We’re on to Week 2 of high school action in Marion County, and there are three really good matchups tonight.
Columbia (1-0) at East Marion (0-1) at 7 p.m.
The biggest of which is the cross-town rivalry game between East Marion and Columbia, which is Game 1 of the 2017 Marion County Football Championship.
Matchup to watch: Jarveon Howard vs. Columbia’s front seven
Howard is arguably the best player in the county with more than 10 scholarships offers, including three from SEC schools. Howard had himself a day last week in a 28-20 loss to Amite County, breaking off two touchdowns runs over 70 yards and rushing for 201 yards on just 12 carries.
He will be up against a revamped Columbia defense that looked particularly strong in a 41-8 season-opening win over Richton. One of Columbia’s biggest weaknesses a season ago was the lack of a true linebacker capable of stuffing the run. That is no longer the case with Devin McCullough returning to the team as a senior. The Wildcats will need McCullough on his A-game if they plan on slowing down Howard.
PCS (1-0) at Columbia Academy (1-0) at 7 p.m.
While the Marion County showdown is the biggest game of the week for its local significance, PCS at Columbia Academy is the best matchup on paper. Both teams won in Week 1 with extremely strong running games and solid bend but don’t break defense.
Matchup to watch: Hayden Fornea vs. Sheldon James
Hayden Fornea was an absolute beast for the Cougars defense in 2016 and took home Defensive Player of the Year honors from The Columbian-Progress as a result. His instincts, toughness and athleticism allow him to shut down opposing running backs week after week.
Well he will have his hands full with Sheldon James this week. James had himself a day against West Marion last week, rushing for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries (11.4 YPC). James is a smaller back, but is deceptively strong and has the speed and vision to take any carry to the house. The Cougars will definitely need Fornea to step up tonight.
West Marion (0-1) at Purvis (0-1) at 7 p.m.
West Marion and Purvis both got off to similarly slow starts to begin the season as both teams lost by at least 20 points, but are historically tough football teams to deal with.
Matchup to watch: John Bolton vs. West Marion defense
Purvis’ senior running back has all the tools to wreak havoc on the Trojans defense this week. Bolton rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a junior and has to be licking his chops after West Marion allowed 435 rushing yards to PCS in Week 1.
Head coach Brad Duncan said his defense has been working all week on filling its gaps in the run game, and need every level of the defense to swarm to the ball. If West Marion can find a way to stiffen up and contain Bolton, the Trojans could get their first win of the season.
Pictured Above: Jarveon Howard slips a tackle during the spring jamboree against Columbia. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
