoff spot," he said. "So we're going to keep battling, keep learning and keep growing as a team as the season goes on."
