Booneville defense stiffens as Bearcats soundly beat Hornets

BOONEVILLE 43, HARMONY GROVE 22

BOONEVILLE — Booneville’s defense continued to make big plays in the postseason Friday night at Bearcat Stadium.

The Bearcats were able to force four first-half turnovers to take a lead, then didn’t look back after the break in a 43-22 victory against Camden Harmony Grove in a Class 3A state quarterfinal matchup.

“I’m proud of those guys on defense,” Booneville coach Scott Hyatt said. “The turnovers were big. If somebody makes a mistake, you got to capitalize on it. That swings the momentum. Those were huge.”

Michael Hesson led the way for Booneville, finishing with nine carries for 107 yards with a score. Carson Ray added 13 carries for 90 yards with two touchdowns, while Andrew Robertson totaled 71 yards on eight carries with a score.

Booneville (13-0) was able to take a 20-6 edge into halftime with the help of three consecutive turnovers from Harmony Grove (9-4) in the second quarter.

The Hornets scored on the game’s opening drive, with Gannon Bearden hitting Damion Daniel for a 62-yard touchdown pass on third down and a 6-0 lead after a blocked extra-point kick.

An interception by Booneville’s Ethan Dobbs helped set up the first score of the game for the Bearcats.

Booneville marched 77 yards and the drive was capped by a 1-yard rush from Ray to tie the game at 6-6 after a missed kick. The Bearcats overcame two holding calls to find the end zone.

Harmony Grove took over and turned the ball over again with Hesson catching an interception.

It didn’t take long for Booneville to take advantage of the possession, as Hesson scored on the first play after the take away with a 45-yard touchdown run. That gave the Bearcats a 13-6 lead.

“He has played good for us all year on both offense and defense,” Hyatt said of Hesson. “All of our kids have, but he made some great plays for us there.”

Harmony Grove again

turned it over to Booneville on the following drive with a fumble after a completed pass. Ray scored on the drive for the Bearcats on a 1-yard touchdown run to extend the advantage out to 20-6.

“We played great in the first quarter,” Harmony Grove coach Ernie Horstkamp said. “Some of the mistakes were because of them and us. They are a great football team. I’m proud of the way we competed.”

Booneville was able to quickly add to its lead in the second half with scores on offense and special teams.

The Bearcats took over their opening possession after the break at the opposing 27 after a 43-yard return by Robertson and a penalty against Harmony Grove. Robertson one play later scored to push the edge to 27-6.

The Booneville defense forced a three-and-out punt that ended up going for a safety after a bad snap, which made it 29-6 Booneville.

Dobbs then took the kickoff after the safety for a 59-yard touchdown to extend the lead out to 36-6. The score capped a 16-point burst in the span of about three minutes.

“This group has done that a couple times this year,” Hyatt said. “Once they get rolling, they score in the matter of seconds. If you can do that, that’s huge.”

Dobbs closed out Booneville’s scoring when he caught a 17-yard pass from junior quarterback Evan Schlinker. That allowed the Bearcats to push the lead to 43-6 with about five minutes left in the third quarter.

The Hornets were able to find success on offense after that, closing out the game with a score in the third and fourth quarters. Daniel found the end zone on a 24-yard run, while Bearden found Xaylon Falls for a 4-yard touchdown pass.