Wildcats end Beavers year in 3A semifinals
SEARCY — Going up against the defending 3A state champs in the semifinals of the 3A state playoffs and making their first semis appearance since 2016, the Glen Rose Beavers could not get their offense going and would struggle defensively in the second half in an eventual 35- 7 loss to the Harding Academy Wildcats Friday at First Security Stadium in Searcy.
The Wildcats’ win pits them against the McGehee Owls, which edged Hoxie 20- 18 Friday, in next Saturday’s 3A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
It was tough sledding all night for the Beavers ( 11- 3) as Harding ( 11- 1) outgained them 382 to 204 in total yardage, with Glen Rose senior Wesley Launius’ 61- yard touchdown bomb to senior receiver Noah Wright, which was tipped by the defender, with 2: 40 left in the game for the Beavers lone score.
Early in this contest it was a defensive battle. But, the Beavers put themselves in a bad situation on the second play of the game as the turnover bug, which has ailed Glen Rose all season, struck early. Launius’ pass to junior receiver Conner Taylor gained 9 yards and would have been a first down, but Taylor fumbled it away.
“We couldn’t get going and got behind the 8- ball offensively in the first half,” Glen Rose Coach Mark Kehner said. “Penalties hurt us early. We
played decent the first half, but we gave up two mistakes in the secondary and that’s two touchdowns for them. Just couldn’t really get anything going for us offensively to get some mojo going. Tough night.”
The Beaver defense forced a Wildcats turnover on downs, but Glen Rose was forced to punt its next possession. Harding responded with an 11- play, 89- yard drive capped by senior quarterback Caden Sipe’s 29- yard TD pass to junior running back Andrew Miller for the 7- 0 lead with 7: 19 left in the first quarter, which it remained until late in the first half.
Three punts and two turnover on downs ensued the next five possessions before the Wildcats used another long drive to score late in the first half. An 11play, 85- yard drive, highlighted by a Sipes to junior receiver Jackson Fox 38yard reception, was capped by Sipe’s 4- yard TD run with less than a minute remaining and Harding’s 14- 0 advantage stood for the half.
While the Beavers D stood strong for the most part in the first half, Glen Rose couldn’t stop the Wildcats in the second half. Harding needed just three plays to get back on the board to start the third quarter with Sipe running 43 yards for a TD and 21- 0 lead 24 seconds into the second half.
Just like their turnover on their first series of the first half, the Beavers gave it away on the first series of the second half on a miscommunication with the snap and the Wildcats took advantage with the ball at the Beaver 35- yard line.
Harding took its time, using nine plays to cover the 35 yards and Miller ran it in from a yard out for the 27- 0 lead after the Beavers blocked the point- after.
Glen Rose was forced to punt and Harding put the nail in the coffin its next series. Miller’s two runs for 17 yards preluded a Sipe to senior receiver Ty Dugger 29- yard catch, and
Sipe and Dugger would finish the drive with Sipe scoring his third rushing TD of the game, this one from 5 yards out. Sipe hit Dugger for the 2- point conversion with 2: 38 left in the third to enact the sportsmanship rule with the Wildcats up 35- 0.
From then, the clock ran the rest of the way and the Beavers season came to an end.
Kehner wasn’t especially pleased with the officials on Friday, but his team shot itself in the foot at times, too.
“They were good,” Kehner said of the Wildcats, “but when they hold you and you can’t get anything … I think we had six holding penalties to none. To me, it was bad lopsided, but it happens.
“They’re a good football team but we hurt ourselves all night long. We’ve kind of done that a lot throughout the year, but it caught up to us and snowballed on us.”
Wright, who has been a top receiver in Saline County all year, had a big night thanks to his big TD catch, finishing with seven receptions for 108 yards. Launius was 12 of 25 for 135 yards and a TD.
Junior running back Dalton Taylor ran nine times for 34 yards, all in the first half, with senior Ethan Taylor rushing seven times for 27 yards.
“I’m proud of our seniors,” Kehner said. “Our guys kept grinding. We weren’t a perfect team by any stretch of the imagination, but they were blue- collar, grinding type of team. At the end of the season you look up and you’re an 11- win team and a semifinals appearance. A lot of programs would have loved to be there and I’m proud of our kids for carrying us back to a semifinals game.”
For the Wildcats, Sipe finished 22 of 27 for 225 yards and a TD, also leading everybody on the ground with 14 carries for 111 yards and three TDs. Miller ran 11 times for 43 yards and a TD, while catching seven for 48 yards and a TD. Fox had five catches for 49 yards, with Duggar adding four for 43.