The East Marion Eagles have been the class of Class 1 Region 7 the past two seasons with a combined record of 42-7 and 16-0 in district play but haven’t been able to advance past the second round of the playoffs.
Last season it was six-time defending state champ Our Lady Academy that ended the Eagles’ 22-2 season, and head coach Mandell Echols said he knows it will be tough to go through the Bay St. Louis once again.
“It seems like every year they just reload. A lot of it is because some of the girls on OLA’s team don’t do anything else besides volleyball. The small things they have problems with, they’re working on it all year,” he said. “Whereas, our girls leave volleyball to go to basketball, and some of our girls also do cheerleading during the season. They’re being pulled in every direction.”
However, a potential postseason rematch is far in the distance, and Echols is focused on replacing three starters after scrimmaging Hattiesburg Monday.
“There’s a lot of stuff we need to iron out. Farae Jackson, Brittany Dearman and Dontajha Stepney (graduated), and I’m looking for people to replace them. We’re going to have a rough season if nobody steps up. We’re making a lot of small, simple errors,” he said. “Tytianna Porter is still solid. Hope Cook, my setter, is solid. Destiny Brown wasn’t with us (Monday) because she was playing with her AAU basketball team. Azariyah Magee is going to take Dontajha Stepney’s place, but she’s a backup setter also and did a good job (Monday).”
Echols said he’s expecting several girls to elevate their game to keep up the winning tradition.
“I’m looking for RaQquiya Haynes, Azariyah Magee, McKinley Johnson and Kaiya Porter — if they step up then we can replace those other girls. Our setters (Brown and Cook) are returning, and Ty is going to be Ty. If I can get those other two to three spots covered, we’ll basically be the same team we were last year,” he said. “They have the potential, but they’re not used to being in a starting role and having the team depending on them. Once they get that, I think that we’ll be OK.”
Echols added that if they do indeed step up, the Eagles should be able to replicate their success from recent years. Monday’s scrimmage against Hattiesburg was telling, according to Echols.
“I thought some of the younger girls were aggressive and playing hard. McKinley Johnson had been having problems blocking, but she was aggressive and firm. Hattiesburg had two girls that were pretty solid, and normally when we play (a team) like that McKinley backs down, but she didn’t back down,” he said. “That was one of the main things I was excited about because I need someone else to help Ty block when she’s on the back row. I think McKinley is going to be that person for me.”
While continuing to win is the primary goal this season, Echols said he is also focused on being able to create a lasting legacy for years to come.
“Our goal is to repeat as district champs, but I want to develop our young girls so when Ty and them leave, we can at least still compete,” he said. “Right now, Ty, McKinely and Azariyah are the core of my team and were last year also. Once they leave, I’ll be looking for someone else to step up.”
The Eagles begin their season Saturday in the Columbia Classic with back-to-back matches against Seminary and Columbia at 1 and 2 p.m., respectively.
Pictured Above: East Marion setter Hope Cook is one of the returning starters head coach Mandell Echols is counting on. | Photo by Mark Rogers
