Warriors score 87 in shootout
5A-CENTRAL LR CHRISTIAN 87, MAUMELLE 63
It was a shootout from the start.
Little Rock Christian and Maumelle combined to score 45 first-quarter points in what would become an 87-63 victory for the Warriors at Warrior Field in Little Rock on Friday night.
Statistical superlatives dominated, led by LR Christian junior running back Kendel Givens’ 29 carries for 376 yards and 5 touchdowns, each scored in the second half. LR Christian senior quarterback Justice Hill passed for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 107 yards and 2 more scores.
Maumelle senior quarterback Tyler Maxwell completed 21 of 29 passes for 344 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for LR Christian touchdowns.
“Kendel had an outstanding game,” LR Christian Coach Eric Cohu said. “He took a lot of the load and did a great job.”
The teams combined for 1,402 yards of total offense.
Hill kept for a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Warriors (8-1, 5-1 5A-Central) the lead. The Hornets answered with a 41-yard touchdown run by junior Zyon Slade to tie the score at 7-7 less than three minutes after the opening kickoff.
LR Christian was forced to punt on its next possession, and Maumelle (4-5, 1-5) took a 14-7 lead on Maxwell’s 32-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Evan Robinson.
Three plays into its next possession, LR Christian scored on Hill’s 30-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Chris Hightower to tie the score. Maumelle led again, at 21-14, after one play from scrimmage, an 80-yard shovel pass from Maxwell to Slade with 4:10 left in the first quarter.
“We knew Maumelle was electrifying,” Cohu said. “They have a lot of weapons. This is one of the most dangerous teams we’ve seen.”
Four plays later, another 30-yard touchdown pass from Hill to Hightower tied the score at 21-21.
Maumelle’s first punt led to a 35-yard field goal by sophomore Isaiah Hankins to give LR Christian a 24-21 lead late in the first quarter.
On consecutive third-quarter possessions, Givens scored on runs of 1 and 7 yards, the latter with 7:17 left in the quarter to give the Warriors a 52-28 lead.
Maumelle pulled within 5235 on Maxwell’s 16-yard pass to Robinson with 4:10 left in the third quarter, but Givens’ 2-yard touchdown run less than a minute later put the Warriors’ lead at 59-35.
“We felt confident we could score, but 87 on the other side doesn’t make you feel real good about your defense,” Maumelle Coach Kirk Horton said.
A 59-yard touchdown run by Darius Thompson cut LR Christian’s lead to 59-42, but Givens responded with a 76yard touchdown run that put the Wa 66-42 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter.
With 9:13 left, Robinson caught his third of four touchdown passes from Maxwell to make the score 66-48.
“Tyler is a special kid,” Horton said. “His arm makes us a lot better.”
Junior defensive back Alex Veasey returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown to give LR Christian a 73-48 lead with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter, but Maxwell bounced back to throw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Slade on Maumelle’s next possession.
A 19-yard touchdown run by Givens put Warriors ahead 80-55 with 4:27 left in the game. LR Christian’s scoring was complete with junior William Parker Kerfoot’s 94-yard interception return.
“It was a wild game,” Cohu said. “Hats off to our offense for scoring and doing a great job.”