ARKANSAS HIGH VS. LITTLE ROCK McCLELLAN
Contributing writer
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas High upset Little Rock McClellan, 30-28, Friday night at Lion Stadium.
The Razorbacks’ first score, a safety in the opening quarter, ended up being the difference maker in the game.
“We went in and we thought we could block a punt,” said Arkansas High head coach Barry Norton. “We really wanted to pressure it, we had a pressure package on that play. They had the high snap so it worked out good for us.”
The contest shifted in the final frame in favor of the Hogs, who trailed 20-9 to start the fourth.
After taking over on a turnover on downs, Arkansas High was able to cut the lead down with a 61-yard pass to Omareon Henderson from Braylon Bishop on the first play of the drive. The Razorbacks decided to go for two and were able to convert the passplay, 20-17 Lions.
On the kickoff the Razorbacks (4-2, 3-1) attempted a squib kick and recovered it in Lions’ territory. Moments later, Bishop connected with Deiontae Jackson from 14 yards out to give the Hogs the lead, 24-20.
McClellan (4-3, 2-2) retaliated on their next drive with a 48-yard ace to Brandon Williams from Joshua Browns. The Lions ran in the PAT to take a 4-point lead with 3:04 left on the clock.
Bishop scrambled out of the pocket for a 31-yard pick up to put Arkansas High just outside the red zone.
The Lion’s defense held on a third-and-long play, and the Razorbacks were forced to go for it on fourth-and-5. A hard count drew the McClellan defensive line offsides, resulting in a penalty and a first down for the Hogs. Torie Blair dashed in from the 5 to give Arkansas High its final 2-point lead.
The Hogs offense struggled in the first half picking up only 110 total yards.
“They gave us a good whipping for most of the game,” said coach Norton. “Physically, they ran over the top of us. They’re just bigger than we are and we had a hard time with it but our kids kept fighting.”
Numerous penalties on both sides of the field frequently stopped the game’s momentum.
Bishop ended the night with 20 carries for 121 yards and two touch downs to lead the Razorbacks.
“The whole first half we were in bad downs offensively because we kept having penalties,” said coach Norton. We were behind the chains the whole time and couldn’t get a rhythm going
McClellan was first on the board with a 1-yard plunge by quarterback Joshua Brown in the opening quarter, set up by two runs, the first by Jeremiah Aikins, and the second by Jordan Harris, who combined for 132 yards rushing in the first half.
Arkansas High’s defense scored its first points by forcing a bad snap deep in the Lion’s end zone that rolled out of bounds for a safety, 6-2 McClellan.
In the final seconds of the first frame, Aikins widened the gap for the Lions with a 4-yard touchdown run. McClellan elected to go for six but could not break the plane, 12-9.
“Offensively we got it going in the second half,” said Norton. “And when we stayed in front of the chains we were fine. As we got toward the end of it I told them, ‘think about the players and not plays’.”
Arkansas High travels to Hot Springs next Friday.