For such a young team to battle adversity and still have the success West Marion did this season — winning six games and advancing to the second round of the playoffs after an 0-3 start — the 2017 campaign for the Trojans has to be viewed as a success despite Friday night’s 34-6 home loss to Hazlehurst.
Head coach Brad Duncan said as much on the field following the game.
“If you think about the plays we didn’t execute, that’s just things that happen when you’re young. We have a sophomore back there at quarterback throwing it around,” he said. “If you would’ve told us when we were 0-3 that we’d be in round two, we would’ve said ‘Hell yeah we’ll take that.’ We’ve been talking about it all year, this feels a whole lot like it did eight or so years ago. It’s the same situation — we’re playing a lot of young guys that are going to get there.”
The Trojans could have mailed it in as a lost season after the first three weeks of the season, especially after a heartbreaking loss to East Marion, but they rallied around their seven seniors.
The 28-point margin is far from indicative of the talent level that was on the field Friday night in Foxworth. West Marion simply struggled with youthful mistakes and gave up some fluky big plays that distorted the final score.
On the first play from scrimmage, Hazlehurst quarterback Quamead Stewart found himself in a heap of trouble — being pressured from his blind side and scrambling for his life. He made what typically is and should have been a terrible mistake by throwing late back across the field in double coverage. Two Trojans defensive backs were in perfect position to make a play on the ball but mistimed their jumps, and the ball fell into the waiting arms of Julius Brown, who sprinted for a 63-yard touchdown.
The Trojans put together a nice drive on the ensuing possession, but a false start on fourth down derailed it. However, Keyon Brister seemed to bail the Trojans out, coming up with a strip sack that gave them the ball back at the Hazlehurst 18-yard line.
With a 12-men on the defense penalty setting them up with a first-and-5, the Trojans were in great shape. Then Jeremiah Holmes was sacked three straight times and lost a fumble on the third, ending the scoring opportunity.
On the very next play, Tim Steward took off for a 65-yard touchdown to put the Indians up 12-0. The Trojans threatened once again, getting inside the red zone but Holmes fumbled on the tail end of a 7-yard run to give the Indians the ball back. However, the Trojans forced a fumble on the next play and recovered it at the Hazlehurst 20, breathing life back into their sails.
Lined up in a diamond-and-1 formation — four receivers to the right and one on the weak side — Holmes faked a screen to the strong side and lofted a perfect touch pass into Dontavius McGowan’s outstretched hands for a touchdown. A failed two-point conversion made it 12-6 with 2:44 in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Indians’ returner struggled with gaining control of the ball and bobbled it as he ran before losing complete control of it as the Trojans pounced on the loose football at the Hazlehurst 10.
Gifted with another scoring opportunity, the Trojans botched the red zone trip, gaining just two yards in four plays to turn the ball back over on downs.
Duncan said that the miscues were indicative of what he has seen all season.
“We had a penalty that put us behind the chains, that hurts. We had a dropped pass, that hurts. It was little things that were just so close,” he said. “So many times this year on Saturday morning when I’d review the games and make my notes, I wish I knew how many times in the 13 games I wrote ‘so close to making a play.’ It’s been that kind of season — so close. That’s what happens with young guys.”
Following punts from both teams, the Indians put together a long, 87-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by Stewart scoring from five yards out on a quarterback sweep. The Indians converted the two-point conversion then intercepted Holmes to take a 20-6 lead into halftime.
The third quarter came and went inauspiciously for both teams as neither offense was able to find traction, but the Indians began the fourth with a bang. Brown took off on a misdirection handoff and found pay dirt for a 34-yard score, and the two-point conversion extended Hazlehurst’s lead to 28-6.
Holmes was then intercepted a third time on the ensuing drive, throwing late across his body in the middle of the field, which set up a Jahem James 60-yard touchdown run for the Indians to put the game out of reach.
Though the final score indicates a blowout, a few plays here or there would have changed the entire complexion of the game. The experience the young Trojans gained with making it to the second round is something that can’t be replicated.
“We were right there. We talked about it today of playing free football,” Duncan explained. “The experience these young guys got playing four extra quarters (last week) then another four quarters (tonight), you can’t replicate that. It’s real experience. We’re not talking about working out or playing 7-on-7. They got eight quarters of extra football that a lot of young teams don’t get. That’ll help us out down the road.”
Duncan then put the Trojans’ roster into perspective and paid homage to the departing seniors.
“We had 34 underclassmen — 34. Out of those 34, four are juniors so it’s 30 ninth and 10th-graders. They got a lot of reps and experience. These kids will never quit either. They’ll come back. Most of them play basketball or baseball, but they’ll come back and get stronger, faster and more mature,” Duncan said. “The seniors did a heck of job. When we were 0-3, they could’ve laid down and they didn’t. They wouldn’t let these young guys lay down.”
The Trojans finished the season 6-7 and claimed the Marion County Football Championship for the fourth consecutive year.
Pictured Above: Adryane James attempts to run through an arm tackle. | Photo by Mark Rogers
