WEST MEMPHIS --- For the longest time, it didn't seem like the ball would ever bounce Marion's way when the Patriots played West Memphis on the gridiron. After all, the Blue Devils won the first 17 meetings in the rivalry, which began in 1978 and continued through 2020. But lately, Marion has made its own luck. Take Friday night's 20-14 Patriot victory at Hamilton-Shultz Field, for example. Marion committed a pair of turnovers, only made one of three two-point conversion attempts, and finished just four of 11 on third downs and one of four on fourth downs. But the Pats limited an explosive Blue Devil offense to just 317 yards, a three of 10 showing on third downs. The heroes for Marion were many, from senior quarterback Ashton Gray, who rolled up 292 total yards and scored all three touchdowns for the Patriots en route to winning offensive MVP honors, while junior tailback Jalen Smith rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries. Senior linebacker Victor Turner paced the Patriot tackle chart with 10 tackles, including one for loss, while fellow 'backer Dewayne Williams recorded seven stops of his own. Safety Kendal Brister finished with seven stops too, and his interception near midfield set the Pats up for what would prove to be Gray's eventual game-winning three-yard TD run. The Patriot defense made it stand up by forcing a pair of turnovers on downs before the clock ran out on West Memphis at the Marion 24-yard line. “It was a big win, but an ugly win,” said Marion third-year coach Lance Clark. “I was proud of our guys for winning when the situation wasn't exactly optimal and everything wasn't just perfect. We fought hard against a good team, and that's always a good feeling to win a game like that.” Marion improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the 6A East with its third straight victory over West Memphis (5-2, 5-1) on the field. The Patriots beat the Blue Devils for the first time on the field in a 33-3 decision on September 24, 2021, but five weeks later, the AAA forced Marion to forfeit the decision. Marion bested West Memphis 16-12 last October before winning again last Friday night. This year's game had fireworks all night long, starting when Gray took the first play from scrimmage 75 yards to the house, giving the visitors an early 6-0 lead in front of almost 6,000 fans. West Memphis took its first lead over Marion since winning the 2020 game two drives later when Blue Devil QB Keland Mills showed off his own wheels, converting third and 15 by running 53 yards for a TD. Marion blocked the West Memphis extra point, but Blue Devil noseguard Scotty Dobbins picked up the loose ball and crossed the goal line for a two-point conversion and an 8-6 lead that doubled as the tally after a quarter. The Pats pushed back in front when they drove 75 yards in six plays, culminating when Gray covered the last 43 yards with another long TD run. Gray hit junior receiver Mitrell Lewis for the two-point conversion and Marion's lead was 14-8, an advantage that held at halftime. West Memphis got even with a workmanlike drive opening the third period, as the Blue Devils marched 60 yards in 11 plays, and the Blue Devils hit paydirt when backup QB Andrew Jenkins, playing in relief of Mills who left injured earlier in the drive, scored from a yard out, but the score remained knotted at 14 when Turner blocked an extra point. The fourth quarter played host to the key sequence of the game. Marion faced second and six at the Blue Devil 18-yard line when Gray and Smith got crossed on a handoff. The ball tumbled to the Hamilton-Shultz turf as West Memphis senior end Marquaze Parker recovered it and returned it near his own 40-yard line, only for Gray to run him down to make a tackle. Unfazed, the Patriot defense made its own big play when Brister intercepted Jenkins' pass attempt on first down and returned it inside the West Memphis 40. It took the Pats just four plays to cover 36 yards when Gray scored on a three-yard QB sweep for a Marion lead. “It was so big because, to that point, every momentum play had gone their way,” said Clark. “We get a fumble, but they knock it out and immediately get it back. They get another fumble. They'd made those plays, so to come back and immediately take it back may have truly been the difference in the game.” But West Memphis wasn't done. The Blue Devils marched into Marion territory on the ensuing drive before the Patriot stop troops forced an incompletion on fourth and six for a turnover on downs, giving Marion the ball back with 4:14 remaining. Marion came up with a pair of first downs on the ensuing drive but eventually turned it over on downs, giving the ball back to West Memphis with 45 seconds left. On first down of the final West Memphis drive, Jenkins hit Jaylon Merritt for 21 yards to the West Memphis 48. The Blue Devils made another first down following a 12-yard run, but Marion got West Memphis to fourth and 14 late before Jenkins hit Merritt for a first down near the Marion red area. West Memphis rushed to the line to spike the ball to stop the clock with four seconds left, but the Blue Devils weren't set, which drew a flag, and also wiped out the spike, meaning that the clock would run when the officials wound it, but West Memphis was unable to snap the ball and Marion earned a six-point victory. The victory keeps Marion alive for a potential shared conference title should Benton stumble down the stretch, but should Marion win out, the Patriots would finish with a school-best 9-1 regular-season record, with a first-round bye, and a home quarterfinal game. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion hosts Sheridan on Friday night at Southern Bancorp Stadium for a 7 p.m. Kickoff. That contest will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. RANKINGS RUNDOWN Marion moved up to No. 5 in this week's Class 6A rankings by the reputable Arkansas high-school football website hootens.com. Greenwood, Little Rock Christian, Benton, and Pulaski Academy are the only schools ahead of the Pats. FAST START Marion's 6-1 record is its best start since 2011, when the Pats also started 6-1. However, Marion dropped its last two regular-season games that year before topping Benton in the first round of the playoffs and losing 16-15 at eventual state champion El Dorado in the quarterfinals. HISTORY IN THE MAKING? Marion has won nine games only twice in school history (1989 and 2005) and the Pats have never finished a regular season better than 8-2. Should Marion win its final three regular-season games, the Pats would be 9-1 with a first-round playoff bye, and a home quarterfinal game. DOUBLE TROUBLE Gray and Smith each crossed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier for 2023 at West Memphis, the first time the Patriots have had two 1,000-yard rushers since 2011. It's the second year in a row that Smith has rushed for 1,000 yards or more after he earned all-state honors as a sophomore. Gray's rushing total is believed to be the school record for single-season rushing yards by a QB with 1,055. BIG SET Marion inserted sixth man Allen Miller into several formations on Friday night at fullback, giving the Pats six offensive linemen on the field, along with Carius Curne, Carter Benton, Charlie Cantrell, Jermaine Davis, and Aqeelo Allen. PLAYERS OF THE GAME Ashton Gray earned the Baptist Memorial Hospital Offensive MVP of the game, while West Memphis defensive end and Cincinnati commit Marquaze Parker earned the West Memphis Advertising and Promotions Defensive MVP. TO BE THE MAN, YOU GOTTA BEAT THE MAN For the second year in a row, Marion earned the Fred Leonard State Farm Hometown Showdown championship belt. 6A EAST RESULTS FROM 10/13 Marion 20, W. Memphis 14 Benton 70, Jacksonville 0 Searcy 47, Greene Co. Tech 14 El Dorado 32, Sheridan 29 LR Catholic 42, Sylvan Hills 0 6A EAST STANDINGS Benton 6-0 Marion 5-1 W. Memphis 5-1 LR Catholic 4-2 Searcy 4-2 Sheridan 2-4 El Dorado 2-4 Jacksonville 2-4 Greene Co. Tech 0-6 Sylvan Hills 0-6 6A EAST GAMES ON 10/20 Sheridan at Marion Searcy at Benton Sylvan Hills at El Dorado W. Memphis at Greene Co. Tech Jacksonville at LR Catholic