Arkansas High loses thriller in overtime, 23-20
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Arkansas High (4-4, 2-3) fell to Russellville (4-4, 3-2) in an overtime thriller, 23-20, Friday on Senior Night at Razorback Stadium.
“They made one more play than we did,” Arkansas High head football coach Barry Norton said. “I’m extremely proud of how our kids fought back. We got ourselves in a hole early and the defense blitzed the fire out of us. We were a fingernail away from making a bunch of big plays.”
Russellville’s offense received a jolt when senior Greg Thomas caught a 66-yard bomb from senior hurler Ryan Talley.
The Hogs kept their defensive pressure in the red zone, forcing a turnover on downs.
Mental lapses and a costly fumble held the Razorbacks offense in check in the first 12 minutes of the contest.
Talley continued to steer the Cyclone offense down the field. Talley connected with junior Rhett Adkins on a 40-yard strike to put Russellville in scoring position.
The Hogs and Russellville ended the first quarter tied, 0-0.
“Sean (Foreback) grew up a lot tonight,” Norton said. “He made some really good decisions and good throws with the football. He made some good reads and was a better player today. We missed a couple but overall I think he did a good job for us.”
Caleb Fulsom scored the game’s first touchdown with his 2-yard snag from Ryan Talley in the second quarter with 10:50 remaining.
Arkansas High used a dual running back system throughout the first half.
Hog sophomore signal-caller Sean Foreback received a few legal hits on behalf of the Russellville defenders.
Although the Razorbacks offense couldn’t gain much
traction in the first two quarters, the Hogs defense kept their aggressive approach to Talley and Company.
Hog defender Treveon Cleveland continued his junior tackling campaign. Cleveland finished with another double digit tackling night.
Arkansas High Demetrias Charles added immense pressure from his defensive end position.
Cyclone senior Seth Plummer intercepted a pass intended for Irijah Price with 3:12 left in the second quarter.
Price then intercepted a Cyclone pass in the end zone with 1:12 left in the first half. Price finished offensively with 5 snags for 109 yards.
The Cyclones continued to apply pressure to Foreback for the remainder of the first half.
Arkansas High junior receiver DeJordan Mask, who has had limited reps this season due to a finger injury, made his presence felt in the second quarter. Both of Mask's receptions in the first half were over 30 yards. Mask finished with four grabs for 107 yards, in his first game since his hand injury.
Arkansas High missed a scoring opportunity as time expired going into the locker rooms.
The Cyclones were able to penetrate the Hogs line and block a 25-yard field goal.
“We gave them too many opportunities tonight,” Norton said. “Russellville did a good job with their special teams and we didn't capitalize on their mistakes.”
The second half began much like the ending of the first.
Adkins continued to use his 6-4 frame against the Razorbacks secondary. Adkins led the Cyclone receivers with 12 grabs for 152 yards and a touchdown. The versatile Adkins was also perfect on the extra point attempts for Russellville.
Thomas put the Cyclones back on the board in the middle of the third quarter on a 3-yard pass from Talley. Thomas finished with five receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown.
A pivotal point in the contest came when Russellville recovered the onside kick after Thomas' score with 8:12 left on the board.
“The onside kick we didn't handle was another opportunity we gave them,” Norton said.
The Cyclones continued to march down the field after the recovery.
Russellville only managed a 27-yard field goal with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter.
Although down 17, the Hogs kept their defensive prowess.
Charles and Cleveland continued to harass Talley from their respective defensive positions in the beginning of the second half.
After a turnover on downs, AHS gained momentum offensively with 4:21 left in the third quarter.
Foreback connected with Mask on a 30-yard dart to put the Hogs in scoring position.
Foreback caught a 3-yard strike from Drake Browning to put AHS on the board for their first touchdown of the night with 2:11 left in the third.
“Now that we have DeJordan back, it gives us another weapon,” Norton said. “Having him in the lineups opens some things up for us. I think we're a better offensive team today and I think we'll keep getting better as we go.
Irijah said he caught that ball there in the end zone and I believe him. Now that we have some weapons back you can't double-team him and Drake.”
Hog kick Patrick Cook booted a 29-yard field goal to cut into the Cyclone lead with 2.7 seconds left in the third quarter.
Two consecutive pass interference penalties put the Hogs heels on the goal line, but the AHS defense forced a field goal that Talley missed for Russellville.
After the turnover on downs, AHS kept the ball on the ground for three consecutive plays.
Arkansas High was given an opportunity after Russellville failed to convert the field-goal attempt with 4:00 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Price caught a 62-yard bomb from Foreback to put the Hogs in scoring position.
Browning connected with Foreback for the second time to put the Hogs in the Cyclone red zone.
Jordan Hall dove over the line of scrimmage from 2 yards out and Cook tied the game with his extra point, 17-17, with 2:35 left in the game.
Mask intercepted a Talley pass in the end zone intended for Adkins to force overtime.
The end of regulation saw both teams at 17 apiece.
Russellville won the toss and elected to have AHS on offense to being the extra period.
Cook put the Hogs on the board in the extra period with his 10-yard field goal.
Adkins caught a 10-yard strike from Talley in the corner of the end zone to end the game.
Arkansas High committed over 10 penalties for the 120 yards during the contest.
The Hogs finished 3-2 at Razorback Stadium.