By Chuck Livingston Marion School District For four quarters and 48 minutes of Friday night's Class 6A state quarterfinal game, Marion and Pulaski Academy punched and counterpunched in a game that was worthy of postseason status. The fourth quarter was especially dramatic, a frame that featured four lead changes in front of a big crowd inside Southern Bancorp Stadium, and a sizable audience watching at home. With just five seconds left, it looked as though Marion was going to return to the semifinals for the third time in four seasons. The Patriots led 26-21, and the mighty Bruins, who have won state titles eight of the past nine seasons and were the defending Class 6A state champions, were still 27 yards away from a potential winning score. But PA junior quarterback Brandon Cobb sat in the pocket as his receivers sprinted downfield toward the north end zone. Cobb lofted a high ball that seemed to hang up forever, and when it finally dropped, it fell into the hands of senior receiver Andrew Fiser. The Cobb-to-Fiser connection gave Pulaski Academy a 27-26 victory in a game for the ages. Pulaski Academy improved to 10-2 overall and will travel on Friday to Greenwood for the state semifinals. Meanwhile, Marion's excellent 2023 season ends at 8-3 overall, a mark that included the Pats' best start to a season ever at 8-1. "If there's a good thing about this game tonight, it's that they had to win the game, we didn't give it to them," said third-year Marion coach Lance Clark. "We went toe to toe tonight with the best that the state of Arkansas has to offer. This definitely hurts right now, but our football lives are bigger than just one game or one outcome." "I think this was the biggest one of my career so far," said PA coach Anthony Lucas. "Our kids fought back and never gave up. It's really a proud moment for a coach. My hat goes off to Marion and their staff. It was a great high school football game." PA led 14-12 after three quarters and Marion forced a rare Bruin punt on the initial drive of the final stanza. The Pats went to work at their own 40-yard line ahead of a fourth and goal from the Bruin 4-yard line when QB Ashton Gray connected with junior receiver Mitrell Lewis for a 4-yard TD toss for a 20-14 lead with 5:05 left in regulation. Marion forced a pair of incompletions on the ensuing Bruin possession when PA went to Fiser on an end around, and the senior set sail up the opposing team's sideline, converting it for a 60-yard TD run and a 21-20 Bruin lead with 4:27 left in the fourth. But Marion again had a response. The Pats started their final drive at their own 30-yard line and deliberately marched into Bruin territory before achieving first and 10 at the PA 41-yard line with 1:37 left. "We wanted to be methodical on that last drive, we didn't want to leave too much time there," said Clark. "Of course, we wanted to score, but if we could score and throttle the clock back then that would have been preferred." On first down, Gray took the shotgun snap and hit tight end Cam Garrett for a short completion that Garrett turned into more, running around a couple of tacklers and scoring a dramatic 41-yard TD that pushed the Pats back in front 26-21 with 1:26 remaining. It marked the third straight game that Garrett has scored a touchdown. "We think Cam is really hard to tackle because he's so strong," said Clark. "Great ball from Ashton, and once Cam started pulling away, it was really fun." The Patriot defense pushed PA to a fourth and 11 late in the fourth quarter that the Bruins converted when Cobb bought some time by rolling right and throwing back left, completing a 16-yard pass to Chance McKindra to move the chains. "Our defense played their guts out," said Clark. "That's all I can say right now. They gave us every chance to win that ballgame. They played hard, they played well. They played well enough for us to win." An 18-yard completion to William Svoboda gave the Bruins life into Marion territory, but the Bruins still had 27 yards to cover with 12 seconds left and a fresh set of downs. Cobb threw down the home sideline and Marion defensive back Amari Lee broke on the ball, but couldn't quite catch it for a game-clinching interception. That set the stage for Cobb's game-winner to Fiser. "We came out bunched up in a quad set before that last play," said Lucas. "Then we sent receivers going every which way and Brandon made a great throw and Andrew made an unreal catch. What an ending." Marion started the scoring when Gray ran 20 yards to glory with 6:20 left in the first quarter, but the Bruins took a 7-6 lead after the opening frame when Cobb hit Walden Culpepper for a 10-yard TD pass on fourth down late in the opening frame, and the 7-6 lead held into halftime. PA made the most of its first drive of the second half, scoring when Cobb ran 8 yards for a TD with 7:03 left in the third period for a 14-6 Bruin advantage, but Marion responded when Gray covered 23 yards with 34 seconds left in the third to get the hosts within 14-12, a score that doubled as the tally after three frames. POSTSEASON AWARDS Marion will announce its postseason awards, such as all-state and all-conference nods, for the 2023 season after the Class 6A state final is played on December 1. Stay tuned to the MPAN Facebook and Instagram page for those announcements. SENIOR CELEBRATION Twenty-one Marion seniors played their last game in Friday night's home playoff game. Those seniors include Jermiah Miller, Javen Griffin, Ashton Gray, Johnathan Guyton, Dewayne Williams, Kendal Brister, Victor Turner, Deangelo Foreman, Jamar and Jordan Foster, Amari Lee, Kurtavious Terrell, Martaveon Banks, Cam Brown, Carter Benton, Austin Watson, Allen Miller, Jermaine Davis, Aqeelo Allen, Cohen Chaney, and Bryant Williams, Jr. Those seniors played a part in 23 victories the past three seasons, with a trip to the state semifinals, and a trip to the state quarterfinals. RECORDS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN Gray and tailback Jalen Smith became Marion's first pair of 'backs to top the 1,000-yard mark since 2011 this fall. Gray established the single-season school record with 3,251 total yards and 43 touchdowns. Safety Kendal Brister ended Pulaski Academy's first drive of the game with his sixth interception of the year, a pick that tied him with Kenta Jones, who intercepted six balls in 2016. TEAM LEADERS Gray completed 57 percent of his passes this fall for 1,313 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, and he ran for 1,919 yards and 30 scores. Smith rushed for 1,582 yards and 17 scores in 2023. Three Patriot receivers caught 16 balls or more this season, led by Garrett's 19 receptions for 467 yards and four TDs. Junior Mitrell Lewis also snagged 19 passes for 353 yards and a team-high six scores. Junior Christian Young snatched 16 passes for 311 yards and a pair of TDs. Dewayne Williams topped the Marion tackle chart with 86 tackles in 2023, including seven for losses with two sacks. Victor Turner checked in with 78 stops, seven TFL and two interceptions. Griffin racked up 64 stops with four TFL and two sacks. Banks logged 59 tackles, Brister finished with 45, and Cam Brown stacked 41 stops and a team-high four sacks. CLASS 6A SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS Pulaski Academy at Greenwood LR Christian at Benton