Hill’s 7 TDs help Warriors advance
CLASS 5A LR CHRISTIAN 63, GREENBRIER 26
Little Rock Christian had a much tougher time with Greenbrier on Friday night than it did when the teams met in September, but Justice Hill made sure that was the only thing that changed in their rematch.
The senior quarterback accounted for 458 yards and 7 touchdowns as the Warriors erased an early 13-point deficit to blast the Panthers 63-26 in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Kendel Givens had 23 carries for 165 yards and 1 touchdown while M.J. Loggins added 10 catches for 137 yards for Little Rock Christian (10-1), which had a relatively easy time beating Greenbrier 56-13 in Week 3 but had to fight its way back before pulling away in the second half Friday.
“I love the way the guys responded,” Little Rock Christian Coach Eric Cohu said. “We came out of the gate and had a couple of turnovers and two breakdowns on defense, which allowed [Greenbrier] to score quickly. But hats off to our kids for bouncing back.
“We were able to get a lead before halftime, and then had a great second half. Still, we’ve got to play better from the start if we’re going to continue to move on.”
The Warriors, who had more than 650 yards of offense, will travel to Texarkana next week in the second round.
Greenbrier (7-4) got three passing touchdowns from quarterback Andrew Johnson, who missed the first meeting between the teams, but the Panthers didn’t have an answer for Hill. The 5-11 speedster completed 24 of 32 passes for 281 yards with a score and ran 22 times for 177 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“He inspired the other players by making big plays,” Cohu said. “I felt like he and Loggins really solidified our offense, which was a little shaky early.”
Greenbrier, though, couldn’t have asked for a better start. The Panthers, who also got 101 yards rushing from Peyton Long, scored 14 points off a pair of Little Rock Christian turnovers in the game’s first eight minutes and held a 20-7 lead after one quarter, but their level of play tailed off after that.
Andrew Johnson hit Cody Walker for a 4-yard touchdown with 10:24 left in the first quarter to give Greenbrier a quick 6-0 lead. Hill had a 9-yard score on Little Rock Christian’s initial series, but the Panthers regained the lead after recovering a Givens fumble at the Warriors’ 26. On the next play, Andrew Johnson found Brody Johnson wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. Shortly thereafter, Ryan Barnard picked off Hill on the following possession, and Long scored from a yard out to hand the Panthers their 13-point advantage, but the Warriors roared back.
Hill had a pair of touchdown runs, and Loggins scored on a 12-yard burst as Little Rock Christian reeled off 21 unanswered points to grab a 28-20 halftime lead.
Hill’s fourth score, a 30yard run, with 10:19 remaining in the third quarter pushed the Warriors’ cushion to 15, and his 10-yarder nearly four minutes later made it 42-20. Greenbrier made it a two-possession game when Andrew Johnson connected with Barnard for an 8-yard touchdown later in the period, but Hill closed out a 10-play, 67-yard drive with a 1-yard dive to give the Warriors some breathing room. He later tacked on a 30yard pass to Matthew Ware midway through the fourth quarter before Givens added a 1-yard plunge with 6:32 left in the game.
TEXARKANA 27, NETTLETON 7
TEXARKANA — Cameron Collier rushed for a career-high 248 yards on 29 attempts and scored twice as Texarkana (10-1) ousted Nettleton (8-3).
Collier’s scores came on an 18-yard run and a 32-yard pass from Sean Foreback. Along with his career-best rushing yardage, the senior running back also had 38 yards receiving.
Foreback finished with 93 yards and 3 touchdowns on 7-of-11 passing for the Razorbacks.