Senators too much for Miners

LITTLE ROCK – The

Bauxite Miners struggled in a 56-12 road loss to the Joe T. Robinson Senators Friday in 7-4A Conference play in Little Rock.

The home team quickly earned the first 28 points of the game and never looked back.

The Miners (2-6, 0-5) finally scored with 3:18 left in the first quarter when Hunter Ferrell completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Braden Arnold. The 2-point attempt failed as the score was 28-6.

However, Bauxite’s momentum didn’t last long as the Senators scored another TD on their next possession.

As for the Miners, they wouldn’t get back into the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter. That’s when Ferrell connected with Aden Palmer for an 8-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point attempt was no good as the score remained 56-12.

Robinson came into this league game in contention for the conference crown. Against Bauxite, the Senators (7-1, 5-0) made sure their hopes to get a title and a No. 1 seed for the playoffs remained intact. Robinson dominated – especially in the first half.

Senator running back Daryl Searcy ran 7 yards for a TD with 10:53 left in the first quarter. Alex Gabriel, who was perfect on extra points, made the kick to give Robinson a 7-0 lead.

After the Senator’s recovered a Bauxite fumble, they needed only one play to score.

This time Searcy found the end zone on a 12-yard carry.

Robinson’s next points were also setup by a turnover when a pass from Ferrell was intercepted. Soon after, Robinson’s Noah Freeman ran 2 yards for a touchdown. With 8:12 left in the first, Bauxite trailed 21-0.

The Miners later fell behind

28-0 when Robinson receiver Chase Nichols caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jack Cleveland.

Trailing by four TDS in the first quarter, Bauxite would score the first of its two touchdowns making the score 28-6.

Early in the second, Robinson’s

Gabriel Bonner caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Cleveland increasing the lead to 35-6.

The Senator defense then stepped up to contribute Robinson’s next points. Defensive back Anthony Freeman picked off a pass from Ferrell and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown. With 10:21 left until the intermission, the Robinson lead was now 42-6.

Moments later, the Miners fell into a deeper hole when Searcy ran 12 yards for a score. Bauxite now trailed 49-6. With just under three minutes remaining in the first half, the Senators scored their final points of the game when Gkyson Wright caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Cleveland. The point after gave Robinson a 56-6 lead.

The mercy rule was in effect throughout the second half.

With 6:15 left in the fourth, Bauxite scored cutting the Robinson led to 56-12.

The Miners will aim to get their first 7-4A win next week when they host Arkadelphia, 33-27 victors over Ashdown Friday, at The Pit in Bauxite.