Junction City plays Rivercrest at state playoffs in Little Rock.
Rivercrest knocks off Junction City to capture 3A state crown
LITTLE ROCK – Continual turnovers by Junction City combined with Rivercrest’s ability to dominate the line of scrimmage defined the Class 3A state championship game Friday at War Memorial Stadium.
Rivercrest led from start-to-finish on its way to a 48-14 title game victory over the Junction City Dragons.
“It’s just great to get this. The kids deserve it,” said Rivercrest coach Kelly Chandler. “We played hard throughout the playoffs.”
Ultimately, Junction City was far too sloppy to defeat a team the caliber of Rivercrest. The Dragons had five turnovers in this contest.
“Turnovers killed us,” said Junction City coach Steven Jones. “It allowed Rivercrest control the game.”
The turnovers proved costly. But the Colts’ overpowering performance in the trenches
also undermined the Dragons’ quest for a state crown.
“They just outplayed us up front. Hat’s off to Rivercrest,” Jones said. “That’s a well-coached team. They had a tremendous effort for four quarters.”
Junction City’s inability to play mistake-free ball, led to it falling behind by double-digits in the opening half of play. The ragged start was too much for the Dragons to overcome.
Rivercrest used some trickery to score the game’s first points.
The Colts capitalized on a well-executed double reverse that allowed Cam Turner to complete a 49-yard TD pass to J.D. Winda with 9:54 left in the opening period. Mateo Chirinos – who made 6-of-7 extra points – successfully kicked the point after.
The Dragons got on the board with just under five minutes left in the quarter.
Junction City, following a fumble recovery by Dhante Gibson, went on an 11-play drive capped off by 6-yard TD run by Hishmma Taylor. The twopoint attempt failed leaving the score at 7-6 in favor of Rivercrest.
However, a turnover paved the way for the Colts to regain momentum when De’kes Slayton recovered a Junction City fumble at the 44.
Rivercrest needed only four plays to find pay-dirt as Demilon Brown – MVP of the championship game – completed a 4-yard pass in the flat to Winda. The extra point gave Rivercrest a 14-6 advantage with 2:18 left in the first quarter.
With less than a minute remaining in the first, Junction City was hindered by yet another miscue.
A screen pass from Shuvasceiaye Frazier was picked off by Rivercrest’s Warren Thurman and returned to the 49.
The Colts took advantage of the turnover with 7:32 remaining in the first half when Jamyha Franks ran six yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown. Following the point after, the Colts led 21-6.
Due to a Dragon fumble recovered by Winda, the Colts received possession of the ball at the 49 with 1:53 left until the intermission.
Thanks to a perfect play-fake, Franks got behind the defense – in the middle of the field – caught a 12-yard TD pass from Brown with 19 seconds on the clock. A failed extra point left Rivercrest’s lead at 27-6.
The Colts carried the 21-point cushion into the intermission.
“We had to go out in the second half and do the same thing,” Chandler told his team. “We played it one play at a time.”
Junction City struck first in the third.
The Dragons’ score came shortly after defensive lineman Fred Daniels recovered a Rivercrest fumble.
All Junction City needed was four plays to cross the goal-line.
Frazier busted up the middle of the Colt defense en-route to a 9-yard touchdown run. Taylor’s twopoint tote made the score 34-14.
The Dragons were now hoping to surge. But Rivercrest had an immediate response. They quickly quelled the Dragons’ momentum.
The Colts went on an 8-play drive which featured a series of runs through the middle of Junction City’s defense.
Eventually, Franks caught a 5-yard pass from Brown for a TD. The PAT increased Rivercrest’s lead to 41-14.
Later in the game, the Colts once again took advantage of great field position when they forced Junction City into a turnover on downs. Suddenly, with just under five minutes left in the third, Rivercrest was in prime position to increase its lead. And that’s exactly what occurred.
Out of an unbalanced line formation, Rivercrest continued to dominate the line of scrimmage.
And again, Rivercrest’s physical play up-front resulted in a touchdown. The Colts added to their lead when Brown pushed his way into the end zone from a yard out. The point after gave Rivercrest a 41-14 lead with 1:53 left in the third.
“Their pad level was lower than ours all night,” Jones said. “They were able to run the football and control the clock. We didn’t really stop the run. They just kept rollin’.”
Rivercrest scored the game’s final points with 2:13 left to play when Kentavious Robinson ran 11 yards for a touchdown. The PAT gave the Colts a 48-14 lead.
Robinson was the game’s leading rusher as he finished with 133 yards on 22 carries.
“He helps us on both offense and defense,” Chandler said of Brown. “In the second half, we gave him the ball almost every play … and they had no answer for him.”
Rivercrest had an elite effort defensively. The Colts limited Junction City to just 153 yards of offense.
“We’ve got some tough guys on defense that can come get you,” Chandler said.
Junction City finished the season with a record of 13-1. Jones, though disappointed, remains excited about what lies ahead for his program.
“I’m proud of our team. They have nothing to hang their head about,” Jones stated. “The effort they gave all year to get to where we are, I feel like we’ll be back.”