Pats and Wildcats set for first-round clash

Pats and Wildcats set for first-round clash

El Dorado to visit Patriot Stadium in postseason opener

Sports Editor For nearly three years now, Marion head coach Jed Davis has worked hard to change his team’s playoff setting. With that goal accomplished, Davis and his Marion Patriots (5-5 overall) will look to also change the results.

On Friday night, the El Dorado Wildcats (5-5 overall, number 5 seed from the 6A-West) invade Patriot Stadium for a firstround playoff game at 7 p.m.

It will be the fourth meeting of all time between the schools, and all have come in the postseason. El Dorado has won all three previous games. Most recently in 2014, which was Davis and his staff’s first season at Marion.

The first meeting was a 21-20 El Dorado victory in 2008, in what was also a first-round contest.

The second meeting was in a 2011 quarterfinal game when the Wildcats kicked a game-winning field goal on the final play of the game, which gave them a 16-15 win en route to that season’s state title that they won in a 24-20 decision against Lake Hamilton.

The 2014 matchup capped a 1-10 season for Marion as El Dorado advanced to that year’s Class 6A state semifinals, but ultimately fell to Benton.

This year, El Dorado has yet to win consecutive games at any point of the season, and lost conference games to Lake Hamilton (27-21), Greenwood (4921), Benton (41-9), and Russellville (35-7). Those are the teams that finished directly above the Wildcats in conference play, while El Dorado’s league wins against Sheridan (15-14), Siloam Springs (49-23) and Texarkana (23-13) were not only enough to get them into the playoffs, but also the fifth seed, rather than the sixth seed.

El Dorado just 2-3 on the road this season, claiming wins at Magnolia in week 3 (31-10) and Siloam Springs in league play in week 8.

On the flip side, Marion was 4-1 at Patriot Stadium this fall, dropping just a 22-10 decision to West Memphis in week 4.

The winner of Friday night’s game will travel to 6A-West outright conference champion Greenwood in the quarterfinals.

Marion played at Greenwood in last season’s quarters and fell 42-3 after trailing 21-3 at halftime.

The El Dorado contest will be Marion’s first home playoff game since beating Benton 42-33 in the first round of the 2011 tournament.

By Chuck Livingston