Marion head coach Lance Clark and offensive coordinator Zach Tribble preach the importance of a balanced offense. That said, so far in 2023, the Marion running game has made it difficult for the Pats to do anything else. Marion has built its 5-1 record this fall on the back of a workhorse running game that has already produced 2,216 yards this season counting the team's benefit scrimmage output against Maumelle. The Pats average almost 9 yards per rush this season, and Marion racks up almost 317 steps per Friday night with 26 rushing scores in '23. Marion's ground game may have just produced its masterpiece last week in a 56-35 home victory over league rival Searcy. The Pats rushed for 613 yards against the Lions, led by senior quarterback Ashton Gray's 293 yards and four touchdowns, while junior Jalen Smith bolted for 239 yards and a score. Senior tailback Jamar Foster carried four times for 81 yards and a 63-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage. “That's a great testament to our offensive line, which won Player of the Week last week,” said Clark on Wednesday morning. “Obviously, for Ashton and Jay (Smith) they played extremely well, and we needed it. Give a ton of credit to our receivers for blocking hard downfield all night. Running the football like this is a team activity and it takes everyone to pull it off.” Indeed, Marion's offensive line of left tackle Carius Curne, left guard Carter Benton, center Charlie Cantrell, right guard Jermaine Davis, right tackle Aqeelo Allen, and sixth man Allen Miller paved the way for those numbers, often winning battles at the line of scrimmage and moving the defensive front. That's put Gray and Smith on track to become Marion's first quarterback and tailback duo to top 1,000 yards rushing in school history. Marion last produced two 1,000-yard backs in 2011, when standouts Tre Franklin and Rashad Boyd each joined the 1K club. “With the way that we like to run the ball, it takes excellent vision,” said Clark. “For Ashton, Jay, and Jamar, they've been in this world now for three years. Now they aren't thinking as much, they're reacting. But the biggest thing is they're talented kids who can make plays, and they've been doing this all year for us, and it's been fun to watch.” Gray served as Marion's backup QB and junior varsity starting QB in Clark's first season at the helm in 2021. The senior dazzled Marion's staff on Monday nights that fall, and he was ready when his number was called for the varsity, winning his first two varsity starts against Pine Bluff and at Sheridan in relief of the graduated Ben Gerrard. Gerrard returned for Marion's 50-43 victory over 6A East champion Jonesboro Week 10, but Gray remained in the gameplan that night, leading a touchdown drive. Gray earned the starting QB role during the winter of 2022 and he played well as a junior, completing 57 percent of his passes for 1,324 yards and 15 touchdowns, while he rushed for 61 yards and another score. He's raised his play again this fall, as the Team Captain has racked up almost 1,600 total yards and 20 touchdowns as one of the more potent dual-threat QBs in the state. Gray's stellar senior season has produced scholarship offers from Arkansas-Monticello and nationwide D2 powerhouse Pittsburg State. “Ashton never really recovered last year (2022) from an off-season injury,” said Clark. “So I think you're seeing this year who he truly is, athletically.” Smith primarily played quarterback as a freshman football player in 2021, but coaches shifted him to tailback when he moved up to the varsity late that season. The explosive Smith showed his potential when he took a handoff 62 yards to glory for a third-quarter touchdown against Russellville in the playoffs. With an off-season under his belt, Smith became arguably Marion's top offensive playmaker as a sophomore in 2022, no small feat considering he played with Gray and Southeast Missouri's Donnie Cheers, III. Smith earned all-state honors as a sophomore, when he rushed for 1,187 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 119 yards passing with two scores, with five receptions for 56 yards. So far this year, Smith has been better than ever, especially considering he's rarely played in the second half. “Jay ran it 24 times against Searcy and that was his season high,” said Clark. “For him to produce the numbers he has this year (933 yards rushing) with us holding his carries down (102 carries in six games) is pretty special.” Marion's ground attack will be tested on Friday night when the Pats play at West Memphis and “the best defensive front we've seen this year,” said Clark. Indeed, West Memphis senior end and Cincinnati commit Marquaze Parker and senior noseguard Scotty Dobbins will offer some resistance to Marion's offense. West Memphis won the first 18 meetings with Marion, dating back to 1978. The teams became 6A East rivals starting in 2006, and the Blue Devils won the first 15 conference matchups until 2021. In 2021, Marion invaded Hamilton-Schultz Field and took home a 33-3 victory on the field before the AAA later ruled that MHS used an ineligible player and forced Marion to forfeit. It didn't slow Marion that fall, as the Pats advanced to a second consecutive semifinal while West Memphis bowed out in the opening round of the state playoffs. Marion beat West Memphis again last Fall when the Pats battered the Blue Devils 16-12 at Southern Bancorp Stadium en route to a third-place conference finish for MHS. This year's contest could prove to be the most anticipated meeting in some time with each team entering at 5-1 overall and ranked highly by state media. “The rivalry alone doesn't make a game fun, what makes it fun is having two good teams playing each other,” said Clark. “It's great that they're close and our people know their people, that's fine. But what makes it meaningful and adds interest is that both teams are good and they're playing good ball. That's when it gets really fun.” West Memphis responded to a season-opening loss at Jonesboro and has only been tested in league play with a 21-14 victory over Little Rock Catholic. Marion started 4-0 this fall before stumbling at third-ranked Benton two weeks ago. The Blue Devils boast plenty of starpower on offense behind returning all-state QB Keland Mills and all-state receiver Dylan Greer. Mason Barton anchors a West Memphis offensive line that helps produce almost 37 points per game. West Memphis's defensive unit surrendered a season-high 30 points in its season-opening loss at Jonesboro but has responded to that effort by allowing 7, 21, 13, 14, and 10 points during their five-game winning streak. “They're very sound at every position,” said Clark. “They play really hard, particularly on defense. We have to make the most of our chances this week.” The Fred Leonard State Farm Hometown Showdown tailgate party begins at 4:30 on Friday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. HOW TO WATCH You can watch the Marion-West Memphis football game on Friday evening at MarionPatriots.com or on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Marion offensive linemen Aqeelo Allen, Carter Benton, Jermaine Davis, Allen Miller, Carius Curne, and Charlie Cantrell earned last week's Crittenden County Farm Bureau Player of the Week award for their excellent play in the victory over Searcy. Junior linebacker Carter Moore earned the team's Patriot Award for the Searcy game. CLOSE SERIES Four of the past six meetings between Marion and West Memphis have been decided by 10 points or fewer, beginning with West Memphis's 37-27 victory in 2017. The Blue Devils won 22-20 at Marion in 2018 and 41-40 in overtime at home in 2019. West Memphis and Marion alternated big wins in 2020 and 2021, but the Pats bested West Memphis 16-12 last October. HOME AWAY FROM HOME Marion is 7-4 in conference road games under Coach Lance Clark. Clark's first team won conference road games at West Memphis and at Sheridan but dropped league roadies at Sylvan Hills and eventual state champion El Dorado. The 2022 Pats won league road tests at Greene County Tech, Searcy, and Sheridan, but lost at eventual 6A East champion and semifinals Little Rock Catholic. Marion is 2-1 this year on the road, beating El Dorado and Jacksonville in back-to-back weeks in September before suffering a loss at Benton. 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 Greene Co. Tech at Searcy El Dorado at Sheridan LR Catholic at Sylvan Hills