By Richard Harris
Under the Friday night lights at Eagle Stadium last Friday night, small-town heart came within inches of a David-over-Goliath shocker. Class 1A Marion County outplayed Class 4A Columbus High for four gritty quarters, only to suffer a heart-wrenching 21-20 defeat in the game's final seconds.
The Eagles set the tone early with an explosive first quarter. Quarterback Marcus Rainey kicked off the scoring by lofting a 17-yard touchdown pass to Camron Crawford. Though the two-point attempt fell short, Marion was just warming up.
Moments later, Rainey struck again, launching a stunning 69-yard strike to Kay Kelley for another touchdown. Deontae Hawkins punched in the two-point conversion, pushing the lead to a quick 14-0.
Marion nearly blew the game open even fu...
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