It didn’t take long for the Columbia-East Marion rivalry game to be decided as the Wildcats put 21 points on the board in the blink of an eye and routed the Eagles 60-14 on East Marion’s home turf for their sixth straight win over their bitter rival.
Columbia’s Greg Fortenberry and Justin Lee started the action with Fortenberry blocking an East Marion punt and Lee returning it 12 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, East Marion let the deep kick take a Wildcats bounce, and Amere Woodham fielded it at the 1 and was tackled in the end zone for a safety.
Then on Columbia’s first offensive play, Kentrel Bullock trucked an Eagles defender and was off to the races for a 36-yard touchdown. East Marion lost a fumble on the second play of its next drive, and it took the Wildcats just three plays to find the end zone again as Omarie Johnson broke a tackle and captured the corner for an 11-yard score to make it 21-0 five minutes into the game.
Bullock ran in another touchdown on Columbia’s next drive, then quarterback Josh Brown got in on the action with a 52-yard scamper to the end zone to put the Wildcats up 33-0 midway through the second quarter.
While Columbia’s flashy playmakers rightfully receive a ton of praise, this matchup was won in the trenches as the Wildcats consistently owned both sides of the line of scrimmage from start to finish.
“The running backs will tell you those guys (offensive line) get after it,” CHS head coach Chip Bilderback said. “The defensive line, those guys play hard. Jeremiah Haynes, Greg Fortenberry, Jordan Aaron — Justin Lee has just done so well this year — I could go on about those guys on the defensive line. But those guys on the offensive line, too — Ethan Bond, Jordan Aaron — Christian Rowell has stepped up. We’re really proud of the way they’re working.”
East Marion head coach Kevin Jackson knew going in Columbia was a handful, but he was nonetheless frustrated with the Eagles’ performance.
“We played terrible. We have to get better from within,” he said. “We lost to a good team.”
The Eagles finally got something going, though, as Devin Daniels scrambled to his left and launched a perfect deep ball on the move that hit Woodham in stride for a 49-yard touchdown.
Bullock added another touchdown for Columbia before the end of the first half, a 31-yarder on a speed option, as the Wildcats took a 40-6 lead into halftime.
The second half was much of the same as Columbia cruised to the finish line. Wildcats senior quarterback Javen connected with Sadarion Magee on a back-shoulder fade that required some acrobatics for a 29-yard pitch a catch that put Columbia up 47-6 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
East Marion couldn’t handle the ensuing kickoff leading to a Wildcats recover, and KD Andrews bulled his way into the end zone four plays later for a 3-yard score.
After struggling for much of the game with their rushing attack, the Eagles offensive line finally opened up a big hole for Latral Waller to run through as he scampered 35 yards to the house to cut the deficit to 53-14 with 1:41 remaining in the third quarter.
The final score of the night came on an extremely impressive run by Columbia running back Jonathan Wiltz.
The sophomore went around the right end and was met by two East Marion defenders that seemingly held Wiltz to a minimal game, but he kept his balance by putting his hand on the ground and keeping his knees from touching then exploded for a 70-yard touchdown.
While Bilderback said it was evident the Wildcats need to get in better shape, he was proud that his seniors will end their careers undefeated against their crosstown rival.
“We had a good week of preparation, a good week of practice, and we really don’t have to motivate this group to play. They love to play football,” he said. “I’m just glad our seniors were able to get this one with this being their last time they get to play East Marion and getting a win decisively.”
For the Eagles, it’s back to the drawing board as they attempt to move on from the rough outcome.
“We have a lot of things to improve on,” Jackson said. “We lost to a good football team. We have to do some work from within, though.”
Pictured Above: Star Columbia running back Kentrel Bullock trucks an East Marion defender on a 36-yard touchdown run Friday night for one of his three scores in the game. The Wildcats will head to Wilkinson County Friday night. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
