NEWS

CHUCK LIVINGSTON
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 12/11/2024
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 12/11/2024
NINE MARION FOOTBALL PLAYERS EARN POSTSEASON AWARDS
Following a seven-win season that featured a three-week stint in the overall state Top 10 rankings and as high as a No. 4 ranking in the Hootens.com Class 6A rankings, nine Marion football players earned postseason awards for their excellent 2024 seasons.
Marion senior left tackle Carius Curne and senior tailback Jalen Smith, as well as junior defensive end Ryan Blackwell garnered Class 6A all-state honors, while senior center Charlie Cantrell, senior tight end Cam Garrett, senior receiver Mitrell Lewis and junior linebacker Chris Byrd, junior defensive back Kajeris Hill, and junior defensive end Zadean Wilson landed on the 6A East all-conference list.
Additionally, Curne earned the 6A East's Outstanding Offensive Lineman of the Year award, while Smith finished second for the conference's Outstanding Running Back of the Year.
Curne exits Marion as the school's most recruited athlete in school history after signing last week with Louisiana State University (LSU), choosing the Tigers over almost 20 Power 4 scholarship offers, including 2024 College Football Playoff teams Georgia, Southern Methodist (SMU), and Tennessee. The three-year starter and two-time all-state left tackle racked up 150 career pancake blocks in his career, including a single-season high 94 this past fall, and surrendered zero quarterback sacks or pressures. He earned a 91 percent blocking grade for the 2024 campaign.
Smith wraps his Marion football career as the school's all-time leading rusher with 4,044 career yards on the ground with 51 scores on the ground. Just Marion's fourth three-time all-state performer, Smith rushed for a team-high 1,279 yards this fall with 22 TDs. Smith also completed eight of his 15 pass attempts in 2024 for 149 yards and two TDs, including the eventual winning score in a 34-28 victory at Wynne in the season opener. Smith ran for a team-high 1,187 yards with 12 TDs as a sophomore in 2022 before ranking second on the club with 1,578 steps and 17 scores as a junior in 2023.
Blackwell earned a starting role in the 2023 preseason, and he took the next step this fall as a junior, racking up 54 tackles with six tackles for loss, including a team-high three sacks. He also recovered a pair of fumbles and intercepted a pass this season. Blackwell ranked second on the 2023 Patriots with 23 tackles and four TFLs, and he added an interception in the playoff quarterfinals against Pulaski Academy.
Cantrell earned a starting guard slot as a sophomore before shifting to center Week 2 of 2022 and the senior never relinquished that role for the next three seasons. Cantrell started every game in his sophomore and junior seasons and though he missed three games in 2024, his impact was immense. Cantrell graded out in the high 80s on his blocking assignments as a senior.
Garrett left his mark over his three seasons at Marion, starting 33 of a possible 33 games of his career at tight end. A strong blocker, Garrett exits Marion after catching 40 passes for 712 yards and four TDs. His 41-yard catch-and-run TD in the 2023 quarterfinals against Pulaski Academy gave Marion a 26-21 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Lewis also started all three years at receiver, and he led the Patriots in receptions and receiving yards two seasons, and receiving touchdowns every year. Lewis caught 55 passes in his three seasons for 901 yards and 12 TDs despite missing about half of the 2024 season with various injuries.
Byrd rotated early on this season at linebacker before locking a starting role in late September and finishing atop the Marion tackle chart for 2024 with 69 total stops, including four TFLs and two sacks. The junior appeared in eight games in 2023, stacking nine stops.
Hill made the most of his second season in the secondary this year, intercepting five passes and returning two for TDs in a 51-30 October victory at Jonesboro. Hill finished 2024 with 31 tackles after making 20 a season ago.
Wilson joined the program during the winter prior to the 2024 season and quickly made a name for himself as a junior, starting games at linebacker before settling at defensive end. Wilson finished second on the Patriot tackle list with 56 stops, including a team-high 10 TFL, two sacks, and a defensive score. The junior also carved out an integral role on offense, where he developed a reputation as a tenacious blocker in the run game.
Marion finished the 2024 season 7-4, and the Patriots have averaged more than seven wins per season since Lance Clark took the program over prior to the 2021 season.
The Patriots opened the season with a dramatic 34-28 come-from-behind victory at Wynne in a contest that was delayed more than two hours at halftime for a thunderstorm. Marion opened its 2024 home schedule the following week by scoring the final 25 points to knock off defending Class 4A state champion Harding Academy 37-7.
Following their first loss of the year at Conway to cap the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Patriots scored the final 45 points on a rainy evening at home to slip Sylvan Hills 45-7 before starting 2-0 in 6A East play a week later with a tight 34-28 victory at El Dorado, Marion's third straight victory over the Wildcats, and second on the road.
Marion downed the West Memphis Blue Devils for the fourth year in a row on the field on October 11, earning its first mercy-rule victory in the series by a 48-6 margin. The Patriots renewed their conference rivalry with regional foe Jonesboro the next week, and the Pats topped the Golden Hurricane for the fifth time in six meetings with a 51-30 road conquest.
Marion got to 7-1 overall one week later by erasing a 15-14 halftime deficit at home against Sheridan, dominating the second half in a 42-21 victory.
Chuck Livingston
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 12/11/2024
Marion Patriots Activities Network | 12/11/2024