No matter how you shake it, the Marion football team's bye week is hitting at the most optimal time this week. For starters, the Patriots (2-1 overall) have competed every Friday night for the past four weeks and a reset could be welcome. MHS is also dealing with a laundry list of injuries that only “prehab and rehab can fix,” said fourth-year Marion coach Lance Clark. Further, Marion is recovering from a sloppy effort last week in its 49-7 loss at Class 7A juggernaut Conway in which the Pats committed six turnovers, three that were returned for scores, and suffered from untimely penalties that propped up Conway drives, and kill their own. Finally, several Marion football players will be visiting colleges on Saturday, ranging anywhere from the University of Mississippi, to Arkansas Tech, to Louisiana State. “It's not all the time that a bye week comes at a great time, but this is about as close as you can get,” said Clark. “From the injuries to the football side to guys just being able to go on visits and take part in something they've grown up dreaming about, those are all positive things.” Marion's injured list swelled during the contest at Conway, losing linebacker Jaron Davis and receiver Christian Young during action last Friday night. That was one week after defensive stalwarts Carter Moore and Tayshon Lowery missed Marion's 37-7 victory over defending Class 4A champion Harding Academy. Additionally, Marion stars Mitrell Lewis, Taheem Frost, and Carius Curne have not missed time but continue to play with nagging injuries. “We are big believers around here in prehab and rehab,” said Clark. “What I mean by that is if you're taking care of your body the way you're supposed to, then you can prevent a lot of injuries. Am I sleeping enough? Am I eating right? Am I getting enough sleep? We aren't a program that doesn't lift because we're sore. We actually lift when we're sore. So all of that matters. Then when you do get injured, and it's going to happen in this game, are you doing the right things to treat the injury? (Marion athletic trainer) Zach Hoyt is phenomenal, and he knows exactly what our athletes need, but you have to tell us what's going on.” Clark added that his staff will be adjusting the practice schedule with the week off before ramping up again next week when his Patriots host Sylvan Hills for homecoming. Marion's mental mindset could also benefit from a week off following the loss in Faulkner County. The Patriots flashed a vastly improved special teams effort at Conway, but mental mistakes helped sink Marion's ship. That's why Marion's coaching staff has spent the better part of the off week addressing the miscues. “The biggest lesson you can learn in life is to identify issues or mistakes you make, you address them, and then you flush them,” said Clark. “You'll never get better if you aren't in uncomfortable situations or if you don't fail. The best way to grow is to figure out what's going on, figure out how to make it right, and then move on and grow from it.” An added bonus of the open week is that players are going to take visits to various colleges as they get further into their recruiting process. Curne will visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana as he's expected to sign in November with Louisiana State. Seniors Cam Garrett and Lewis will visit Arkansas Tech in Russellville over the weekend. Tailbacks Rico Ward and Jeremiah Dent will be in attendance in Oxford, Mississippi for the Ole Miss game. Linebacker Zimran Phelix visited Arkansas last weekend, while Charlie Cantrell, Jalen Smith, Taheem Frost, and Moore are expected to take visits this fall. “We are excited for all of our kids to get the opportunity to take visits and get the recruiting experience,” said Clark. “It's a very big deal for them. It's great for our program. It's nice to see what they do inside other football buildings. Everybody doesn't get to play college football, so it's very special.” 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. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Senior cornerback Taheem Frost earned the Crittenden County Farm Bureau Player of the Week for his efforts at Conway. Linebacker Zimran Phelix earned DTMG's Patriot of the Week award. 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 topping 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