Marion has won four straight games at home, while Benton has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Marion Patriots will host the Benton Panthers at 7:00 p.m.
Marion is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arkansas' top teams: Catholic, who was ranked 19th in their home state at the time (Marion was ranked 16th). Marion took a 23-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of Catholic on Friday. The Patriots' defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, Benton humbled West Memphis with a 49-7 victory. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by 25 points or more this season.
Marion's loss dropped their record down to 7-2. As for Benton, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
Marion took a serious blow against Benton in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, falling 53-15. Thankfully for Marion, Braylen Russell (who rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, and also picked up 31 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
