Two dominant backs in Jalen Smith and Cameron Keller are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Marion Patriots will be playing at home against the Van Buren Pointers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Marion is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arkansas' top teams: Benton, who was ranked fifth in their home state at the time (Marion was ranked 18th). Marion was outmatched by Benton at home and fell 55-10. It was the first time this season that the Patriots let down their fans at home.
Meanwhile, Van Buren was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a blow against Shiloh Christian, falling 36-7. The Pointers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-0.
Van Buren's loss dropped their record down to 3-7. As for Marion, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3.
Everything went Marion's way against Van Buren in their previous meeting back in November of 2020, as Marion made off with a 55-34 victory. Will Marion repeat their success, or does Van Buren have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
