Barnwell has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Marion Swamp Foxes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Barnwell walked away with it. They blew past Lake Marion, posting a 35-8 win at home. The win was just what Barnwell needed coming off of a 33-7 loss in their prior game.
Barnwell can attribute much of their success to Jaquan Peeples, who rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries, and Cameron Austin, who rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries.
Meanwhile, Marion came tearing into Friday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They didn't even let Central onto the board and left with a 48-0 win. Marion pushed the score to 41-0 by the end of the third, a deficit Central had no chance of recovering from.
Marion had a senior duo take command as Quay?Sheed Scott gained 175 total yards and two touchdowns and Gabriel Cusack threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes. Jamarius Williams was in the mix too, providing Marion with two touchdowns.
Barnwell has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Marion, their victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Barnwell has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 167.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Marion struggles in that department as they've been even better at 177.5 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Barnwell beat Marion 51-40 when the teams last played back in November of 2021. Will Barnwell repeat their success, or does Marion have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
