Marion Athletics -

It isn't easy to live up to monster expectations in sports, but the 2025-2026 Marion Junior High Patriots managed to do just that.

After earning the 2025 district tournament title after a victory at home over West Memphis Wonder, the focus shifted to what could await in 2026.

An immensely gifted group of freshmen was set to return this winter, with talented eighth-graders waiting in the wings.

The result? A 23-0 season, with a regular season district title, and MJHS repeated as district tournament champions on Saturday afternoon with a dominant 45-25 victory at Fidelity Bank Arena over Jonesboro Annie Camp.

“I can't put it into words,” said MJHS head coach Myles Lee. “I can't say enough about my players. It's been a long, hard season, but they worked extremely hard. Guys made sacrifices to get to our goal, which was another district championship, and going undefeated is a nice bonus.”

Marion was rarely tested over the course of the regular season, running the table through a highly competitive non-conference schedule and capturing the first regular-season district title since 2022.
“That was a really big deal for us, but the biggest goal was winning the tournament,” said Lee. “In a perfect world, we'd win both, and we did, but we wanted to be at our best for the tournament.”

That set the Patriots up with a first-round tournament bye before hosting Paragould last Monday in the tournament quarterfinals, and Marion made quick work of the visiting Rams with a 67-29 victory, catapulting MJHS into the semifinals against Batesville.

Marion bested Batesville twice during the regular year, but the Pioneers proved tough to turn away in bracket play, as the Patriots held a double-digit lead throughout the second half en route to a 60-51 victory that sent the Pats back into the final.

“We preach a next-play mentality,” said Lee. “Our guys have been great at that most of the year. Whenever things got a little tight, our kids just kept playing, and I thought that was the biggest thing.”

Annie Camp invaded Fidelity Bank Arena and scored the game's first six points, but MJHS took over from there, as Liam Henry scored six points in the first quarter, while Taeshaun Willis added five. The Patriots took a 14-11 lead at the end of the first quarter on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Andrew Dixon.

MJHS tightened the screws on defense in the second quarter, forcing four turnovers and allowing just three field goals as the hosts took a 26-17 lead to halftime.

Robert “RaRa” Woods scored six points in the second, while Braylon Lakes added five to aid the MJHS rally.

Henry scored on a runner with 3:35 left in the third to give MJHS its first double-digit lead of the day (28-18), and the Pat advantage was 37-19 at the end of period No. 3.

With the district title on the line, Marion allowed just one field goal in the fourth period to clinch a second straight district tournament title, and the third in five seasons.

Six Patriots scored in the final contest, led by Woods' 16 points, 11 points and four assists from Henry, five points apiece from Lake, Willis, and Dixon, while Nick Beale finished with two points.

“It was just great to see all the parents, family, and everyone out here today,” said Lee. “Our kids set a goal, and they met it, and it was great to see.”

Marion's freshman class capped a storybook run with the victory, with 60 straight victories, beginning in sixth grade at Marion and ending with the tournament final.