MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Sure, Tim Starkey would have taken another blowout playoff win for Marion County with the outcome decided early.
The fact that the Warriors had to work through some adversity to get a shot at repeating as TSSAA Class 2A state champions in football made their head coach proud.
The Warriors were tied with host Eagleton Academy at 14 early in the fourth quarter before scoring the final 19 points in a 33-14 victory to earn a return to the BlueCross Bowl at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium next week.
Second-ranked Marion County (13-1) will face third-ranked Huntingdon (13-1) — a 35-34 winner over No. 1 Milan in Friday night’s other semifinal — for the 2A title at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football playoffs)
Marion County vs. Eagleton on Nov. 28, 2025
“For the last three weeks, we’ve played really well in all three phases of the game, but tonight we just couldn’t get out of our own way for some reason,” said Starkey, whose team lost two fumbles among a myriad of mistakes.
“We had a good first quarter, but in the second quarter Eagleton did everything they had to do to stay in this game, and they gave us a run for our money. It was just one of those games where we needed to keep playing hard and overcome a bunch of adversity, and any time you have to do that as a team, you learn from it.”
Marion, which won its first three playoff games by a combined score of 126-27, started Friday’s game in similar dominating fashion with a 57-yard opening drive, all on the ground, to take a 7-0 lead. Mason Mays, Jayden Frazier, Zaiden Humphrey and Ashton Martin took turns gashing the fourth-ranked Royals (10-4), with Mays scoring on a 1-yard run.
Eagleton managed only one first down through the first 22 minutes, but a Marion fumble ended one promising drive and a short field-goal attempt that was missed capped another one with 1:44 remaining in the half.
Eagleton took advantage as quarterback Mason Mitchell hit Lane Cope with two big plays, the final one a 39-yard bomb with 36 seconds left as the Royals made it 7-all.
Two drives for the hosts ended in Marion territory in the third quarter, and the Warriors finally got their offense going after the second failed Eagleton drive as Humphrey hit Brett Webb for 42 yards on a post pattern to the 20. Five plays later, Mays cashed in a powerful run on fourth-and-goal from the 3 for a 14-7 lead.
Another major mistake by Marion, a fumble early in the final quarter, led to Mitchell and Cope hooking up again to tie the game with 9:32 to play.
Martin gave the Warriors quick momentum with a strong kickoff return to the 48, where Humphrey twice hit Mays with swing passes out of the backfield for first downs, leading to Martin’s go-ahead 2-yard touchdown run with 4:43 remaining.
The Royals had a quick three-and-out offensively, and Humphrey sealed the trip to Finley with a 46-yard keeper. Frazier added a 48-yard touchdown run in the final minute, part of a 403-yard night for the offense.
“We had seniors doing what seniors are supposed to do,” said Starkey, pointing out Mays, Frazier and Martin. “Our seniors just made plays for us and came up big at the end.
“Two years in a row going to the championship game, we are just blessed to be in this position. We have great coaches, great kids and a great community.”
Mays led a balanced rushing attack with 91 yards on 17 carries, with Frazier adding 89 on eight, Humphrey 82 on 14 and Martin 43 on 10. Marion’s defense held Eagleton to 25 rushing yards and had interceptions from Webb and Harris Weeks.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.