(Marion) — Marion proved it could handle adversity in its season opener.
Now the Bulldogs want to make sure they do not need another dramatic comeback to win in Week 2.
Marion enters Friday’s matchup against Austin Crockett coming off a wild 35-34 victory over Gonzales, rallying from a 20-point deficit to open the season 1-0.
For head coach Joel Call, the challenge this week has been taking the lessons from that comeback without allowing the excitement surrounding it to become a distraction.
“Our theme for this week is keep the outside noise outside,” Call said. “A lot of times people think that always is a mindset after a loss or after a setback, but the same is true with a win.”
There was plenty for Marion to feel good about following its opener.
The Bulldogs faced unusual circumstances before the game even began. Weather interrupted Friday night’s original matchup and eventually pushed the game to Saturday morning at Texas Lutheran University’s Bulldog Stadium.
Then came the 20-0 deficit.
Marion could have unraveled. Instead, Call saw a team respond with the kind of composure the Bulldogs have tried to develop throughout their offseason program.
“I was most impressed with our kids,” Call said. “They never batted an eyelash. They never quit. I had kids coming up to me, ‘Coach, it’s okay. We’re good. We’re good. We’ll get it.’”
Marion eventually did.
The Bulldogs scored twice before halftime and carried that momentum into the second half, completing the comeback and escaping with a one-point victory.
As Marion prepares for Crockett, however, Call also sees plenty from the opener that needs to improve.
That begins with eliminating the mistakes that helped create the early deficit.
At quarterback, Marion used multiple players against Gonzales before Hayden Hamilton developed what Call described as the “hot hand” and received more opportunities during the second half.
Call said both quarterbacks (Cooper Benavides, Hamilton) showed positives, particularly considering the responsibility Marion places on the position, but consistency remains the next step.
“We just need to be more consistent, more efficient at the quarterback spot,” Call said. “We put a lot on our quarterback and give them a lot of freedom and keys to navigate our offense and to drive us where we want to be.”
Whichever quarterback is directing the offense Friday, Call’s philosophy remains straightforward.
“Whoever’s putting the ball in the end zone, those are guys that we’re going to roll with,” he said.
Marion will also look to carry over the effort it showed defensively against Gonzales.
Call was pleased with the Bulldogs’ work against the run, but the passing game exposed an area that needs attention entering Week 2.
“We gave up too much in the air,” Call said. “Those are the things that we’ve got to fix, or it’s going to cause us real problems in the end.”
What encouraged Call was how many Marion defenders consistently found their way to the football.
The Bulldogs call it a “party at the pile.”
“We had a lot of people at the pile, and that’s where good things happen,” Call said. “That’s where turnovers happen, and that’s what it takes. That’s that uncommon effort that we talk about.”
That effort helped Marion survive a difficult opening weekend.
Against Crockett, the Bulldogs will try to pair it with a cleaner performance.
The comeback against Gonzales showed Call something about his team that cannot always be discovered during practices or offseason workouts. Down 20 points, playing on an unfamiliar Saturday morning and battling the Texas heat and humidity, Marion remained composed enough to find a way back.
Call believes that mentality comes from intentionally putting his players in uncomfortable situations before the season ever arrives.
“We want to try to put them in really tough situations where they have to think, they have to process,” Call said.
Week 1 showed the Bulldogs could do exactly that.
Week 2 provides their first opportunity to show they can build from it.
That means correcting the breakdowns in the passing defense, finding greater consistency at quarterback and maintaining the swarming defensive effort that helped turn the Gonzales game around.
Most importantly for Call, it means making sure one memorable victory remains just that — one victory.
“We want our kids to be able to focus on us,” Call said. “Let the pats on the backs, let the naysayers, let the people that are trying to distract us with everything else keep that outside noise outside and stay focused on what we need to do to be successful.”
Kickoff from Veterans Stadium is set for 7pm in Marion’s home opener.
Austin Crockett comes in 0-1 after dropping their opener vs Blanco 60-15. The Cougars have lost five straight and sit with a 1-20 record since the 2023 season ended.