The defense of the Marion Patriots (1-4 overall, 1-1 6A East) stood tall on Friday night against the daunting flexbone attack of the Sylvan Hills Bears (2-3, 1-1). The Bears had a dangerous rushing attack to start, but Marion’s halftime adjustments became the difference of the game. “We weren’t perfect by any means, but I thought we played as a team,” said Marion coach Keith Houston. “Our kids had fun and that’s what it’s all about. We played with a lot of energy and emotion against a tough team and came out with a win.” Both teams started on the ground, but the first quarter ended without a score. With the emphasis on the running game and the lack of scoring, the first quarter ended after just 16 minutes. Sylvan Hills began the second quarter in the middle of a 60-yard drive. The possession ended with a 17-yard TD run from senior back Taevion Cunningham on fourth-and-two. The teams traded empty possessions until the Pats held the Bears on fourth-and-three from the Marion 28-yard line with three minutes remaining in the half. The Patriots ran four plays before senior running back Brandon Mackey found a big hole and scored from 61 yards out. The Pats and Bears went into the locker rooms tied at seven. Both teams continued to bleed the clock on the ground in the second half, but the Patriots slowly began to see momentum creep over to their side with two sacks from the defensive line and an interception by senior Dontonio Moore in the later quarters. Even when the Bears got into Patriot territory late, the defense held their ground. The Bears attempted a 40-yard field goal with four and a half minutes left, but the Patriot defensive line found an opening. Senior defensive end Jaqualyn Daniel blocked the kick and made the recovery to set the Patriot offense up at their own 37-yard line with four minutes left. The Patriot drive started with a 21-yard completion from senior quarterback Daedrick Cail to senior receiver Tajiri Ellis, but stalled with 3:31 remaining to give the Bears another chance. However, Patriot sophomore linebacker Bryan Weatherspoon got deep enough into the backfield on the following second down play to swat the toss on a Sylvan Hills option play.  The Patriots recovered the fumble at the Bears’ 21-yard line with 3:08 remaining. Marion used the possession and clock to their advantage as they set up for a go-ahead field goal. Junior kicker Dylan Pieri nailed the 35-yard attempt to put the Pats up 10-7 and followed it with a touchback to put the Bears at their own 20-yard line with 61 seconds left. “We put Dylan in pressure situations like that in practice everyday,” Houston said. “He’s been able to rise up to the occasion several times for us.” Marion’s defense pushed the Bears backwards on their final possession until the clock expired, giving the Pats their first win of the season. “We told our defense they were going to have to bow up and make a stop if we wanted to win,” Houston said. “We had to make some big stops late in the game, so we told our kids to just stay disciplined, do your job and it resulted in a win.” Marion’s next game will be on the road against the defending 6A champion Searcy Lions. Kickoff from Searcy on October 9 is scheduled for 7:00 pm.