Marion's spring football game on Monday, May 23 will have a little something for everyone. If you want your first glimpse at the 2022 Marion football team, there will be a controlled four-quarter game with teams picked by the coaching staff. The Marion cheerleading squad will be present for a routine and game atmosphere. If you're interested in other attractions then there will be food trucks, a booth to make posters, mini games, and prizes. These attractions are all part of second-year Marion head football coach Lance Clark's efforts to revitalize the gameday experience at Premier Bank Stadium. Gates open at 5 p.m. with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Admission for all spectators is free. “One thing we need is more energy and vibrancy at any home event we have here,” said Clark, a native of Huntsville, Alabama. “We want the community to feel more connected to our players, and vice versa. You only throw five or six home football games a year, and you may throw five or six parties a year. Our goal here is to be good hosts.” The pageantry of this year's spring game will be obvious as soon as you enter the Premier Bank Stadium gates. A spectator will see two food trucks near the entrance, followed by a poster-making booth under a tent. There will be a tent with tickets for mini games during the game, and kids can get one ticket per game. The tickets will be put in a bowl for each game labeled on the table, and prizes will be on display next to the main booth, with water available to any spectator. There will be two games during breaks once the football game kicks off at 6:00, and every participant gets a decal, win or lose. There will be a trash can toss at the midpoint of the first quarter. The major prize will be a mini Marion football helmet. There will be a dance-off between the first and second quarters, with the grand prize a Marion football shirt. At the midpoint of the second quarter, contestants will participate in a long punt competition for a Marion polo. Halftime will feature a cheer performance, a sack race with the prize being a Marion football jersey, and the announcement of the winning poster, which will be selected by the Marion cheerleaders. The middle of the third will feature a target throwing contest for an old, full-sized Marion football helmet, and after the third stanza, there will be an obstacle course for a team-signed Marion football. During the fourth-quarter break, the winner of a long kick competition will receive a mini football helmet. Following the game, Marion public address announcer Tyler Bennett will announce the Player of the Game, the Offensive Lineman of the Game, as well as the announcement of the winning team. “We see this as the last big event of the year, and a great kickoff to the summer,” said Clark. “Our team will have fun with it, and we want the community to have a lot of fun with it.” Marion opens its 2022 football season on Friday, August 19 with a benefit scrimmage at Class 5A Maumelle. The Patriots open the 2022 regular season Friday, August 26 at traditional rival Wynne.