If there was any concern about how Marion would respond to its 20-14 victory over West Memphis in the Patriots' following game against Sheridan, the home team put them to rest early and often last Friday night. Marion remained brutally efficient on offense, scoring touchdowns on its first six possessions, which helped the Pats take a 40-14 lead at halftime en route to a 55-21 victory over the visiting Yellowjackets at Southern Bancorp Stadium. Marion improved to 7-1 in 2023, and 6-1 in the 6A East with its fourth mercy-rule victory of the season. The Patriots also ran their record against Sheridan (2-6, 2-5) to 4-0 all-time, the last three finishing under the sportsmanship rule. "Overall, I'm really pleased with our performance tonight in almost every facet," said third-year Marion coach Lance Clark. "Offensively, I continue to be impressed with our execution and how we play and perform. Defensively, we gave up a few big plays, and that's concerning, but you have to also give Sheridan some credit because they did some things that impressed us." Marion outgained Sheridan 612-201, including 404 Patriot rushing yards. Senior quarterback Ashton Gray led the way again with 272 steps and four touchdowns, while junior all-state tailback Jalen Smith recorded 114 yards on 13 carries with two TDs Gray also had his most prosperous night passing of 2023, hitting 11 of 14 passes for 208 yards, including a 74-yard TD toss to junior receiver Mitrell Lewis. Lewis snagged two passes against Sheridan for 79 yards, while Christian Young captured three balls for 57 yards, and junior tight end Cam Garrett finished with three receptions for 45 yards. Smith added a 24-yard reception, while sophomore Jeremy Dent snagged a four-yard pass. Junior linebacker Emmanuel Key topped the Marion tackle chart with five stops and two tackles for loss, while senior safety Martaveon Banks racked up four stops and one behind the line. Senior linebackers Victor Turner, Dewayne Williams, Javen Griffin, and Deangelo Foreman all finished with four tackles, with Williams tallying a sack. Junior Tayshon Lowery recorded his first career sack against Sheridan. Senior Marion safety Kendal Brister intercepted two passes against the 'Jackets, making his total three in the last two weeks. Gray's dominant rushing performance started on Marion's initial drive when the Patriots drove 73 yards in six plays, culminating when Gray scored from 9 yards out, and Marion's lead was 8-0 when Gray hit Young for the two-point conversion with 10:41 left in the first quarter. Sheridan bounced back on the next drive, hitting Marion over the top when QB Brady Dillon hit Jackson Bourne for a 25-yard TD toss with 7:30 left in the first quarter, and the extra point brought the Yellowjackets within 8-7. Marion moved 91 yards in 10 plays on the next drive, highlighted by Gray rushes of 17 and 41 yards, and Smith gave Marion a 14-7 lead when he covered the final 6 yards on the ground. Following a Sheridan three and out, Gray set sail for a 62-yard TD run on first down, and Smith's two-point conversion pushed the Pats ahead 22-7 with 3:44 left in the opening frame. "I appreciated how we approached tonight's game coming off a big win last week," said Clark. "We have much to play for still, but our focus all week and tonight was on this game, and that's really impressive." The Marion defense forced another three and out, leading to a 7-play, 74-yard drive that Gray punctuated with an 11-yard TD run for a 28-7 Marion lead that doubled as the score at the end of the first quarter. Brister intercepted a Dillon pass on the first play of the second quarter and Smith wasted no time cashing it in, sprinting 23 yards for a TD on first down for a 34-7 Marion advantage. Sheridan bounced back with a 56-yard drive in 8 plays, crossing the goal line when Dillon hit Bourne with a quick pass before Bourne dodged a few tackles and scored from 18 yards out with 8:33 left in the first half to get the 'Jackets within 34-14. It took Marion two plays to score again, this time when Gray sprinted 69 yards for a 40-14 lead that doubled as the score at halftime. Sheridan marched into Marion territory with the first drive of the second half, but Brister's second pick turned away the visitors in the end zone. Two drives later, Marion pulled ahead 48-14 when Gray connected with Lewis for a 74-yard TD toss with 4:16 left in the third. Marion enabled the sportsmanship rule on the third play of the fourth quarter when senior tailback Jamar Foster scored from a yard out for a 55-14 lead with 10:45 left in the ballgame. Sheridan capped the scoring when C.J. Davis plunged over from a yard out with 3:42 left in regulation. "All things considered, a big game last week and the week after, we probably met or exceeded expectations in some areas," said Clark. "But we can't get complacent and rest on our laurels. We want to continue improving every week. That's been the goal since we started this year." WHAT'S NEXT? Marion travels to play at Sylvan Hills (0-8 overall, 0-7 6A East) on Friday night for a 7 p.m. kickoff. That contest will be broadcast on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. MARION MERCY Marion tallied its fourth mercy-rule decision of 2023 against Sheridan, which ties the 2011 Patriots for the most in school history. The sportsmanship rule, which was adopted in Arkansas in 2002, triggers a running clock for the rest of the game when a team has a 35-point lead or more at any time in the second half. The Pats have gotten to the sportsmanship rule this fall in wins over El Dorado, Jacksonville, Greene County Tech, and now Sheridan. FAST START Marion's 7-1 start is its best since 2011, and Marion has never started a season 8-1. The 2011 Patriots lost their last two regular-season games at home to Jonesboro (13-12) and at Jacksonville (20-16). Marion that season beat Benton 42-33 in the opening round of the playoffs before losing a heartbreaker at El Dorado (16-15) in the playoff quarterfinals. HISTORY AT STAKE Should Marion win this week at Sylvan Hills for its eighth victory, that would put the 2023 Patriots in rare air. Marion last won eight games on the field in 2021, when the Patriots advanced to the semifinals for the third time ever, but MHS was forced to forfeit two victories that season. Prior to that, the 2018 Pats went 8-2 in the regular season before taking a first-round playoff bye and losing at home in the quarters. The 2011 and 2006 Patriots each finished 8-4. The 1989 and 2005 Patriots established the school record with nine wins each. 6A EAST RESULTS FROM 10/20 Marion 55, Sheridan 21 Benton 50, Searcy 20 El Dorado 42, Sylvan Hill 13 W. Memphis 49, Greene Co. Tech 13 LR Catholic 44, Jacksonville 0 6A EAST STANDINGS Benton 7-0 Marion 6-1 W. Memphis 6-1 LR Catholic 5-2 Searcy 4-3 El Dorado 3-4 Sheridan 2-5 Jacksonville 2-5 Greene Co. Tech 0-7 Sylvan Hills 0-7 6A EAST GAMES ON 10/27 Marion at Sylvan Hills Searcy at Jacksonville El Dorado at LR Catholic Greene Co. Tech at Sheridan Benton at W. Memphis