Marion has gone 4-0 against Sheridan recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Marion Patriots will host the Sheridan Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Marion's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while Sheridan has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
Marion is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arkansas' top teams: Jonesboro, who was ranked 25th in their home state at the time (Marion was ranked 16th). Marion put the hurt on Jonesboro with a sharp 51-30 victory on Friday. The Patriots' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Meanwhile, Sheridan suffered their closest defeat since October 13, 2023 on Friday. They fell just short of Catholic by a score of 51-48.
Sheridan might have lost, but man, Zay Stephens was a machine: he rushed for 219 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry, and also picked up 202 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Stephens' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 111 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another rusher making a difference was Eli Turner, who rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Sheridan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 310 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 76.5 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last three games they've averaged 238.3.
Sheridan didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Lawson Wallingsford and Braxton Fox.
Marion's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Sheridan, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Everything came up roses for Marion against Sheridan in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 55-21 victory. Does Marion have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sheridan turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
