Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Crown still fits
Bolding’s Zebras (13-0) meet expectations
Pine Bluff is still the king of Class 6A. The Zebras capped a 13-0 season and their second consecutive state championship with a 28-21 victory over Greenwood on Saturday afternoon in front of 12,646 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
It was Pine Bluff’s 23rd state championship as recognized by the Arkansas Activities Association, and its seventh in the modern playoff era that began in 1968. The Zebras won back-to-back championships for the first time since they won AAAA titles in 1993-1995.
Pine Bluff Coach Bobby Bolding, winning his third title as a coach and his second with the Zebras, said this championship was extra special, considering the expectations in place after beating Benton 50-10 to win it all last year.
“This has been a stressful year,” Bolding said. “We had so many guys back after winning a state championship so convincingly last year. You’ve got to keep your feet on the ground, and the fans are so tough in Pine Bluff, but our kids overcame all of that.”
Senior quarterback Ladarius Skelton, who has orally committed to Southern University of Baton Rouge, earned the game’s most outstanding player award.
Skelton accounted for 296 offensive yards, rushing for 164 yards and 1 touchdown — a 73-yard run — on 26 carries and completing 7 of 14 passes for 132 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Skelton either ran or threw the ball on 40 of Pine Bluff’s 57 plays, including the final seven plays when the Zebras ran out the clock.
“I had no doubt he would show out today,” Bolding said. “He’s a heck of a young man, a heck of a football player.”
Saturday’s game marked Skelton’s third start at quarterback in a state championship game.
“I feel amazingly great right now,” Skelton said. “I’m happy for my teammates and my brothers. We did this all together. We’ve been wanting this again.”
The game was tied at 14-14 in the second quarter, when Skelton ran past a host of Greenwood defenders for a touchdown that made it 21-14 at the 4:53 mark.
It took 17 seconds for Greenwood to tie the game.
Grant Morgan returned Justin Williams’ skied kickoff 49 yards to the Pine Bluff 28, setting up a trick-play touchdown. Greenwood backup quarterback Connor Noland was split out wide left on first down, took a handoff while running to his right, then stopped and threw a 28yard touchdown pass to Garrett Collins to tie the game at 21-21 with 4:36 left in the half.
Pine Bluff took a 28-21 lead with 2:38 left in the first half when Skelton threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kacy Higgins, who caught the ball between Greenwood free safety Jax Burgess and linebacker Drew Dundee in the end zone.
Neither team scored again, but Pine Bluff sealed the victory with a game-ending drive that resulted in two first downs with the ball never leaving Skelton’s hands.
Skelton, starting at the Pine Bluff 4 with 2:12 to play, ran 12 yards for a first down.
Three plays later, on third and 6 from the 16, Skelton gained 11 yards and a first down to wrap up the Zebras’ championship.
The Zebras’ defense, which had allowed an average of 11.1 points per game entering Saturday, held Greenwood (12-1) to its lowest point total of the season.
“We had trouble sustaining anything,” Greenwood Coach Rick Jones said. “They didn’t make any mistakes. They grinded out first downs and ran the clock out on us.”
Greenwood outgained Pine Bluff 382378 and ran 14 more plays, but the Zebras held the ball for nearly 26 of the game’s 48 minutes, rushing for 246 yards on 43 attempts.
“They did a really good job,” Jones said. “We didn’t execute as well as we needed to.”
Senior running back Romar Reades rushed for 82 yards and 1 touchdown — a 14-yard run in the first quarter — on 15 carries. Higgins led Pine Bluff’s receivers with 3 receptions for 87 yards and 1 touchdown. Senior wide receiver David Beasley caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Skelton in the first quarter.
Beasley, who has orally committed to Louisiana Tech, said he was proud to be part of what has been one of the state’s top high school football programs this decade.
“It’s the best team I’ve been a part of,” Beasley said.
Bolding celebrated with the Zebras during the trophy presentation, but said he knows the euphoria won’t last too long.
“Pressure’s off,” Bolding said, “until tomorrow.”