Dardanelle comes back to claim victory over Prairie Grove

PRAIRIE GROVE — When a lightning delay caused a 30-minute break at the 1:45 mark in the first quarter, the hometown Tigers held a 7-0 lead and optimism about potentially getting their first win of the season.

When Dardanelle’s offense took the field after play re- sumed, it looked like a completely different, better-operating machine and was the difference in a 35-17 victory for the Sandlizards on Friday night.

Junior quarterback Joran Metcalf, in particular, continued to heat up as the game went on, and he showed a different variant of his talents in each period.

In the first quarter, he was more of a game manager, mak- ing sure the offense moved the ball through handoffs to senior running back Blake Chambers

and throwing the ball only when necessary. The second quarter was a different story, as he punched in his team’s first touchdown and started to work the ball to his receivers more consistently.

When the third quarter rolled around, Metcalf responded to a Prairie Grove field goal by gashing the Tigers through the air. He found sophomore receiver Sam Williams for two long scores, including a 49-yard pass that seemed to put things away. The quarterback caught the defense off guard by running a run-pass option (RPO), and his ability to run the ball drew most of the defenders to him. Williams got past single coverage to get separation, and he was gifted with his second touchdown on as many drives.

Metcalf finished 9-for-18 and those two passing scores, and he rushed the ball 12 times for 93 yards and another couple touchdowns.

The Sandlizards outgained Prairie Grove 333 to 325 on the offensive side of the ball, but their 183 to 58 yard passing difference marked a key element of their victory. The Tigers’ run-heavy offense outgained Dardanelle by more than 110 yards, but it proved to be a weakness when they trailed by a big margin and were driving the ball at the end of the game.

Prairie Grove senior quarterback Ethan Scates didn’t find his groove, as he went 2-for-12 for 58 yards. Senior fullback Garrett Heltemes averaged 10 yards a rush on a day when he ran the ball 14 times and added a score.

A whopping 26 penalties were called in the game, and both teams racked up over 100 yards lost to flags.