El Dorado will host Marion on Friday in a homecoming tilt at Memorial Stadium. Homecoming is big but the 6A-East race is bigger for the Wildcats, who are tied with the Patriots with 2-1 league marks.
“Just focusing on our current opponent, it helps that we have the same record. That tells you right off the bat it’s a big game,” said El Dorado coach Steven Jones. “They have two conference wins just like we do. I think putting all our focus on them and not looking forward is something our kids understand. We’ve had great focus at practice considering it’s homecoming week and there’s plenty of distractions with that. The kids seem locked in. I expect to put a good product on the field.”
El Dorado (4-2, 2-1) is coming off a 48-0 win at Sheridan. Marion shocked Searcy 37-25. The Patriots (3-3, 2-1) beat West Memphis (33-3) and lost to Sylvan Hills (24-10) in league play. They went 1-2 in non-conference, falling to Bryant 58-7 and Robinson 21-19 after beating Wynne 24-21.
“Defensively, they have a lot of speed on that side of the ball. Their defensive backs have played well at times and shown some playmaker ability. They’re good sized, at least 5-10 all the way across the board. They have a six-foot guy who plays corner,” said Jones.
“Their three linebackers do a pretty good job of stopping the run. They’ve been pretty good at that this year. Their defensive line has some really good size, starting with Kyjuan Rodgers (6-4, 245).”
Marion uses a 4-3 on defense. Offensively, the Patriots have shown a more balanced spread attack.
“They like to run the football. They’ve got a very good back with great speed and vision. He’s been trouble for people. He’s made a lot of plays,” Jones said of Marion’s Cameron Anderson.
Ben Gerrard quarterbacks the Patriots.
“He’s gotten better in each game. I think the thing that helps him out the most is they’ve been good in the run game so some things in play-action have opened up. I think he’s probably better when they play fake and things like that. He’s able to hit some guys over the top with some big plays.”
Marion’s big-play receiving target has been Donnie Cheers. Up front, the Patriots average 252.6 pounds from tackle-to-tackle, including four seniors.
“They do a good job of getting it out in space,” said Jones. “It looks like they’re trying to, pre-snap, see the alignment and take what the defense gives them. They’re very efficient in that. They throw a lot of fast screens like we do, just getting it out there in space to their playmakers.”