A Week 10 contest with little on the line as far as playoff seeding should be a coach's dream. Just not for Marion head coach Lance Clark. Marion is essentially locked into the No. 3 playoff seed from the 6A East whether it wins or loses Friday night at 9-0 Little Rock Catholic. Kickoff from War Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m., and that game will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app. The Pats could move up to the No. 1 seed from the league should they ground the Rockets and Sheridan beats Benton, but both outcomes need to happen for that scenario to play out. Instead, Clark is focused on making sure his team finishes the season strong on the field prior to his team's 17th consecutive playoff appearance. The Alabama native also looks to boost his team's intangibles resume. “Our team this week has an opportunity to continue to create a standard here at Marion,” said the second-year coach. “No. 1 we have a chance to enter the playoffs with momentum, and that can't be overstated. That matters. Since I've been here, we don't lose in October. We expect to get hot at this time of year, into the playoffs and beyond. That's the second thing. Third thing, we have a chance to be historic, have a special season, and be remembered forever because we have a chance to win a conference championship, and if that doesn't excite you then I don't know what will.” A quick look at the schedule confirms Clark's October and November records. Marion has won six consecutive October games dating to last season, including a flawless 4-0 mark this fall. The four 2022 victories include mercy-rule road victories at Searcy and Sheridan, as well as thrilling home wins over West Memphis and Sylvan Hills. The standings back Clark's third claim. A Marion victory Friday night would force at least a tie at the top of the 6A East standings, and should Benton beat Sheridan as expected, it would create a three-way tie for the conference crown. In a perfect triangle situation such as the one above where each team beat the other head to head, it would come down to total tiebreaker points, and Marion can't catch the other two in that category, so the Pats would settle for the No. 3 playoff seed and a first-round home playoff game against the No. 6 team from the west. Marion has shared a conference title just twice in school history (1984 and 2006). “We like the idea of doing something for just the third time ever and the first in most of our kids' lifetimes,” explained Clark. “That matters when you talk about setting a standard.” Another factor is Marion's (7-2 overall, 7-1 6A East) reputation across the state. Marion and Greenwood are the only two Class 6A teams to advance to the state semifinals the past two seasons, but many don't view the Pats as a viable contender, despite Marion knocking off 6A East champion Jonesboro (50-43) Week 10 last season before picking off 6A West outright champion and top-ranked Benton (59-37) in the quarterfinals. “We want people to be aware that they're getting ready to play Marion,” explained Clark. “If you're a No. 1 seed or a contender and you're feeling yourself, we want you to know in advance what you're getting into. It's a big deal for our kids to feel that confidence that no matter what the records might be, or what the pundits are saying when it's winning time, we are going to be there. This is an important game for us to continue to solidify that theory. There's a lot on the line this week.” Adding to the intrigue is a fascinating Little Rock Catholic club that's surpassed most preseason expectations, save for perhaps those in the Rocket locker room. Hooten's Arkansas Football magazine ranked Catholic 14th out of 19 teams in Class 6A prior to the season, while 6A East coaches ranked the Rockets seventh in the league hunt, on the outside of the playoff picture. Catholic's presence in Class 6A this year came to pass during the Arkansas Activities Association's latest classification reshuffling regarding private schools. The Rockets had competed in the state's largest classification since the modern playoff era opened in 1969, but slid down a class this season because it didn't accrue enough points over the past four seasons to be forced to stay up. The result? Catholic's finest start since winning the second of back-to-back Class AAAA state championships in 1985. Senior Sam Sanders helps the Rockets take flight. Sanders shifted during the off-season from safety, where he earned all-conference honors a season ago, to quarterback, and all he's done this year is pass for more than 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns, including a 274-yard, five-score performance in last week's 42-16 victory at El Dorado. “The QB is unbelievably gamey, and their receivers run the best routes we've seen all year,” said Clark. “They're not the biggest team we've seen up front, but they're big enough. They're just really sound in everything they do. Most importantly, they don't beat themselves.” The Catholic offense makes more than enough plays to win, but the Rockets boast Class 6A's top-scoring defense, surrendering less than 13 points per game. “I'm a big fan of their noseguard (No. 46 Dewayne Beasley),” said Clark. “I won't be on Friday night, but I love the way he plays. Their box is sound, with good tacklers. Their secondary is extremely technical and they make it tough on receivers. We will have to make some contested catches if we want to extend drives.” PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Marion senior Carter Waldo earned the Crittenden County Farm Bureau Player of the Week award following last week's 27-23 victory over Sylvan Hills after recovering two fumbles and returning one for the eventual game-winning touchdown. Senior linebacker and leading tackler Brian Weatherspoon earned the team's Patriot Award. Emerging sophomore tight end Cameron Garrett won the team's Offensive Lineman of the Week award, while Jordan Foster won Scout Player of the Week. PATS TAKE WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM In addition to being the first meeting ever between Catholic and Marion on Friday night, the contest will also be the Pats' first appearance at War Memorial Stadium since dropping a 28-24 decision in 2019 to Little Rock Parkview. LR CATHOLIC GAME INFORMATION Friday night's game will be played at War Memorial Stadium, located at 1 Stadium Drive in Little Rock, Arkansas. Fans must pay $5 to park at War Memorial Stadium, and tickets can be purchased in advance by visiting spicket.events/rockets , or at the gate upon arrival. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. Marion fans will sit on the south side of the 50-yard line inside the stadium. Other stadium policies, including a clear bag policy, can be found online at Click Here/ CHEERS CHASING HISTORY Marion senior receiver Donnie Cheers, III's 24 touchdown receptions tie him with Collin Chambers for the school's all-time record. Cheers is just 314 receiving yards behind Chambers for the all-time school record in that category. WEEK 9 6A EAST RESULTS Marion 27, Sylvan Hills 23 Benton 55, West Memphis 38 LR Catholic 42, El Dorado 16 Sheridan 28, Greene County Tech 7 Searcy 55, Jacksonville 12 WEEK 9 6A EAST STANDINGS TEAM CONF. RECORD TIEBREAKER POINTS LR Catholic 8-0 101 Benton 7-1 91 Marion 7-1 64 West Memphis 5-3 53 El Dorado 4-4 52 Searcy 3-5 32 Sheridan 3-5 30 Sylvan Hills 2-6 6 Greene County Tech 1-7 13 Jacksonville 0-8 0 WEEK 10 6A EAST SCHEDULE Marion at LR Catholic El Dorado at Jacksonville Benton at Sheridan Greene County Tech at Sylvan Hills Searcy at West Memphis