Despite a season peppered by the uncertainty of not only competing in a new region but also facing a nonregion schedule of mostly unfamiliar opponents, the Marion County football team does have the security of experience.
The Warriors bring back plenty of starting experience and also have the added motivation of wanting to erase the experience of last season’s frustration.
A string of injuries struck the roster before the temperature had even cooled, sending things spiraling in the wrong direction and Marion never quite recovered, finishing 5-5 and missing out on the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. But because those injuries forced several underclassmen to see unexpected playing time — including eight sophomores who started along the way — those players now return with plenty of game experience.
Three of those losses came by a combined 14 points, including two against region foes which cost the team any shot of reaching the postseason. All of which should serve as added motivation for a redemptive run.