Marion knew the importance of last Friday night's football game against Searcy at Southern Bancorp Stadium all week during preparation. So the Pats attacked the Lions from the opening snap. Senior tailback Jamar Foster sprinted 63 yards for a touchdown on the game's first offensive play and Marion dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring its visitors 13-0 in the final 12 minutes, for a 56-35 victory. The Patriot running game was again the star of the show, rushing for 613 of Marion's (5-1 overall, 4-1 6A East) 686 yards, highlighted by senior quarterback Ashton Gray's 293 steps and four touchdowns, while junior tailback Jalen Smith tallied 239 yards with a score. Foster finished with 81 yards and a TD. Gray, whose total set the Marion single-game school record for QB rushing yards for the second straight week, completed six of seven passes to five receivers, led by Christian Young's two receptions for 25 yards, while Gray's TD pass covered 26 yards and went to junior Mitrell Lewis. The Patriot defense surrendered five touchdowns and almost 600 yards to Searcy, but the Pats made big plays when it mattered most, as senior end Cam Brown racked up nine tackles and registered the game's only sack. Senior linebackers Dewayne Williams, Victor Turner, and Javen Griffin paced the Pats with 14, 11, and 10 tackles against Searcy. Junior cornerback Taheem Frost ended Searcy's final drive with an interception. "Obviously a big win at home against a really good team," said Marion coach Lance Clark. "I wasn't sure either one of us was going to stop the other one. It turns out we made a couple of plays late to get us to where we needed to be." Following Foster's opening house call, the Marion defense forced a punt on Searcy's ensuing drive, and Gray capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard TD plunge with 7:32 left in the first quarter for a 15-0 Patriot lead. Searcy (4-2, 3-2) responded with a 72-yard drive that tailback Rickey Love culminated with a 3-yard TD rush that got the Lions within 15-7. The Pats enjoyed a 22-7 lead after one quarter when Gray ran 19 yards to the box with 38 seconds left in the initial stanza. Searcy took advantage of the ensuing drive when QB Tyler Strickland hit Jesse Sumpter with a 17-yard TD toss with 10:21 left in the first half and the visitors were within 22-14. Searcy recovered an onside kick following Sumpter's score and Strickland hit Sumpter again for a score, this time from 27 yards out, as the Lions worked within 22-21. Marion tailback Jalen Smith, who rushed for 239 yards against Searcy, ran 15 yards for a TD with 2:25 left in the first half as the Pats went up 29-21. Strickland answered with an 11-yard TD rush of his own with 37 seconds left in the first half to get the Lions within 29-28. Following a short Searcy kick, Marion drove 60 yards in just 3 plays, finding the end zone when Gray dropped a 26-yard TD pass to Mitrell Lewis with 11 seconds remaining in the first half, and Marion led 37-28 at the break. "Absolutely massive score right before the break," said Clark. "If we don't score there, we knew they got the ball in the third and we don't know what's gonna happen. We score and now we are back up 9 and feeling better about the situation." Love cashed in Searcy's first drive of the third period when he ran 5 yards for a score to get Searcy within 37-35. Marion then drove 69 yards in 12 plays, shaving almost 4 minutes off the clock. Gray kept the drive going when he hit Smith for 21 yards on fourth and 8, and Gray scored from 2 yards out on the very next play for a 43-35 Marion lead that doubled as the tally after 3 quarters. The game flipped dramatically in the middle of the fourth quarter when Searcy missed a 40-yard field goal with 7:10 left in regulation. Gray then darted 77 yards on second and 7 of Marion's ensuing drive for a 50-35 Patriot advantage. The Marion defense forced a turnover on downs on the ensuing drive and the Pats drove 50 yards in 3 plays, and took a 56-35 lead when Gray went over the top from 2 yards out with 3:34 left in the game. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion continues 6A East play on Friday night when it plays at West Memphis (5-1 overall, 5-0 6A East). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and that contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. CLARK UP THE CHARTS Marion won its 20th game under Lance Clark last Friday night against Searcy, placing the Alabama native fourth on MHS's all-time coaching victories. James Hendricks won 21 games in his tenure, while Bill Cook won 56 times between 1982 and 1995. Mark Uhiren is the school's all-time wins leader, taking down 64 victories from 2002-2013. HOT START Marion's 5-1 start to 2023 is its best six-game start since 2011 when the Patriots started 7-1. That year, Marion won its first-round playoff game against Benton (43-33) and pushed eventual state champion El Dorado to the brink in a 16-15 loss in the quarterfinals. HOME COOKIN' Marion improved to 9-1 in conference home games under Clark with its 21-point victory last week over Searcy. The Pats finished 3-0 against league competition in 2021 and 4-1 a season ago against 6A East outfits at Southern Bancorp Stadium. Marion is 2-0 so far this season at home against conference opponents Greene County Tech and Searcy, and the Pats will host Sheridan Week 8 and Little Rock Catholic Week 10. 6A EAST RESULTS FROM 10/6 Marion 56, Searcy 35 W. Memphis 43, El Dorado 10 Benton 63, Greene Co. Tech 7 LR Catholic 28, Sheridan 14 Jacksonville 28, Sylvan Hills 13 6A EAST STANDINGS Benton 5-0 W. Memphis 5-0 Marion 4-1 Searcy 3-2 LR Catholic 3-2 Sheridan 2-3 Jacksonville 2-3 El Dorado 1-4 Greene Co. Tech 0-5 Sylvan Hills 0-5 6A EAST GAMES ON 10/13 Marion at W. Memphis Benton at Jacksonville Green Co. Tech at Searcy El Dorado at Sheridan LR Catholic at Sylvan Hills