EL DORADO --- The Marion Patriots scratched and clawed during Friday night’s 6A East game at El Dorado’s Memorial Stadium, but couldn’t get over the hump.
Three turnovers in the first period conspired to help dig a 17-0 halftime hole for the Pats, and El Dorado earned a 31-7 victory.
Marion hosts West Memphis this week at Southern Bancorp Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
El Dorado improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the 6A East behind Trayden Cook-King’s 131 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, while senior cornerback Bryton Welch intercepted 2 passes, returning one 37 yards for a touchdown, which opened the scoring.
The Wildcats doubled their lead to 14-0 with 7:36 left in the first period when Cook-King hit paydirt from 3 yards out, and El Dorado’s lead was 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
But Marion (0-5, 0-2) kept it close in the second period when junior safety Kole Clay ripped a ball away from El Dorado’s Jakayden Hampton near the goal line before intercepting a pass on the following Wildcat possession to thwart a threat.
El Dorado added a 21-yard Diego Aguilar field goal with 7 seconds left in the first half to give the hosts a 17-0 halftime lead.
Cook-King gave the Wildcats a 24-0 lead when he ran 30 yards to the paint to cap the initial drive of the third period.
Marion got on the scoreboard with 8:56 left in the third when quarterback Ben Bateman hit Kam Riley on a quick slant on fourth down, and Brody Wasion’s extra point got the Pats within 24-7.
El Dorado pushed back ahead 31-7 when quarterback Ryan Polk connected with Christian Williams on a 44-yard TD toss with 5:32 left in the third, which also capped the scoring.
Eight Wildcats earned carries against Marion, topping the 200-yard mark, while the Patriots managed less than 100 yards on the ground on 27 attempts.
El Dorado got sacks from Gray Singleton and Maximus Wright, while Eddie Moore came up with the Wildcats’ first interception of the evening.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Marion hosts West Memphis on Friday, October 9, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Marion School District central office daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and tickets cost $10 apiece. If you can not attend the Marion-West Memphis game this week, you can watch that contest for free on the MPAN YouTube channel.