Marion County falls in GHSA 1A state football championship
Marion County needed to play a perfect game to upend undefeated Irwin County, a team that pitched seven shutouts and allowed just 56 points all season heading into Saturday morning’s GHSA 1A public state football championship.
Following an Eagles three-and-out, Irwin County’s first play from scrimmage resulted in a 77-yard touchdown. The remaining 45 minutes didn’t go much better.
Irwin County’s wing-t attack proved to be too much, its defense too stingy and its talent far superior as the Indians cruised to a 56-14 win over the Eagles at Georgia State Stadium.
“(Our guys) are not blessed with a whole lot of speed, not real big physically, but just got a whole lot of heart,” Marion coach Chris Kirksey said. “That’s what stands out to me is, being around these guys each and every day, the heart that they’ve shown all throughout this season.”
Once again, the Eagles fell into an early hole. This time, it was too much to overcome.
Marion trailed Pelham for a solid portion of the two teams’ semifinal bout, before a couple of late touchdowns lifted the Eagles to victory. It surrendered a 21-7 lead before pulling out a late win over Lincoln County the week prior.
The Indians’ wing-t offense, which includes lots of pre-snap misdirection and “eye candy,” as some coaches call it, is similar to the triple option in that, once a team falls behind, it’s tough to mount a comeback due to the amount of clock the offense drains. That was no different Saturday morning.
A hole Marion County couldn’t get out of
The Eagles fell into a quick 21-7 hole Saturday, but trailed by just 14 points at halftime after a long touchdown run by quarterback Trice McCannon and a goal-line stand to end the second quarter. But the Indians, jump started by a questionable fumble ruling on Marion’s opening second-half drive, scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take control of the contest.
The Eagles’ defense did not fare much better. Irwin County’s rushing attack gashed the Eagles, finishing with 356 rushing yards and averaging more than 10 yards per carry. The Indians averaged more than 10 yards per play, and finished with 467 total yards.
A dominant performance that will end a special season for Marion County on a bitter note.
Eagles end season on a roll
The Eagles needed perfection to knock off Irwin County. But that is not what they got on Saturday.
McCannon completed just six passes for 92 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles committed five turnovers, including a pick-six by McCannon early in the contest.
The Eagles entered Saturday’s game on a roll, having rattled off eight consecutive wins since September, capped by a 17-point win over Pelham in the semifinals. They finish the season with just three losses, and the program’s first state championship appearance since 2013.
But Marion’s season ended with its players watching Irwin’s players storm the field to celebrate as one of the Indians’ players belly-slid across the 20-yard line. It ended with the team’s worst loss in months, in a game it trailed by 14 at halftime.
But that’s not to say the Eagles didn’t fight. Without that third quarter fumble ruling, the game could have gone a different way. If the Eagles connect on a few long passes that looked to be touchdowns, the final score could have been closer.
Marion’s loss will certainly hurt, but it should not define the Eagles’ season.
“(The seniors) have won a lot of football games in their four years,” Kirksey said. “I hate to see them leave, but the next guys have got to step up. ... We expect it to continue.”
