Following an 8-2 regular season, a conference runner-up finish, and a school single-season record five mercy-rule victories, with a sixth win finishing under the running clock, the Marion Patriots have earned a much-deserved week off. The Patriots earned one of the four first-round playoff byes for Class 6A teams this fall despite losing their thrilling regular-season finale at home to Little Rock Catholic. Marion will take a week now to heal some nagging injuries before hosting the winner of the El Dorado-Pulaski Academy game on Friday, November 17 at 7 p.m. inside Southern Bancorp Stadium in the state quarterfinals. “It was a great year, and I was proud of our kids for continuing to improve our program to another level,” said third-year Marion coach Lance Clark. “We have been lucky to host playoff games each of the past three years, and now this year getting to play at home in the quarterfinal is a huge opportunity for us.” Marion surpassed most of the state's projections this year on the gridiron. In this summer's Hooten's Arkansas Football, 6A East coaches slotted the Patriots to finish sixth in league action, but the staff at HAF picked the Patriots eighth in the preseason statewide ranking. The Pats made their debut in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's weekly Super Six ranking following a 37-0 victory over Greene County Tech on homecoming, which was the first MHS shutout since 2018. Marion debuted at No. 7 in the Arkansas Sports Network's preseason rankings. Marion opened its 2023 campaign with a 27-7 Week 0 victory over traditional regional rival Wynne which “set the tone for us by shutting down a team with a lot of tradition and character, and one that made the playoffs,” said Clark. Following its Week 1 bye, Marion trekked down to Union County for a date with El Dorado open 6A East play. Almost one year to the day after beating the Wildcats for the first time, Marion was lights out in the third period, running to a 50-13 victory that marked Marion's first win at Memorial Stadium. “That was the game that we found our identity and we knew who we needed to be if we were going to be the best version of ourselves,” said Clark. “It's tough to win down there, let alone score 50 points and win by mercy rule, so I felt then that we had something special.” Marion dominated the next two weeks, overwhelming Jacksonville (48-13) and Greene County Tech (37-0), setting the stage for the Pats' stiffest test yet, and though eventual conference champion and third-ranked Benton downed Marion, the Pats still rolled up 409 yards, 313 of which came on the ground. Kicking off October, Marion outlasted a game Searcy team by rushing for more than 600 yards in a 56-35 victory to set the stage for the Crittenden County Super Bowl, at West Memphis. In a hard-nosed, defensive slugfest, Marion safety Kendal Brister set up the winning Patriot TD in the fourth quarter as the Pats turned away the Blue Devils 20-14 for the third victory in a row against their south Crittenden County neighbors. Marion's offense hit high gear entering the final quarter of the season, putting up 55 points in a 34-point victory over Sheridan, a season-high 61 points Week 9 at Sylvan Hills, and despite losing the regular-season and home finale to Little Rock Catholic, Marion scored all 34 of its point after halftime in a 38-34 defeat. “I'm proud of the guys bouncing back after halftime against Catholic,” said Clark. “That's a very good team, and they played well that night. Our guys have not laid down this year, even when we've lost. That's a good sign of character for this group.” While Marion's playoff fate is still yet to be written, some of the Pats' more recognizable names have earned notice in the recruiting ranks. Marion seniors Ashton Gray, Aqeelo Allen, Carter Benton, Kendal Brister, and DeAngelo Foreman have all garnered scholarship offers during the season, while classmates Jermaine Davis, Cam Brown, Dewayne Williams, Victor Turner, Javen Griffin, Martaveon Banks, Amari Lee, and Amari Lee all continue to generate interest from colleges. Juniors Jalen Smith, Mitrell Lewis, Cam Garrett, Carius Curne, Charlie Cantrell, and Taheem Frost all project well at the next level. “A lot of those guys, the fit is obvious and I'm wondering why a lot of schools waited so long to pull the trigger on them,” said Clark. “We do have some other ones who are sort of unknown commodities right now, but they've continued to prove that they're hard-working, high-character kids who can help just about any school.” Gray enjoyed his breakout season this year, his second as Marion's starting QB. The dual-threat signal-caller set the Marion record for touchdowns in a single season (38), and a single game (7). Gray rolled up 2,979 total yards this fall. He's had offers from Pittsburg State, Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas, Tech, and Coahoma Community College for most of the fall, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff extended Gray his first D1 offer earlier this week. Arkansas State and Memphis continue to evaluate Gray. “Ashton has had his best year yet through a bunch of very hard work,” said Clark. “We know the type of player Ashton Gray is and the type of person Ashton Gray is, and he's going to make some college very happy when he gets to campus.” Allen could join Gray at UAPB when all is said and done. Marion's all-conference right tackle has owned a UAPB offer since the summer, and he visited the school for homecoming in October. The nimble, athletic Allen is “a super intriguing prospect because he's big, strong, and all that, but he can move,” said Clark. “He's a kid whose best football is probably in front of him.” Benton's recruiting has heated up over the past few weeks as Marion's three-year starting offensive lineman has garnered offers from Culver-Stockton, and Westminster College, and he visited North Texas last weekend. D2 powerhouses Ouachita Baptist and Harding University continue to evaluate Benton. Culver-Stockton offered Foreman last week, when William Penn pulled the trigger on Brister, and each player will earn more scholarships between now and the new year. Curne is already the most recruited player in Marion football history after a whirlwind summer that saw him earn offers from major D1 programs, including back-to-back defending national champion Georgia, as well as Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, SMU, Liberty, and “many, many more to come,” said Clark. “If Carius takes another jump next year like he's made this year, he'll be able to go anywhere in the country.” While these three players all have offers in hand, Clark expects another five or six seniors to sign come February. “All of these guys are college football players in my eyes,” said Clark. “The tricky thing is finding the best fit, finding a school you like, and a place where you feel at home. But as for the football side, all of the guys we talked about can 100 percent help a college program, and many of them can be really good players at the next level.” WHAT'S NEXT? Marion will host the winner of the El Dorado-Pulaski Academy first-round playoff game on Friday, November 17 at 7 p.m. That game will be broadcast live on MarionPatriots.com and on the Marion Patriots Activities Network YouTube channel. LEAGUE HEAVY Marion finished the 2023 season as conference runners-up, a standing the Pats have only enjoyed six other times in program history, earning conference titles in 1984 and 2006. MHS has only earned a first-round playoff bye two other times, doing so in 2018 and 2010. INTRIGUING HOME PLAYOFF GAME Marion awaits the winner of the El Dorado-Pulaski Academy first-round playoff game, and those schools represent the last two Class 6A state champions. Pulaski Academy has won eight of the last nine state titles in Class 5A or Class 6A, including last year's 6A crown in the Bruins' first season moving up from Class 5A. El Dorado downed Marion twice in 2021, the second time in the state semifinals, en route to that season's state crown. El Dorado has won 10 state championships in program history, the first in 1924. Pulaski Academy has earned nine state crowns, all of them since 2003. CLASS 6A FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF GAMES Mountain Home at LR Catholic Van Buren at W. Memphis Searcy at Greenbrier El Dorado at Pulaski Academy POSTSEASON AWARDS Marion will announce postseason awards such as all-conference and all-state performers after the Class 6A final is played on Friday, December 1.