PARAGOULD -- Marion sophomore Jalen Smith made his first career start at quarterback and racked up 234 total yards and three touchdowns before exiting with a leg injury in the third quarter as the Patriots beat Greene County Tech 34-8 Friday night in a 6A-East Conference game at Eagle Stadium.
Smith found out on Tuesday he was starting for the injured Ashton Gray. On Friday night, he fired a pair of first-half TD passes to senior receiver Donnie Cheers, and he darted 30 yards for a score as the Patriots (3-1, 3-0) fashioned a 24-8 lead at halftime.
"I've been telling people for a long time that Jalen Smith is a special player," said Marion Coach Lance Clark, whose Patriots are 3-0 in league play for the first time since 1989. "He stepped up tonight to the challenge and played extremely well."
With Marion leading 24-8, Smith ran for 8 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter and he got up limping and left the game. He did not return.
Junior tailback Jamar Foster took over for Smith and carried three times for 50 yards, including a 15-yard scoring run that pushed the Patriots ahead 31-8 with 9:42 remaining.
The Marion defense forced turnovers on the final two Tech drives, converting one into a 33-yard Ben Cherry field goal before running the clock out with the second one.
"We had a lot of guys step up tonight and play well on short notice," Clark said. "This was a total team effort. It's not easy to do, but it's a huge credit to our guys and coaches for pulling it off."
Smith started the scoring when he threw a 4-yard TD pass to Cheers to cap off Marion's opening 14-play, 51-yard drive, and Marion led 7-0 after the opening quarter.
On the second play of the second quarter, Smith took a snap from the Shotgun formation and darted 30 yards to the end zone for a 14-0 Marion lead with 10:51 remaining in the first half.
Tech (1-3, 0-3) got back into the game when the Eagles drove 71 yards in eight plays, culminating when Camden Farmer ran 10 yards for a TD before adding the two-point conversion to get the hosts within 14-8.
Marion got a 33-yard field goal from Cherry on the ensuing drive for a 17-8 lead before facing a fourth and 21 late in the second quarter. Smith lofted a pass to the end zone, where Cheers high-pointed the ball and landed in the end zone for a TD that gave Marion a 24-8 halftime lead.
"I thought that was crucial because it gave us a big lift," Clark said.