Ashdown romps past Pocahontas, 32-14
ASHDOWN, Ark.—Ashdown running back Tre Green and the offensive line turned the tables.
Hosting Pocahontas, which came in as a run-dominant team, the Panthers rattled off 32 consecutive points, with Green rushing for a pair of touchdowns in the second half as Ashdown won its Class 4A
second-round playoff football game over the Redskins, 32-14, Friday at Dick Hays Stadium.
Green finished the night with 18 carries for 198 yards and three touchdowns. He had six rushes for 98 yards after intermission.
Delrae Smith added 72 rushing yards on 12 carries and got in the end zone twice for the Panthers, who travel to Arkadelphia next Friday for the 4A state semifinal game against the Badgers. Arkadelphia beat Batesville Southside, 42-8.
Ashdown (9-3) finished with 39 rushes for 294 yards and freshman QB Braylon Bishop connected on 9 of 17 passes for 104 yards.
“I was really happy with the way the kids responded,” Ashdown head coach Matt Richardson said. “The most amazing play of the night was the play that got called back: there were 32 people who tackled him, I saw a mom throw something to try to stop him, and he managed to break it. It got called back because of a lazy receiver (block in the back) on that side.
“We went in at halftime and got in them a little, and the coaches made some adjustments. But we knew Tre Green was the best player on the field; we just had to get him the ball.”
Pocahontas (6-6) rushed for 173 yards and passed for 113 more—most of the aerial yardage coming in the first half. Junior quarterback Devon Adams threw for 113 yards and a TD and rushed for 112 on 24 totes, scoring with 15 seconds left in the game. Jaden Young had eight catches for 70 yards and the TD from Adams.
The Panthers went three-and-out on their first three possessions and fumbled the ball away on the fourth drive, giving the Redskins the ball at the Ashdown 40.
Stifled on the run by the home defense, Pocahontas went to the air after the turnover. Adams connected with Young for a 35-yard gain to the 5, and three plays later the pair hooked up again for a 6-yard TD with 8:32 left in the first half.
The Panthers answered with a five-play drive that covered 59 yards, a Bishop 31-yard pass to Patrick Christopher on the second play moving into Pocahontas’ territory.
Green raced 15 yards to set up Smith’s 7-yard TD with 6:52 left.
The Redskins moved the chains just once on the ensuing drive, and Ashdown took over at its 39. The Panthers methodically marched down the field, using 4:24 of the clock with a 9-play drive.
Green made a cut in the middle of the line and raced around the right side for a 7-yard TD with 38 seconds left.
“I was real proud of the kids; once they got the enthusiasm they went and played hard,” Richardson said. “They feed off each other. I told them all week, when you get that enthusiasm everyone’s going to catch it. The fans are going to get excited, and the whole place going to get going. But they have start it.
“We started slow on offense, but defensively we played well all night. With Alex Day in the middle, we’ve got a chance to be successful.”
On the ensuing possessions, Green recovered a Redskin fumble on the first play, and the Panthers moved into the red zone before the clock expired at Ashdown at the Pocahontas 17.
Green finished the first half with 12 carries for 100 yards, and Bishop was 7-of-13 passing for 71 yards. Ashdown picked up 161 of its 179 yards of offense in the second quarter. is to