Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Booneville’s late surge tops Charleston
CHARLESTON — Booneville’s offense didn’t make the most of its opportunities in the first half. That improved in the second half Friday night at Alumni Field.
The Bearcats found more success after the break with two scoring drives and a second-half shutout on defense. That allowed Booneville to pull away with a 21-7 victory against Charleston in a Class 3A-1 Conference matchup.
“We didn’t play very well in the first half,” Booneville coach Scott Hyatt said. “(Charleston) coach (Ricky) May knows our system and kids well. He did a great job scheming against us. We just didn’t execute. We had some penalties that set us back as well. We have to eliminate that stuff.”
Booneville (6-2, 5-0) was led by senior fullback Cam Brasher. He finished with 19 carries for 224 yards and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Evan Schlinker added 74 rushing yards on 7 carries for 2 touchdowns. He also added 57 yards passing for the Bearcats.
Charleston senior quarterback Brayden Ross finished 12 of 26 passing for 128 yards with a score. His main target was senior Geoffrey Scott, who had 4 catches for
48 yards with a touchdown catch.
May, who was the athletic director at Booneville last season, and the Tigers were able to keep things close in the first half before the Bearcats started to create separation after the break.
Charleston (3-5, 3-2) was able to tie the game at 7-7 with just 44 seconds before halftime. The Tigers capped the scoring drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Scott from Ross.
The defense helped set up the score for Charleston. Kaleb Hamby had an interception after Booneville was inside Charleston territory to end a scoring threat.
Booneville took the opening drive of the game for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The Bearcats used six plays to go 58 yards.
Schlinker took the snap from the shotgun formation, rolled to one side of the field then ran to the other side untouched for a 38-yard touchdown scramble.
“He almost got tackled when he turned around, but he made the kid miss,” Hyatt said. “He reversed field and made a great run. Athletes make plays.”
The Bearcats’ offense wouldn’t score again in the first half though.
It wasn’t a perfect firsthalf performance from the Bearcats. They fumbled the ball five times and lost one of those inside Charleston territory along with an interception thrown. Booneville also had six false start penalties at halftime.
After scoring on the first drive of the game, Booneville used its next four drives to get inside Charleston territory but couldn’t score. Booneville took its final possession before the half down to the opposing 24 before time ran out.
“We started out well,” Hyatt said. “The momentum kind of slipped away. It kind of went back and forth all night. We were glad to get a couple breaks and score some touchdowns in the second half.
Booneville got a defensive stop right after halftime and broke through on offense after that in its first second-half drive. Schlinker gave Booneville a 14-7 lead with a 17-yard touchdown run.
Charleston pinned Booneville deep with a 55-yard punt that put the ball inside the 5 early in the fourth quarter. The Bearcats needed just one play to score after that. Brasher took a toss for a 97-yard touchdown and a 217 lead.
“That was a key play,” Hyatt said. “As a coach, you see that a lot when somebody is backed up inside your own 5.
We get a big play and get out of that. That was huge for us.
FOUR DOWNS
• The Booneville defense allowed just 42 yards of offense in the second half.
• Charleston senior defensive lineman Devin Donberger had two fumbles recovered for the Tigers.
• Booneville extended its conference winning streak to 21 games in a row.
• Both teams continue 3A-1 Conference next week. Booneville hosts Lamar, while Charleston travels to West Fork.