Keith Houston wanted to make a splash in his first season as Marion's coach.
Starting a 15-year-old sophomore quarterback is one way to do it.
Houston went with Daedrick Cail as the Patriots' quarterback and Cail proved to be the right player for the job.
Cail completed 163 of 262 passes for 2,336 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and also had 37 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns as Marion won eight games and earned a No. 2 seed from the 6A-East Conference in the Class 6A playoffs.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has named Cail as this year's All-Arkansas Preps sophomore of the year.
"Our big concern was finding the right signal-caller," Houston said. "After evaluating Daedrick, we figured he would be the guy who would give us the best chance to win football games."
Cail was determined to prove his coach right.
[ALL-ARKANSAS PREPS: See first team, second team, top sophomores + more]
"I never wanted to lose that spot," Cail said. "Ever since I got the spot, I worked hard to never lose it."
With Cail, the Patriots enjoyed their first winning season since 2011, defeating eventual playoff teams Wynne, Little Rock Parkview, Blytheville, Pine Bluff and Jonesboro.
Marion's three losses were to West Memphis and Searcy in the regular season and Sylvan Hills in the Class 6A quarterfinals. But Cail said the Patriots were even-keeled throughout the season, which helped, he said.
"We never got down on ourselves," Cail said. "When we lost, we forgot about it as soon as the next day came. It was one day at a time."
Cail had a season-high five touchdown passes in Marion's 56-0 victory over Jacksonville on Oct. 26.
"We watched him grow to become a varsity quarterback," Houston said. "You could just see by his play that he recognizes certain defenses. He could look at the defense and see where the ball needed to go."
Cail at a glance
SCHOOL Marion
POSITION Quarterback
HIGHLIGHTS Completed 163 of 262 passes for 2,362 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Rushed for 37 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries. … Led Marion to an 8-3 record and a No. 2 seed from the 6A-East Conference in the Class 6A playoffs. … Had a season-high five touchdown passes in a 56-0 victory over Jacksonville on Oct. 26.
Houston said he was impressed with Cail's commitment level.
"That kid was committed from day one," Houston said. "It all paid off. The kid put in extra time in the film room. He made with the offensive coordinator [Zach Tribble] and understood what we wanted to do on the offensive side of the ball."
The new coaching staff was beneficial for Cail, he said.
"They helped us a lot," Cail said. "They brought the energy that we never had before. We've never seen anything like it before."
Cail is also a standout shortstop at Marion. Houston said Cail will work out with the football team as time allows during baseball season.
After an eight-victory season, Houston believes there's more success ahead for the Patriots.
"We're excited about the future because of the season we had this year," Houston said. "It's a very exciting time in Marion, Arkansas."
Sports on 12/23/2018