With a big win over Jefferson County now in the rearview, the Eagles are shifting their focus to Northeast Jones this week for their homecoming game.
East Marion (1-3) could have a hard time dealing with the physicality of Northeast Jones (3-1) but will be entering the matchup with momentum after beating Jefferson County 45-28.
“We got our hands full this week,” head coach Brad Hughes said. “We’re going to have to play a lot better to win. I told the guys, ‘You’re not playing Jefferson County this week. (Northeast Jones) is a lot better.’ They’re a 4A and have been playing pretty well. They beat South Jones, Perry Central and Northeast Lauderdale.”
The Tigers run the Wing T and run it well, according to Hughes. The second-year head coach said it’s a hard offense to stop when you’re not used to playing it, and that’s the case for the Eagles.
“There’s so many fakes and misdirections and things coming at you that you have to be sound and disciplined on defense. You can get out of position real easily,” he said. “The good thing is they have a lot of guys going both ways like us. I was surprised to see a 4A have that many players play both ways.”
In the Tigers’ three victories, they gave up just 12 points combined, highlighting a great defense. The lone loss for the Tigers came in Week 2 against West Jones, who is one of the top teams in all of Class 5A. Northeast Jones lost that one 28-2, but the Tigers managed to hold the West Jones offense scoreless in the second half.
“Their D-line is pretty dang good, and they rely on it. They apply a lot of pressure, and that’s what they live on,” Hughes said. “They have No. 80 (Tyree Henley) who plays the nose, and that son of a gun is pretty good. All the film I’ve got, he’s caused a lot of trouble in backfields for a lot of teams. We’re going to try to double team to keep him out of the picture. I think if we can contain him, we’ll be OK.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
