Malvern turns big plays into points, tops Clinton

MALVERN 48, CLINTON 35

MALVERN — Devin Shaw ran for three touchdowns and Trace Collie accounted for three more as Malvern held off the Clinton Yellow Jackets 48-35 Friday night in the Class 4A quarterfinals at Claude Mann Stadium.

Shaw, a sophomore, had only 12 carries but scored on runs of 3, 14 and 33 yards as Malvern earned its fourth consecutive victory.

Collie completed 10 of 17 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 76 yards, including a 24-yard scoring run.

Malvern (10-3) will play at 7-4A Conference rival Mena next Friday in the semifinals. The Bearcats (11-2) defeated Malvern 36-22 on Oct. 3.

Malvern never trailed in a game that featured a combined 975 yards of offense, but the Leopards gave up several big plays to the Yellow Jackets.

Clinton had two running backs top the 100-yard mark. Senior tailback Robert Ferrell rushed for 130 yards on 13 carries. Ferrell did not score, but he had a 76-yard run that set up the Yellow Jackets’ first touchdown.

Senior fullback Harrison Lester rushed for 120 yards on 13 carries, scoring on runs of 15 and 1 yards.

Clinton quarterback Fielder Dufrene, who was limited to 20 yards passing in the first half, hit sophomore Kort Weaver with touchdown passes of 59 and 61 yards in the second half. Dufrene completed his first 6 passes of the second half and finished 8 of 12 for 193 yards, but he also was sacked 5 times, including three by senior lineman Quincy Collier.

After Lester’s 1-yard scoring run with 1:18 remaining in the game that capped the game’s scoring, the Jackets recovered the ensuing onside kick. But Clinton’s comeback effort ended when Elliott Coston intercepted Dufrene’s final pass with 39.7 seconds to play.

Malvern’s first two touchdowns came on long passes.

On a third-and-8 play, junior Derek Womack caught a screen pass, shook off two tacklers and raced down the right sideline for a 58-yard score with 3:27 left in the first quarter. Keidric Dickens was on the receiving end of a 33yard scoring pass with 9:44 left in the second quarter. Coston kicked the extra point for a 14-0 Malvern lead.

Taking advantage of Ferrell’s 76-yard run, Dufrene scored from the 1 with 7:30 left before halftime, but sophomore Bryce Freer returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards for a touchdown as Malvern’s lead swelled to 21-7.

Lester’s 15-yard scoring run capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive that cut the Leopards’ lead to 21-14, but Malvern responded with a 10-play, 62yard drive that was capped by Shaw’s 3-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left in the half.

Shaw scored on a 14-yard run with 3:37 left in the third quarter to push Malvern’s lead to 35-14, and Clinton was never closer than two touchdowns the remainder of the game.

Malvern finished with 523 yards of offense, while Clinton finished with 452 yards.

MENA 34, ARKADELPHIA 27

MENA — Jackson Daugherty scored from 14 yards out with 1:07 left to lift Mena (11-2) over Arkadelphia (9-3).

Mena avenged a 40-28 loss in Week 7 at Arkadelphia. The Bearcats, the No. 2 seed from the 7-4A Conference, will host conference-rival Malvern, the No. 3 seed, next Friday.

Daugherty accounted for three touchdowns, including two rushing scores.

Quarterback Sage Kesterson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Daugherty and scored twice on the ground for the Bearcats on runs of 2 and 30 yards.

Arkadelphia’s Jeff Blake threw two touchdown passes, both to Bryant Robinson. Alex Buckley scored on a 16-yard run in the first quarter.

Chris Cervantes kicked two field goals for the Badgers.