BENTON --- Marion entered play last Friday night at Benton in full control of its own destiny for a 6A East title. But the explosive Panthers made sure that changed almost instantly. Benton scored on its first nine possessions, leading 21-0 after a quarter and 51-16 at halftime, en route to a 61-23 victory at Panther Stadium. Marion senior quarterback Ashton Gray rushed for 237 yards with two long touchdown runs of 72 and 80 yards. Gray's rushing total is believed to be the school record rushing yards by a QB. Marion must now turn its attention to another big league game against Searcy at home this Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. Benton (4-1 overall, 4-0 6A East) forced a Jalen Smith fumble on the Pats' (4-1, 3-1) initial drive, and it took the Panthers just one play to dent the scoreboard, doing so when sophomore quarterback Drew Davis hit Elias Payne for a 62-yard touchdown pass with 10:30 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Marion breached Benton territory on the following drive before the Panther defense forced a turnover on downs at the Benton 20-yard line. It took Benton just 5 plays to turn the stop into a score when Davis hit Bronson Coolis with a 27-yard TD toss with 5:42 left in the first quarter and the hosts led 14-0. Benton forced a Marion three and out and scored again when Drew Davis connected with Maddox Davis for a 5-yard score and Benton led 21-0, which doubled as the score after a quarter. Benton covered 90 yards in 9 plays with its first drive of the second quarter, culminating when Chris Barnard scored from 12 yards out for a 28-0 lead with 9:02 remaining in the first half. The Pats pushed back on the ensuing drive, highlighted by Gray's electric 72-yard TD run, and when Gray hit Mitrell Lewis with a 2-point pass the Pats were within 28-8. But Benton answered quickly, driving 56 yards in 7 plays, and found the end zone again when Drew Davis hit Will Carter with a 17-yard TD and the hosts led 35-8 with 4:10 remaining in the first half. Marion drove into Benton territory on the following drive, when J. Thomas Pepper intercepted a Gray pass, and the Panthers made it count when Braylen Russell scored from 2 yards out and a Benton 2-pointer gave the Panthers a 43-8 lead with 51.8 seconds left in the first half. Gray ran 80 yards to paydirt to push the Pats within 43-16 with less than 30 seconds left in the second stanza, but Benton moved with the ensuing kickoff, covering 60 yards in just 2 plays, and Benton took a 51-16 halftime lead when Drew Davis hit Maddox Davis for a 48-yard score that ensured the clock would run the entirety of the second half. Benton got a TD run from Barnard on the third quarter's first drive, and Marion got a TD on the next drive when Gray hit Mitrell Lewis for a 3-yard TD. Benton capped the scoring when Garrett Honeycutt boomed a 49-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion (4-1 overall, 3-1 6A East) hosts Searcy (4-1, 3-1) this Friday night at Southern Bancorp Stadium. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. 6A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/29 Benton 61, Marion 23 Searcy 47, El Dorado 35 Jacksonville 28, Greene Co. Tech 25 W. Memphis 21, LR Catholic 14 Sheridan 27, Sylvan Hills 23 6A EAST STANDINGS Benton 4-0 W. Memphis 4-0 Marion 3-1 Searcy 3-1 Sheridan 2-2 LR Catholic 2-2 El Dorado 1-3 Jacksonville 1-3 Greene Co. Tech 0-4 Sylvan Hills 0-4 6A EAST GAMES ON 10/6 Searcy at Marion Benton at Greene Co. Tech Sheridan at LR Catholic Jacksonville at Sylvan Hills W. Memphis at El Dorado