Prep football playoffs are heating up
As the weather turns colder, it seems like the high school football playoffs are just getting hotter.
The playoff picture turned a little more clearer this week as several teams made earlier exits than the coaches had hoped for.
Pleasant Grove (9-2), the only one Texarkana team remaining in the playoffs, played a late Saturday night against unbeaten Caddo Mills (11-0) in The Star in Frisco, Texas. The Hawks have been undefeated in the playoffs when playing in The Star.
“I think we’re 8-0 or 9-0 in The Star,” Hawks head coach Josh Gibson said earlier this week. “We hope that continues Saturday night against Caddo Mills.”
Only one Northeast Texas team won its area playoff game Friday, and that was James Bowie (10-2). The Pirates beat Deweyville, 30-16, to advance to the Class 2A regional semifinals against powerhouse Mart (12-0), which demolished Cushing, 77-7, in an area mismatch.
Three other Northeast Texas suffered losses. Dekalb fell to Daingerfield, 29-22, Hooks tumbled to Harmony, 37-23, New Boston lost to Newton, 65-8, and Maud was shut out by Lovelady, 56-0.
In Southwest Arkansas, two teams won and one lost. Prescott defeated Salem, 416, and Nashville stayed alive with a 31-7 triumph over Pocahontas. Ashdown was ousted by Elkins, 63-27.
Here are some highlights by Gazette sports writers of area games:
DAINGERFIELD 29, DEKALB 22
Two second-half turnovers by Dekalb and one explosive play by Daingerfield turned the tide in their Class 3A, Division II area football game at Gerald Prim Stadium in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
The Tigers, who had to rally from three deficits against the Bears, scored on the first play of the second half and denied Dekalb over the final 24 minutes to claim a wild 2922 playoff victory.
Daingerfield (10-2) advances to play Newton (11-1) in next week’s regional semifinals. The Bears’ season ends at 9-3.
Dekalb had 332 yards of total offense — 236 on 49 rushes. Kiondre Schlesinger had 15 carries for 80 yards, Amar Love 10 for 53 and a touchdown, and Kayden
Wherry eight for 36.
Xavier Hawkins had two scoring grabs and 66 yards receiving, while Kaleb Dooley connected on 5-of-10 passes for 96 yards, the two TDS and no interceptions.
The Tigers finished with 289 yards of total offense, got a 48-yard TD grab from Jakevian Rodgers to start the second half after Braden Lewis had two scoring receptions in the first half.
Sophomore quarterback Chase Johnson finished 12of-17 passing for 163 yards with three TDS and an interception. He also rushed eight times for 53 yards, and D’CO Wright added 13 carries for 70 yards and a score. Rodgers had three catches for 65 yards, Lewis four for 51 and Kenny Mosley three for 45 yards and the game-clinching interception. — Josh Richert
HARMONY 37, HOOKS 23
After giving up 23 points in the first half, Harmony shut out Hooks in the second half and ran away with a 37-23 win in a Class 3A, Division II area football playoff Friday night at Sam Parker Field in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Ran is the proper word as the Eagles’ 1-2 punch of Boston Seahorn and Riley Patterson, who rushed for a combined 222 yards.
Quarterback Seahorn had 154 yards on 15 carries, while Patterson added 68 yards on 11 attempts.
Harmony’s victory avenged a 17-14 loss to the Hornets earlier in the season.
Harmony (7-5) moves on to the next round to face West Rusk (10-2), while District 103A champion Hooks ends its fine season with a 9-3 record.
Hooks got on the scoreboard first with a 28-yard field by Matthew Hays in the game’s first two minutes after recovering the opening game’s kickoff deep in Eagles’ territory.
Hooks regained the lead on a 4-yard run by Keyshawn Walls. Hays’ kick gave the Hornets a 10-7 advantage.
Early in the second quarter, Walls scored on a 14-yard run and the extra point made the score 17-14 in the Hornets’ favor.
Hooks closed out the firsthalf scoring on a 42-yard pass to Jatavious “Boogie” Johnson from quarterback Trip Baysinger, and the PAT failed, leaving the score 23-21.
Walls led the Hornets with 105 yards on 18 attempts, and Baysinger completed 12 of 25 attempts for 160 yards.
— Bob Krayl
ELKINS 63, ASHDOWN 27
Host Elkins looked like a well-rested football team in a Class 4A second round playoff game at John Bunch Jr. Memorial Field.
Behind a 305-yard, six touchdown performance from junior running back Da’shawn Chairs, the Elks (10-1) are in the state quarterfinals following a 63-27 victory over Ashdown.
The Panthers, who knocked out Lonoke 21-14 last week, end their season at 7-4.
Elkins will turn its attention to Nashville, which dispatched 3-4A champion Pocahontas, 37-7.
Ashdown tight end and Arkansas commit Shamar Easter caught the game’s first touchdown, a 42-yard offering from Grayson Porter, to go up 6-0.
The Panthers retook the lead when Jonathan Mcelroy scooped up a Dean fumble and ran it in from 30 yards out to go up 14-6, but Chairs found paydirt four plays later and the Elks converted the 2-point conversion to tie it at 14 apiece.
In the second half, it was all Chairs. He scored on runs of 9, 64, 32 and 16 yards to turn a 6-point lead into a 28-point rout. His final scoring run was after a fourthdown stand near the goal line, and he raced 97 yards down the home sideline to invoke the Arkansas sportsmanship or mercy rule.
— Derek Oxford
PRESCOTT 41, SALEM 6
Top-ranked Prescott (11-0) defeated Salem, 41-6, in the second round of the Class 3A state football playoffs at Eddie Jackson Field in Prescott
The Curley Wolves, state runners-up a year ago, built a 21-0 first-quarter lead, which was also the halftime score.
Prescott advances to the third round against Rison (91), which eliminated Bismarck, 30-16, Friday.
Wolves’ quarterback Carston Poole passed for 222 yards and three touchdowns to spark the offensive onslaught.
Poole completed 13-of-28 passes, with his three scores going to P.J. Gulley (2 TDS, 25 and 45 yards) and D’wayne White (9 yards). Poole has 2,030 yards passing in 11 games this season.
Running back Travion Davis also rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns for the Wolves, who amassed 469 yards of total offense. Dicks scores on runs of 2 and 14 yards.
NASHVILLE 37, POCAHONTAS 7
Sloan Perrin’s two touchdown runs helped Nashville (9-3) roll on the road at Pocahontas, Ark.
Perrin carried 15 for 200 yards and completed 8 of 9 passes for 42 yards for the Scrappers, who won their third consecutive game and will play Elkins next week in the quarterfinals.
Tre Hopkins ran 11 times for 105 yards and a touchdown while Alex Mediola had 102 yards on 6 carries and scored twice for Nashville.
JAMES BOWIE 30, DEWEYVILLE 16
Dylan Braley scored two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to spark James Bowie to a 30-16 victory over Deweyville in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs in Center.
Braley scored on runs of 2 and 8 yards and had a pair of 2-point conversion runs as the Pirates build a 24-8 halftime lead.
Lane Johnson scored on a 16-yard run and ran for a 2-point conversion.
James Bowie’s final TD came on Logan Mccullough’s 3-yard scoring pass to Jason Kelly.
The Pirates (10-2) advance to play Mart (12-0), a 77-7 winner over Cushing.
LOVELADY 56, MAUD 0
Lovelady exploded for 30 first-quarter points and the undefeated Lion defeated Maud, 56-0, in a Class 2A playoff game at Arp, Texas.
Lovelady rolled up 465 yards of total offense while holding the Cardinals to 239. Maud also turned the ball over twice, once on an interception and one on a fumble.
Maud closes its season at 9-3 while Lovelady (11-0) advances to the third round against Price Carlisle (11-1), a 40-36 winner over Wortham.
NEWTON 65, NEW BOSTON 8
New Boston ran into a perennial powerhouse Newton in the Class 3A state playoffs and the Lions paid the price.
New Boston (6-6) was no match for the Eagles (11-1), who advance to next week’s third round.
Newton has averaged almost 45 points a game this season.