JONESBORO --- Fourth-year Marion head football coach Lance Clark felt all summer that his 2024 outfit would be the deepest club that he's fielded at the school. Following the Patriots' benefit game last Friday night at Valley View, one might have to agree with Clark's assessment. Valley View led Marion 10-6 at halftime of the preseason exhibition, but the Pats responded by exiting the locker room, scoring three touchdowns in the third period, and pulling away for a 26-17 victory. Marion approached 200 yards rushing and 150 yards passing at Valley View in a scrimmage that boasted projected starters and guys expected to play many snaps in the first half and on the first two drives of the third quarter, while the fourth quarter boasted younger players. The Pats took a 6-0 lead with 9:09 left in the first period when two-time all-state tailback Jalen Smith capped off a 75-yard, 10-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to open the scoring. The Blazers answered with a disciplined march on their first drive, covering 59 yards on 14 plays, culminating with a 31-yard Brody Dix field goal for a 6-3 lead that doubled as the tally after a quarter. A pair of lost fumbles helped throttle the Marion attack in the later stages of the first half, and Valley View took advantage with another marathon drive that started at the Blazer 25-yard line. Seventy-five yards and almost seven minutes later, the Blazers hit paydirt when tailback Carter Wallace scored from 3 yards out with 1:17 left in the first half for a 10-6 Valley View advantage. Marion entered Valley View territory on its final drive of the first half before turning the ball over on downs. It was the Patriot defense's turn to get the ball back on the opening drive of the third period when the Marion stoop troops held the Blazers to just two first downs and the Pats took over at their own 32-yard line with 8:28 left in the third. That's when Marion junior quarterback Zayden Walker fed senior receiver Mitrell Lewis three times, the last for a 4-yard TD, that gave the Pats a 12-10 lead with 7:02 left in the period. Marion junior defensive back Brian Benford, Jr. ended the ensuing Valley View drive with a leaping interception along his own sideline and returned it more than 50 yards to the Blazer 4-yard line, where Marion junior tailback Rico Ward scored on first-and-goal to give the Pats a 19-10 advantage. Following a Valley View punt, Ward ripped off a 77-yard TD run on second down to give the Pats their largest lead (26-10) with 1:30 left in the third. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion officially opens its 2024 football campaign on Friday, August 30 with a non-conference tilt at Wynne. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the Wynne football game can be watched for free on MarionPatriots.com, on the MPAN YouTube channel, or on the MPAN mobile app.