The West Marion Trojans are beginning a new era on the West side of the river with Brandon Thornhill replacing Brad Duncan as head coach, but the new-look Trojans appeared just as fierce on defense and as explosive on offense in their spring game Thursday against Ridgeland.
Taking on a quality Class 5A opponent that went to the South State Championship last season at Southern Miss, West Marion was often the better team on the field in Hattiesburg. Thornhill said teams are always missing a couple of pieces during the spring, with West Marion being no exception with its baseball team playing in the third round of the playoffs the same day of the spring game, but he felt good about how well the Trojans played and the effort they gave.
“Offensively, we missed a couple of assignments, but that always gets better over time,” he said. “Defensively, our front four played well, linebackers played well and the secondary did a pretty good job containing what they wanted to do. They throw the ball a lot, but we were able to get a pass rush, force some incompletions and get a few sacks.”
During Ridgeland’s first 10-play possession, West Marion forced a turnover on downs without allowing a yard. The Trojans responded with a turnover on downs of their own then picked up two first downs on Larry Magee and Jakaden Mark runs.
After picking up a first down on its next drive, Ridgeland starting going backwards, first with back-to-back penalties, then Octavious Harvey burst through the line on a blitz for a sack.
West Marion, starting from Ridgeland’s 40, picked up a first down on a Magee scramble, but the scripted, six-play possession ended at Ridgeland’s 26.
Starting from West Marion’s 25, Ridgeland got to the 10-yard line with a pair of passes, but then Harvey got home with another sack and Davonte Matthews caught a tipped-ball interception in the end zone after the Trojan pass rush forced a desperation throw on fourth down.
While facing a third-and 26, Magee launched a perfectly placed deep ball into the arms of Matthews, who won with a great stem release, for a 31-yard completion. The drive stalled at the 5-yard line because West Marion ran out of plays, but it was a good indicator of Magee’s arm strength and accuracy.
In the goal-line portion, which spots the ball at the 10-yard line, Ridgeland scored on its first two plays. The first was on a jet sweep where Ridgeland perfectly blocked the edge, and the second was a simple out route as there seemed to be a lack of communication within West Marion’s zone coverage. On Ridgeland’s fourth and final play, West Marion got a stuff at the 6-inch yard line.
The Trojans opened their goal-line portion in the Wildcat, with Harvey lined up at quarterback, and he ran for 9 yards on first down then punched it into the end zone on second down.
In the second-team portion, which West Marion opted to test Harvey out at quarterback, the explosive runner broke free for a 30-yard touchdown on a scramble. Jakaden Mark would later score on a 12-yard jet sweep.
It’s clear the Trojans, after four years of having true quarterbacks in the form of Jeremiah Holmes and Jayden Duncan, are going to rely on Magee’s pure speed and athleticism to make plays, similar to how Josh Miller and Adrian Miller did as the predecessors to Holmes.
Thornhill said he told Magee before the game to go out and make plays, and he felt like Magee did that and did pretty well making decisions.
“We did well with what we’re doing, but there’s still plenty of room to grow, for sure.”
While West Marion had several new starters on the field defensively, they still looked a lot like the team that has held countless explosive offenses in check the past few years.
“I thought Delandoe Watts played well — this will be his first time starting — at outside backer. He’ll play in the secondary some, and he’s going to move around a little bit for us,” Thornhill said. “Kameron Willis, it was his first time starting, and he didn’t do bad there. Davonte Matthews played some safety and got a pick. Brent Lowery and Kobe Pittman started at (defensive tackle). Caleb Varnado got a start at (defensive) end. We had several first timers out there.”
Thornhill is really excited about Pittman, who at 6-foot-5 has the potential to be a big disruptive force on the defensive line. During the offseason, he had surgery on his big toe that had been bothering for years, and since his recovery he looks like a much more explosive athlete.
“He moves around a lot better, and he’s a lot more confident. We expect him to be a game changer for us,” Thornhill said.
Among the returners on defense were Magee, who blanketed Under Armour All-American Ayden Williams on the outside, Tyler Aikens as the other cornerback, Harvey (reining C-P Defensive Player of the Year) and defensive end Ra’Quan Johnson.
Thornhill said he feels like the Trojans are going into the summer with a lot of momentum after a great spring, and he’s looking forward to having a great summer going into fall camp.
Magee finished the game 5-of-13 passing for 47 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 67 yards on nine carries. Harvey, along with his two sacks, rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Tyler Aikens rushed four times for 22 yards, and Matthews led the receiving corps with 35 yards.
