Abshier gets win No. 200; Prairie Grove tops Farmington

PRAIRIE GROVE 19, FARMINGTON 7

PRAIRIE GROVE — It didn’t rain a drop until the fourth quarter, but two lightning delays extended Friday’s “Battle of Highway 62 West” by nearly two hours.

The wait for Win No. 200 was well worth it for Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier, whose Tigers held off a furious rally attempt for a 19-7 win again Farmington.

Even sweeter was it came against Abshier’s alma mater as the 1983 Farmington High graduate was all smiles while surrounded by family, friends and former players before being presented with a banner.

“Thank you for the sign; I love it,” Abshier told the group. “But just beating Farmington is good enough.”

Farmington (1-1) took a 7-6 lead when hard-running by Caden Elsik led to a tackle-breaking 12-yard touchdown run by Ian Cartwright on the opening drive to open the second half.

But this night belonged to Abshier as his Tigers (1-0) used a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to erase a 7-6 deficit. Senior Foster Layman scored on a 7-yard touchdown run and senior quarterback Knox Laird threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to classmate Landon Semrad to put the game away.

“They got us the last two years, so it was good to get this one back,” Abshier said. “People are all happy about 200 wins, but I’m not thinking about that.

“I’m just happy we won this game.”

Following a 63-minute delay due to lightning before kickoff, the Tigers were able to turn an 8-play, 96-yard drive into a 7-0 halftime lead.

Laird connected with sophomore Matthew Velasco twice during the drive, including a 57-yard pass play and a 7-yard touchdown pass with 4:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Both team’s traded possessions until Cartwright ignited Farmington’s offense, first with his arms, then with his legs.

The Cardinals senior quarterback sliced his way for an 18-yard run on the drive’s second snap before hooking up with senior Terrion Swift for a pair of first down completions. Cartwright then hit junior Chase Brown on a quick out route to convert for a first down on fourth-and 5.

However, the drive stalled at the Prairie Grove 17 thanks to a tag-team tackle for loss by seniors Gunnar Caudle and David Hall, as well a drive halting, open field tackle by junior Colin Faulk to turn the ball over on downs with 2:03 remaining in the half.

Laird put together a quick drive to move the ball deep into Cardinals’ territory, but it’s threat was thwarted on a sack and fumble recovery by senior Josiah Ingraham.

Another 30-minute delay minutes before the halftime break ended resulted in the second half beginning just before 10 p.m.