EL DORADO --- Say what you want about the 2021 Marion Patriots, but you can never say they quit. They didn't quit when former coach Keith Houston returned in June to Texas following a successful three-year run. They didn't quit when Lance Clark succeeded Houston last summer as a rookie head coach. You have to give Clark credit for earning the team's trust, and you also must give the team credit for giving Clark a shot. An 8-5 record on the field, including a pair of playoff victories, and just the third semifinal appearance in school history don't happen without those two dominoes falling into place. “The coaches picked us seventh in the spring (in the 2021 Hooten's Arkansas Football magazine), and that was before Keith left,” said Clark. “I wonder if they might have dropped us to eight with a new coach, who showed up with a new way of doing things.” They didn't quit following back-to-back September losses to Class 7A Bryant, and after their only home loss, to Class 4A juggernaut Joe T. Robinson. You really might have thought they'd quit following an October loss at Sylvan Hills, with Searcy invading Premier Bank Stadium the following week. Searcy has presented itself as one of Marion's chief foils over the past decade, winning nine out of 10 meetings prior to the October showdown. The Pats instead circled the wagons, beat the Lions by 12, and reestablished themselves in the conference chase. MHS didn't pack it up after its first trip to El Dorado, when the hosts bolted to a 36-0 lead, while displaying the type of big-play potential that's powered the Wildcats into the state final for the first time since 2013. The El Dorado game proved to be the season's turning point. Senior quarterback Ben Gerrard hurt his knee in the first meeting at Memorial Stadium, and his timetable to return wasn't immediately clear. The Pats would move forward behind signal-caller Ashton Gray, who is quite talented, but who is also a sophomore. After one quarter at home against Pine Bluff, it looked like Marion had finally hit the wall. The Zebras scored touchdowns on their first three drives, and looked borderline unstoppable. There was no way that Gray and the offense could possibly keep up. Right? Wrong. The defense roared to life, barred Pine Bluff from the scoreboard the rest of the way, and the offense sprinted to a season-high 38 points. Fate presented another opportunity to quit the following week when Clark informed his team that they would forfeit their dominating 33-3 September victory at West Memphis due to an ineligible player. The following week, Marion also forfeited its season-opening victory over Wynne. Coughing up two victories over your territorial rivals is beyond devastating. No 16- or 17-year-old kid can possibly recover from forfeiting games that they worked so hard to earn on the field. Quite the opposite. The fightin' Pats logged a mercy-rule victory that Friday night at Sheridan, then topped 6A East co-champion Jonesboro at home in the regular-season finale on a short week. Marion upped it a level in the playoffs, taking down another mercy-rule victory over Russellville before putting the state on notice with a quarterfinal conquest at outright 6A West champion Benton. “This bunch was discounted in a lot of ways this season,” said Clark. “The forfeits were something that is totally out of their control, but they still showed that fight and resiliency, which is so impressive.” Last Friday night in the semifinals, Marion refused to quit again, despite trailing 28-3 in the second quarter. The Pats twice trimmed the Wildcat lead to 15 points, including at halftime, before high-octane El Dorado pulled away after the break. “I thought our kids, and our staff, maximized the talent level on our roster,” said Clark. “More than anything, it's a great credit to our seniors. Those kids did not have to buy in to what this new dude was selling, but they stayed the course.” Only time can tell us what the legacy of the 2021 Marion Patriots will be. These seniors advanced to the semifinals in their last two seasons, something only Greenwood can say in Class 6A. They beat Wynne and West Memphis on the field, finally beat Searcy again, and strung together as significant a three-week stretch as any in Marion football history (Weeks 10 and 11 vs. Jonesboro and Russellville, respectively, and Week 12 at Benton). A favorite memory of the '21 Pats will be that trademark grit, and toughness. The Pats rarely had more pure, God-given talent than their opposition, Marion was often just the tougher team. Given ample opportunity, let the record show that the Marion Patriots never backed down from a challenge. That's something anyone can get behind.