West-side teams kick off season with mixed results
WESTSIDE — The 2017 football season kicked off on Friday, with Gentry picking up a big win, Gravette falling in a close contest and Decatur losing by 61 points.
On Friday, Gentry and Decatur will face off at Pioneer Stadium in Gentry. Gravette hosts Booneville in the Lions’ home opener. Game times are at 7 p.m.
Gentry 50, Lavaca 0
Jon Faulkenberry scored three touchdowns, and the Pioneer defense smothered Lavaca in a season-opening win Friday night at Gentry.
Faulkenberry rushed for 121 yards on just eight carries, and the Pioneers (1-0) also got a pair of touchdowns from Myles McFerron in the win.
The Gentry defense held Lavaca (0-1) to under 100 yards of total offense.
Ozark 33, Gravette 30
The Hillbillies held off Gravette by recovering an onside kick in the closing seconds.
Ozark (1-0) led 13-0 before Gravette stormed back to score 22 straight points.
Bailey Soule’ found the end zone for the Lions (0-1), and quarterback Tajae White hit Brandon Ballard for a score in the surge.
But Ozark put three touchdowns on the board to retake the lead 33-22. With just under a minute left, the Lions got a touchdown from Soule’, and White added the 2-point conversion to pull Gravette within three at 33-30, but the Lions could not recover the onside kick at the end.
Gravette will host Booneville next week, while Ozark travels to Clarksville.
Berryville 61, Decatur 0
It was clear from the start that the young Bulldogs were outmatched by the more experienced Bobcats.
On Berryville’s opening possession, Luke Britt ran for a 40-yard touchdown at the 10:40 mark in the first quarter. From there it was all Bobcats. They continued to dominate the first half, scoring touchdowns by Issac Brown, Byran McIntosh, Kooper Logan, Tristan Updegraff, Ethan Carey and Charles Archer.
A missed field goal made it a 48-0 game going into the halftime break.