Marion County’s Josh Henderson (21) grabs the jersey of Trezevant running back Cordarrian Richardson during the BlueCross Bowl Class 2A championship game at Tennessee Tech last season. Richardson rushed for 342 yards and three touchdowns while throwing for another score as his Bears won 40-35.JASPER, Tenn. – The biggest constant for the Marion County football team this season hasn’t been its three-headed running game, a highly efficient 3-5 defensive alignment or even the upbeat truthfulness of first-year coach Joey Mathis.
The Warriors have played all year for five points – five points they failed to score or keep from being scored in the 2015 BlueCross Bowl Class 2A championship game in Cookeville.
“We’ve been saying it all year – chasing five points,” senior linebacker Alex Kirkendoll said. “Everybody said we couldn’t get back, and we proved them wrong.”
Getting to Cookeville for their third consecutive title has made it possible for the Warriors to even the score.
Standing in their way is Trezevant, the West Tennessee powerhouse that snuffed out Marion’s shot last year by a 40-35 margin behind Cordarrian Richardson. The hot shot junior running back performed a personal blitzkrieg, rushing for 342 yards and three touchdowns and throwing for another score.
He has run for 1,553 yards with no fumbles this season.
“He’s a good running back, but we’ll take this game like we do every game,” said Kirkendoll, the state’s 2016 Class 2A Mr. Football lineman of the year. “We have played bigger running backs than him, and we’ve continued to work on tackling drills every day.”
Kirkendoll was named last year’s defensive MVP after spending much of the game taking the measure of Richardson, who was the offensive MVP.
“He’ll run through you, and if you arm-tackle you’re not going to tackle him,” added Kirkendoll, who’s being recruited by Austin Peay, Brown, Illinois State and Tennessee Tech. “We’ll try to wrap up a little better and take better angles on our pursuits.”
Marion got pushed back by Trezevant’s big offensive line, which enhanced Richardson’s opportunities, and the Bears again are solid. Their smallest starters tackle to tackle are 235 pounds, their biggest 6-foot-5, 285.
“Last year watching film it didn’t look like they came off that hard, but in the game they did,” the 6-3, 215-pound Kirkendoll said. “But then you still have to give a lot of credit to Cordarrian.”
As if offering testimony to Richardson’s ability, Clemson long ago offered the 6-foot, 235-pounder a scholarship.
Mathis understands why, perhaps better even than his players.
“Good speed, good power and pretty elusive to be a bigger back,” Mathis assessed. “The big thing is that he wears on you through four quarters. That’s what makes it tough.”
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.