The East Marion Eagles seemingly have a knack for the dramatic as they mounted another fourth-quarter comeback Friday night and beat Perry Central 28-20 to start district play.
It was the Eagles’ (4-2, 1-0) first game in Region 8-2A after spending two seasons in Class 1A, and head coach Kevin Jackson said it was great to start off on the right foot.
“No matter what league you’re in it’s always good to start off 1-0 in division because those first five games really don’t matter. They’re warmup, tune-up games. These are the games that count toward to the seeding and the playoffs so these are the wins that matter,” he said. “It’s a super great feeling.”
Last week the Eagles outscored Bogalusa 22-16 in the fourth quarter in a comeback victory, and the Eagles won the fourth quarter again Friday, outscoring Perry Central 14-0 in the final frame to come from behind.
“The last few weeks we’ve been going down to the wire so once again it’s playing 48 minutes and playing until there are all zeroes on the board,” Jackson said.
This week the Eagles will travel down to the Coast to Biloxi to take on St. Patrick (5-2, 0-1), who is coming off a 25-0 loss to North Forrest. Jackson said St. Patrick is a well-coached team that will play hard for all 48 minutes and that although it’s going to be a long trip, the Eagles have been on the road a lot this year and it should be business as usual.
Charlie Olsen is the Fighting Irish’s lead playmaker at running back and averages 145 rushing yards per game with seven touchdowns, and Jackson said it’s going to be vital to get him to the ground at first contact. Olsen may not be a burner, but he is a patient runner who waits for holes to develop and has a knack for getting small and slippery in tight areas.
Friday at East Marion, the Bulldogs had a good drive going on their second possession, but a penalty ruined the momentum and forced them to punt. With rain pouring down onto the field, the snap was a roller to the punter and as he bent over to pick it up Martez Mikell leveled him and Amere Woodham scooped up the ball and returned it 41 yards for an East Marion touchdown. Devin Daniels hurdled a defender and broke two tackles on his way to running in the 2-point conversion for an early 8-0 lead.
Lightning and rain caused the game to be delayed for about two hours, but play resumed around 9:30.
Perry Central answered once play resumed with a long touchdown run and added the conversion attempt to tie the game 8-8. Then Woodham came up with a big play again, leaping up in double coverage to haul in a 20-yard reception on 3rd-and-12, which led to Latral Waller running in a 6-yard touchdown. Daniels was stuffed on the conversion, but the Eagles had a 14-8 lead.
The counterpunch from Perry Central took no time at all as the Bulldogs returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. The conversion attempt failed, though, and the game was tied again 14-14.
The Bulldogs took a 20-14 lead on the opening drive of the second half on a short touchdown run but were once again stuffed on the conversion. Following an East Marion punt, however, Perry Central faced a 3rd-and-12 from its own 10, and Ja’Quarious Jones undercut a crossing route, picked off the pass and returned it 15 yards to pay dirt to tie it once again 20-20 early in the fourth quarter.
“We talked about it and drilled takeaways with fumble recoveries and things like that for the past few weeks. It’s always good to see some of those things you do in practice pay off on Friday night,” Jackson said. “It’s a credit to our team for working hard during practice on those little things and seeing it come to life in a real game.”
The Eagles defense then forced a turnover on downs, and Daniels took matters into his own hands. With the Eagles at the Perry Central 18, the senior scrambled to his left to avoid the rush, got to the sideline and ran over a Bulldogs defensive back at the goal line to get into the end zone. Waller ran in the conversion to make it 28-20.
Jackson said having the ability to come from behind to win starts with the man under center for the Eagles.
“It’s a matter of mental toughness and having a good leader in our quarterback (Daniels) who continues to encourage our kids to continue to fight until the last second of the game,” he said. “It’s definitely a plus for our mental integrity as far as being persistent and consistent throughout the course of a game.”
Pictured Above: East Marion wide receiver Amere Woodham hauls in a leaping grab through the rain Friday night at home against Perry Central. | Photo by Susan Amundson
