Although East Marion had already locked up a playoff berth, there was still a lot on the line Friday night in its regular season finale against Resurrection Catholic in Pascagoula.
The Eagles were playing for two big things — a No. 3 seed in the playoffs rather than a No. 4 seed and their first winning season since 2014 when they lost an overtime thriller 18-12 to Bassfield in the South State championship — but were denied in a 55-34 loss.
Head coach Kevin Jackson had very few words to describe the game.
“They came ready and prepared to play, and we didn’t.”
One of the biggest problems for the Eagles all season has been their tackling space. They’ve done a good job of getting penetration and making plays inside the tackle box, but when they get blocked up front or the play goes to the outside they struggle, and that’s what happened Friday night.
“It was just a matter of our guys giving great effort and tackling, and we didn’t do a good job of that,” Jackson said.
It was the fourth game this season in which the Eagles scored more than 30 points but lost.
“Our offense was productive. They were able to put 34 points on the board, but the defense has to get better, play better and keep people out of the end zone,” Jackson said.
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, the Eagles turn their attention to one of the best teams in Class 1A — Nanih Waiya — which is a perfect 12-0 on the season and the Eagles’ first round opponent.
The Warriors truly don’t have a weakness. They have dominated on the ground this season, rushing for more than 3,000 yards and 59 touchdowns led by Taemous Glass and Chris Smith, who have 19 and 18 rushing touchdowns, respectively.
The defense, led by sophomore defensive end Shia Moore — who has 84 tackles and five sacks — is giving up just 8.4 points per game and has allowed six points or fewer seven times, including three shutouts.
It’s going to be a tough test for the Eagles offense, but if there is anything the Warriors have struggled with it’s facing an elite talent. That is something East Marion has in the form of senior running back Jarveon Howard.
Jackson said that while his players are likely aware of the Nanih Waiya’s impressive resume, it doesn’t matter come playoff time.
“At this point, we’re all undefeated. It’s a new season. All of the regular season is out the window. From now on, it’s from Friday to Friday,” he said. “Our kids shouldn’t be looking to hard at (Nanih Waiya’s) record. I’m sure they have a little bit, but at the end of the day somebody has to go out and win Friday night to move on. Hopefully, that will be us. It’s going to take a great effort from us playing for 48 minutes, playing a complete game and limiting our mistakes.”
Jackson added that containing Smith and Glass in the running game will be key for the Eagles.
“They’re sound in all phases of the game. They’re 12-0 and have a good team,” he said. “They have a couple of good running backs. We just have to be focused on those two guys, keep them bottled up and tackle them. We have to prevent them from getting into the end zone and score more points than they do.”
One resounding theme throughout the game of football regardless of opposition is winning the turnover battle. If East Marion is able to force a few turnovers and limit its mistakes, anything can happen.
“Watching film, you see they’re a shotgun team and have had a few bad snaps here and there. When those opportunities come available we have to take advantage of them to win that turnover battle,” Jackson said. “Then we have to capitalize (on the turnovers) when we get them.”
With a win Friday night, East Marion would take on the winner between Stringer (9-3) and Noxapater (8-3) in the second round of the playoffs.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Pictured Above: Quarterback Devin Daniels stands tall in the pocket. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
