CONWAY --- For the first two minutes of last Friday night's non-conference finale inside John McConnell Stadium, Marion stood toe to toe with one of the state's top Class 7A outfits. Marion senior cornerback Taheem Frost had just forced a fumble from Conway quarterback Grayson Wilson, and Patriot linebacker Zimran Phelix snatched the ball out of midair and raced 53 yards for a dramatic defensive touchdown to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead. Just a few moments later, Marion had forced Conway into a fourth-and-four situation in Patriot territory. A stop there, and Marion is surging. Instead, the Wampus Cats converted on fourth down, scored five plays later, and never looked back, scoring the game's final 49 points in a 49-7 victory. Marion rushed for 138 yards at Conway but committed six turnovers in the defeat. The Wampus Cats scored on two of the turnovers, taking control of the game in the second quarter with back-to-back touchdowns off of takeaways. Leading 28-7 early in the second, R.J. Chatmon recovered a Christian Young fumble and returned it 56 yards for a score for a 35-7 lead with 8:57 left in the first half. Three plays later on Marion’s ensuing drive, Patriot tailback Jalen Smith was stood up for no gain and lost a fumble that Conway’s Griffin Sherwood returned 52 yards for a TD and a 42-7 lead with 7:12 left in the second stanza, and that tally held at halftime. Conway QB Wesley Tapp capped the scoring with a 1-yard TD plunge in the third quarter. Marion started the scoring early in the first quarter when Marion’s Taheem Frost hit Conway QB Grayson Wilson and Patriot linebacker Zimran Phelix intercepted the errant pass and scored it from 57 yards out with 10:38 in the first. Conway responded with a 12-play drive that covered 67 yards, hitting paydirt for the tie when tailback Trey Harris broke the plain from a yard out to tie the game at 7. Conway forced a Patriot punt and marched 79 yards to take the lead for good when Wilson hit M.J. Gibson for a 51-yard strike and a 14-7 lead with 3:54 remaining in the first frame. Conway took a 21-7 lead on the final play of the first quarter when Wilson connected with Alex McCray for a 78-yard score. The hosts recovered a fumble on the ensuing drive and cashed it in three plays later when Wilson scored from a yard out with 10:07 left in the first half. Four of Marion’s final five first-half drives ended with a turnover and the fifth ended with the first half clock. Conway punted only twice and committed a pair of turnovers, one of which happened in the fourth quarter. WHAT'S NEXT? Marion has an open date this Friday night, and the Patriots jump into league action on Friday, September 27 when Marion hosts Sylvan Hills for Homecoming. Homecoming festivities will kick off at 6:30 p.m., followed by kickoff at 7 p.m. You can watch Homecoming festivities and the Sylvan Hills football game for free on MarionPatriots.com, on the MPAN YouTube channel, or on the MPAN mobile app. RANKINGS RUNDOWN Marion stayed at No. 4 in this week's edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's weekly Super Six Class 6A rankings. The Patriots also kept their No. 5 spot in this week's Class 6A rankings on Hootens.com. WALKING WOUNDED Marion knew it would be without the services of seniors Tayshon Lowery and Carter Moore prior to kickoff, but the Patriots lost starters Jaron Davis and Christian Young in the first half of the game at Conway. WHAT'S THE RUSH? With 402 rushing yards so far in 2024, Marion senior tailback Jalen Smith continues to close in the school's all-time rushing record of 3,622. Smith went over 3,000 career rushing yards Friday night at Conway and currently sits at 3,171 yards on the ground. FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Marion is now 1-1 in 2024 against teams that it played for the first time. Marion topped defending Class 4A state champion Harding Academy 37-7 two weeks ago before losing last Friday night at Conway. The Patriots will not debut against any other opponents in this year's regular season. Marion could only have a first contest with 6A West opponents Fort Smith Southside or Shiloh Christian in the playoffs. WINNING WAYS Marion will enter conference play with a winning record for the second year in a row, and just the third time since 2018 when the Patriots hit Week 4 with a 3-0 mark. 6A EAST RESULTS FROM 9/13 Conway 49, Marion 7 Rogers 43, Sheridan 7 Valley View 35, W. Memphis 6 Benton 42, North LR 13 El Dorado 42, Texarkana 20 LR Catholic 41, Nolan Catholic 7 Russellville 35, Sylvan Hills 33 DeSoto 27, Jonesboro 12 6A EAST GAMES ON 9/20 W. Memphis at LR Christian Benton at Harding Academy North LR at LR Catholic