The Marion Patriots are taking a road trip to face off against the Catholic Rockets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Marion knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully Catholic likes a good challenge.
Catholic better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that's when Marion really get things going. Marion was the clear victor by a 42-21 margin over Sheridan on Friday. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 21 points or more this season.
Jalen Smith was his usual excellent self, rushing for 302 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 14.4 yards per carry, and also throwing for 61 yards and a touchdown. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 59 yards.
Marion was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 336 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Marion didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jaron Davis and Colton Kimbel.
Meanwhile, Catholic fell victim to Benton and their airtight defense on Friday. They were outmatched by the Panthers at home and fell 42-0. It was the first time this season that the Rockets let down their fans at home.
Marion's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1. As for Catholic, with the loss, they broke their seven-game winning streak and moved their record to 7-1.
Marion came up short against Catholic in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 38-34. Can Marion avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
