The first installment of the Marion County Football Championship begins Friday night as Columbia (1-0) makes the short trek to Les Peters Field to take on the East Marion Eagles (1-0).
Both squads got off to great starts in Week 1 with the Eagles besting Amite County 26-13 on the road and Columbia annihilating Mendenhall 59-6 at home.
Columbia has won five straight in the series, including last season’s 49-20 contest, following a 12-year stretch where East Marion won eight of 10.
The Wildcats are widely regarded as the favorites to win state this season in Class 3A, while East Marion is coming off a south state run last year in 1A and has now moved up to 2A.
CHS head coach Chip Bilderback said East Marion looks really big and athletic on film and four-year starter Devin Daniels is a handful at quarterback for the Eagles.
“They got after it last week against Amite. Any time you have a senior quarterback that’s played as much as Daniels has, I think that worries you as a coach. He’s a great competitor and football player,” he said. “They have some really big guys up front on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be a battle. It’s going to be a typical rivalry game where it’s two teams that care about their schools and what they represent getting after it.”
For East Marion head coach Kevin Jackson, the Eagles’ chances lie in their ability to run the ball effectively and execute.
“That’s all we can do. They have a very good team, very well-coached team, very talented team, physical team so it’s going to take a great effort from us to go in, execute and play 48 minutes,” he said.
It may be early in the season and both teams are still trying to figure out their identity, but any time East Marion and Columbia get together it’s going to be a dog fight.
“It shouldn’t take much to get ready for this game. It’s a crosstown rival, and there shouldn’t have to be a whole lot said for our kids to get up for this one,” Jackson said.
Pictured Above: Columbia's Tryson Johnson runs behind a host of blockers against Mendenhall. | Photo by Charlie Smith
