MARION, Texas — The Marion Bulldogs spent their bye week getting healthy, getting back to basics and, apparently, discovering a few future karaoke stars.
Following a 41-14 loss to defending Class 3A Division I state champion Yoakum on October 2, Marion head coach Joel Call decided his team needed more than additional time on the practice field. The Bulldogs needed an opportunity to reconnect, reflect and establish their identity for the remainder of the season.
That meant putting football aside for an evening of team bonding, featuring the Bulldog Olympics, cornhole and a karaoke competition that brought out the competitive spirit of players and coaches alike.
“Our seniors knocked it out of the park,” Call said during this week’s Bulldog Report. “Our coaches tried to respond back with their own song, but the seniors held it off.”
The coaching staff’s selection? Coolio’s 1995 classic “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
Unfortunately for Call and his assistants, their rendition wasn’t enough to win over the players.
But beyond the musical performances and friendly competition, the Bulldogs had some serious business to address.
Marion enters Friday night’s home matchup against Smithville with a 4-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in District 13. The Bulldogs opened district play with a convincing 52-14 victory over San Antonio Cole before running into the defending state champions in Yoakum.
With a week away from game action, Call and his staff invited the players into a meeting designed to evaluate the state of the team and establish goals for the final stretch of the regular season.
“We basically tell our kids it’s a staff meeting with them involved,” Call explained.
Out of that discussion emerged two priorities that have become Marion’s theme heading into Friday.
Increase intensity. Eliminate doubt.
The first objective places more responsibility on the players to establish the energy and attention to detail necessary to succeed, rather than relying exclusively on their coaches.
Call explained that intensity isn’t always about making noise or delivering the biggest hit. Sometimes, it’s about maintaining focus while performing the same fundamental drills that players have practiced hundreds of times.
“Sometimes people think the intensity is just hollering and hooping and all that kind of stuff, but it’s really just how you attack the drill,” Call said.
According to the Marion coach, his players have already responded by bringing greater focus and purpose to their work, particularly during the opening portions of practice.
The second objective, eliminating doubt, comes directly from the experience of competing against a program like Yoakum.
Call wants his Bulldogs to approach every opponent with confidence, believing they belong on the same field regardless of the competition’s reputation or accomplishments.
That mentality will be tested Friday against a Smithville team whose record could make the Tigers easy to overlook.
Smithville enters the matchup at 1-6 overall and 0-3 in district play, having dropped six consecutive games since opening the season with a victory over Austin Achieve.
The Tigers are also coming off a 48-14 loss to Yoakum last Friday.
Despite those struggles, Call believes Smithville possesses enough talent to challenge his Bulldogs.
“I don’t think their record really shows how good of a football team they are,” Call said. “They have some talent.”
The Marion coach expects an aggressive opponent eager to turn its season around and warned his players to prepare for a fight from the opening kickoff.
“They’re going to come out and they’re going to swing and they’re going to try to throw haymakers,” Call said. “Can we withstand the barrage and answer it?”
For Marion, Friday also presents an opportunity to protect an unbeaten home record. The Bulldogs have won all three of their home games this season, including victories over Crockett, Uvalde and Cole.
With four regular-season games remaining, Marion will look to translate the lessons learned during its bye week into another important district victory.
The Bulldogs have already found their voices in the karaoke room. Now, Call wants to see his players become equally vocal leaders on the football field.
Marion hosts Smithville on Friday, October 16, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.