Arkadelphia report: Tigers win, HSU falls
ARKADELPHIA — Ouachita Baptist did more than secure its 10th consecutive winning football season Saturday at Cliff Harris Stadium.
A 52-14 rout of Oklahoma Baptist elevated the Tigers to 6-2 and a first-place tie in the Great American Conference. OBU shares the top spot with Arkansas Tech, preseason favorite Southern Arkansas and Southeastern Oklahoma. Each team in the league has three games left.
Drew Harris ran for two first-quarter touchdowns, boosting the Tigers to a 31-7 halftime lead, and Keandre Evans returned an interception 78 yards for Ouachita’s final TD. Harris ran 22 and 3 yards for touchdowns, and Cole Antley’s 33-yard field goal made it 17-0. Austin Warford ran 11 yards and Kris Oliver 3 yards for OBU touchdowns before the half ended.
Shun’cee Thomas had third-quarter touchdown runs of three and two yards for the Tigers, making irt 45-7.
Warford completed 13 of 16 passes for 199 yards with no interceptions or sacks. Allie Freeman had five catches for 110 yards and Harris four for 79.
Oliver carried 12 times for 121 yards (long gain of 23) and Warford seven times for 75 yards (31). Thomas carried 11 times for 70 yards. OBU plays Arkansas-Monticello at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cliff Harris Stadium.
East Central-Henderson
ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State’s peculiar streak of home losses continued Saturday with a 24-16 homecoming defeat to East Central.
The Reddies (4-4) are winless in Arkadelphia but 4-0 away from Carpenter-Haygood Stadium with an NCAA Division II-record 30 straight road victories. Henderson plays its final home game Saturday against Southern Arkansas (2:05 p.m. kickoff) before visiting Arkansas-Monticello and Ouachita Baptist.
Henderson trailed East Central 24-3 at halftime and after three quarters. Evan Lassiter and Andrew Black each passed for a fourth-quarter touchdown, Lassiter connecting with Ben Johnson from five yards out and Black to Jerry Rodriguez for two yards.
Julio Cervantes kicked a 25-yard field goal for the Reddies’ only first-half points.
In other GAC games Saturday, Arkansas Tech routed Northwestern Oklahoma 66-10 in Russellville, Harding observed homecoming in Searcy with a 42-0 blanking of Southwestern Oklahoma and Southern Arkansas handed Southeastern Oklahoma its second-straight loss, 49-19 in Magnolia.