There might not be any playoff implications on the line when East Marion makes the crosstown trek to Walter Payton Field at Gardner Stadium Friday to take on the Wildcats, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to play for.
Not only are a year’s worth of bragging rights at stake, but the elusive Marion County Football Championship is at play as well. West Marion has won it four years running, but it was up for grabs until Week 9 last season. A big win by either program Friday night could put them on the fast track to stealing the crown back from the Trojans.
Both teams are coming off convincing Week 1 victories with East Marion topping Amite County 33-2 and Columbia besting Richton 40-13.
While there are particular matchups that will decide the game, first-year Columbia head coach Chip Bilderback said the Wildcats will focus on perfecting themselves more so than prepare for a particular opponent.
“It’s a very important game, but we really need to focus on ourselves. I know it’s a huge game for our school and community, but we’re so early in the year that we need to do a great job focusing on us and getting better,” he said. “I believe it’s true you get so much better from your first to your second (game). We’re going to keep our foot on the gas and really push our guys to be great.”
What will likely be most telling is how 1A East Marion deals with the depth 3A Columbia possesses. East Marion’s starters match up well with Columbia’s, but the Wildcats have the depth to rotate several players in and out without missing a beat while keeping everyone fresh. The Eagles don’t have that luxury with a roster half of the size of Columbia’s, and East Marion head coach Kevin Jackson said getting out to an early lead could be crucial.
“It’s going to be super important for us to get out in front and play at a high level for 48 minutes because depth will be a factor. They have a little more depth than we do, so our kids will just have to be ready to play hard for 48 minutes,” he said.
Following Friday night’s game at Richton, Bilderback was interested in seeing how the Wildcats temper themselves after a victory.
“It starts at practice on Monday and how we handle our success of winning. Can we come back and have a great week of practice again and be ready for a crosstown rival or not? That shows your maturity, so I’m really excited to see how our kids respond from that,” he said.
One of the strengths the Wildcats showed in their season-opening win was the waves of disruptive defensive linemen they possess with nearly 10 players seeing action. Jackson said East Marion quarterback Devin Daniels will need to make quick reads within the pocket against Columbia.
“It’s going to be super important for him to get the ball out on time,” he said. “They seem to have a decent defensive line that can bring some pressure, and Devin is going to have to get it out on time. We’re going to have to make sure we give him some opportunities to throw the ball quick. It’s not that our offensive line can’t block them, but the long, deep passes will be a little difficult because we’ll have to get rid of it a whole lot sooner.”
A lot of football games are won in the trenches, and the rivalry game Friday night should be no different. Kickoff is at 7.
Pictured Above: Columbia defensive end Justin Lee bats the ball up in the air, leading to a Jamison Kelly interception return for a touchdown. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
