At the onset of the playoffs, East Marion was given little chance to make some noise with a first-round road matchup with a one-loss Noxapater squad and Lumberton potentially looming in the second round.
The Eagles (8-6) made a racket with that portion of the bracket, defeating the pair by a combined score of 52-14 to reach South State and a date with Nanih Waiya (14-1). As impressive and remarkable as East Marion’s improbable run in the 1A playoffs was, it came to a screeching halt in a rain-soaked 28-8 loss in Louisville Friday night.
However, head coach Kevin Jackson said the season, as a whole, should be viewed as a success.
“It’s been a good season. We have a lot of guys returning after this season, and they stepped up to the challenge when it was time,” he said. “After finishing third in the division, we made an excellent run to get to where we are now. I’m super proud of our kids, super proud.”
Playing in a torrential downpour throughout the first half with numerous large puddles despite a well-manicured and level playing surface Friday night, the Eagles struggled to find their footing as they had several offensive plays go for negative yards due to ball carriers slipping and quarterback Devin Daniels having a hard time holding onto the ball.
It was a distinctive shift for Daniels, who had been the best quarterback on the field and among the best athletes in most of East Marion’s game this season, but he was outplayed by Nanih Waiya’s Donovan Turner with a trip to State on the line. Turner didn’t need to attempt a single pass as his legs consistently probed and scorched the Eagles defense, running for 215 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.
Five times throughout the course of the game Daniels lost control of the ball — twice on handoffs, once on a playaction that led to a sack, once on a shotgun snap and lastly a fumble that changed the complexion of the game.
While East Marion’s offense had a litany of unforced errors, the Warriors defense caused a lot of problems for the Eagles as well and caught the attention of Jackson.
“Their defense,” Jackson said immediately regarding East Marion’s offense being held to just 147 yards following the game. “That’s a really good team on the other side of the field, man, and they played an excellent game. We did get off to a slow start with some penalties early that set us back. The rain didn’t help either, but that’s not an excuse. You have to play through those type of conditions, and we didn’t do a good job of it tonight.”
Both teams punted on their first two possessions to start the game, with Daniels making a great tackle on the perimeter on third down to force Nanih Waiya’s second punt. Flenard McLin gave the Eagles great field position at the Warriors 47 on that punt with a long return, and Daniels broke free for a 34-yard scamper on a quarterback sweep to get East Marion into the red zone.
With East Marion knocking on the door for the first score of the game, though, Daniels was hit hard after a 4-yard gain and lost a fumble that the Warriors recovered on their own 9. Turner then found a crease and exploded for a 74-yard gain, and two plays later he found the end zone from 12 yards out to give Nanih Waiya a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.
East Marion was pinned back at its own 5 to start the ensuing drive after bobbling the kickoff and had to give it right back after a three-and-out. The Warriors began at East Marion’s 41 after the punt and made quick work of the short field as Turner ran in for another score with 5:42 remaining before halftime as the Warriors led 13-0.
That score held the remainder of the first half as East Marion had another three-and-out, marred by Wanya Cook slipping in the backfield for a 5-yard loss on first down, and the Warriors failing to find traction on their last drive of the half.
Nanih Waiya wasted no time padding its lead to open the second half as Shia Moore bursted right through the heart of the Eagles defense, broke a tackle in the secondary and was off to the races for a 42-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion was successful, making it 21-0.
The Eagles had a chance to get back into it, though, as they started the ensuing drive at midfield following a kick out of bounds, but issues handling the wet ball doomed the Eagles. They lost five yards on first down on a fumbled handoff, then Daniels was sacked for a loss of four on third down after dropping the snap.
Nanih Waiya scored on a 31-yard run by Turner on the next possession to take a commanding 28-0 lead. The Eagles finally found the end zone with just four seconds left in the game, though. Daniels connected with Lawrence Lambert on a 50-yard deep ball, then hit Darrin Haines for a 35-yard score a play later. Cook ran in the two-point conversion.
The Eagles had 10 possessions in the game with seven three-and-outs, a fumble, an interception and the late touchdown.
Despite the devastating ending, the Eagles had a great season to reach the South State Championship and will graduate 11 seniors — Cook, Haines, McLin, Jacob Johnson, Michael Wilson, Raul Soldi, Charles Cowart, Kavonta Scott, Keithshon Johnson, Larry Moffett and Charles Thompson. Jackson said the senior class will be missed.
“It’s a great bunch of guys. I’ve had them since they were ninth-graders, and they’ve come a long way,” he said. “We appreciate all the things they’ve done for East Marion football, and we wish them well in their futures.”
Pictured Above: East Marion's Devin Daniels stands tall in the pocket as rain falls at Nanih Waiya. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
