Rams stall, stay winless

A Lakeside offense that had struggled to find the explosive play during an 0-4 start hit several big plays early Friday night at Lakeside Stadium, racing out to a 14-0 lead less than three minutes into its homecoming tilt against Texarkana.

But an offense that gained 262 first half yards and scored on four of its five first half possessions bogged down in the second half, going the first 21:25 without gaining a first down. Texarkana (2-4, 1-2 5A-south) took advantage of the lull, scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns and a field goal for a 39-31 come-from-behind win.

The Razorbacks controlled the ball for 17 minutes in the second half and took a 32-31 lead on Hayden Moya’s 32-yard field goal with 7:40 to play. A 12-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Wall to Marcus Floyd on fourth down set the final margin with 2:35 to play.

Lakeside took possession for the final time at the one minute mark. A 35-yard completion from quarterback Jacob Hermosillo to Ryan Ballard set up the Rams (0-5, 0-3) in Razorback territory, but Wall’s interception in the Texarkana end zone secured the win three plays later. He finished the night 15-of-30 for 203 yards and two touchdowns, adding 137 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Texarkana held the ball for 16 minutes in the first half, but Lakeside’s efficiency overcame its lack of possession. It needed just six plays to build a 14-0 lead early in the game. Ballard scored the first touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Hermosillo that capped a 72-yard drive that took less than two minutes off of the clock.

Hermosillo hit Ben Vincent for a 51-yard touchdown pass on the first play of Lakeside’s second possession. He threw his third touchdown pass of the first half at the 4:37 mark of the first quarter. The 17-yard scoring strike to Skylar Purifoy gave Lakeside a 21-8 lead. Landen Matthews’ 35-yard pick six put Lakeside ahead 28-15 with 7:02 left in the half.

Hermosillo completed 10 of his 20 first half attempts for 206 yards but was 5-of-17 for 49 yards after halftime. Lakeside’s offense struggled to stay on the field, going three and out on three of its six second half possessions.

The Rams’ running game failed to complement their passing attack, as the offense’s inability to move the chains

limited it to 50 yards on nine carries. Vincent led the Lakeside receivers with seven catches for 105 yards.

Lakeside converted 4-0f-6 third downs in the first half but couldn’t sustain drives in the second half, going 0-for-6 on third down after halftime. Caleb Villines’ 28-yard field goal was Lakeside’s final score, giving the Rams a 31-23 halftime lead.