LR Christian’s big points come via foot
5A-CENTRAL LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN 63, PULASKI ACADEMY 61
In a game that featured two of the state’s best offenses, the winning play of Friday night’s Pulaski Academy vs. Little Rock Christian 5A-Central Conference showdown came down to a field goal. Yes, a field goal. Junior Isaiah Hankins kicked a 38-yard field goal with four seconds left, and the Warriors defeated Pulaski Academy 63-61 at Warrior Field in Little Rock.
Hankins admitted that he thought the game wasn’t going to come down to his left foot. But when called upon, he was ready.
“I was praying that I would make it,” Hankins said. “I just did my job.”
Little Rock Christian Coach Eric Cohu was proud that his team came through in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t want to quit,” Cohu said. “We got a chance to win the game. Our guys never quit. We turned the page to the next play.”
The Warriors (5-0, 2-0 5A-Central) trailed 61-54 with 2:43 remaining, but the defending Class 5A state champions were not done.
Little Rock Christian pulled within 61-60 with 1:22 remaining on junior quarterback Akeem Gilmore’s 15-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Kendel Givens. The Warriors went for the two-point conversion, but Gilmore was stopped by Pulaski Academy’s Layden Smith as the Bruins preserved the one-point lead.
With one timeout remaining, the Warriors decided to go for the on-side kick. Hankins’ attempt was successful. Junior Corey Platt recovered at the Pulaski Academy 48.
From there the Warriors went to work.
Gilmore found senior Jackson Woodward for a 15-yard gain to the Bruins 33. Three plays later, on third and 8, Hightower caught a 10-yard pass from Gilmore that put the Warriors at the Bruins 21 with eight seconds left.
Little Rock Christian called its final timeout and sent out Hankins. Then, Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley called a timeout to try to ice the Warriors’ kicker.
Hankins wasn’t deterred, as his kick went straight through the uprights.
Pulaski Academy had one final opportunity to win the game, but junior Jayden Kelley was stopped at the Bruins 30 as time expired.
Kevin Kelley blamed himself for the Bruins’ loss.
“It was some bad play-calling,” Kelley said. “But in the end, they’re a very good football team. We knew they were going to be ready to play. They’re well coached. They made the right decisions at the right times and I didn’t.”
The Warriors led 7-6 after one quarter, but the game was tied 26-26 at halftime. Pulaski Academy went on to take a 4740 lead into the fourth quarter.
Pulaski Academy (3-2, 1-1) was led offensively by senior quarterback Braden Bratcher, who finished with 610 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Junior running back Izarius Woods had three touchdown runs for the Bruins.
The Bruins recovered two on-side kicks Friday. But they are now 52-2 under Kelley when they recover two onside kicks.
For the Warriors, Gilmore passed for 275 yards and 4 touchdowns, but he also threw 4 interceptions.
Little Rock Christian, which had two defensive touchdowns from Alex Veasey (86-yard fumble return) and Woodard (67-yard interception return) had not defeated Pulaski Academy in the regular season since 2009. But with last year’s state championship victory, the Warriors have won two consecutive games against the Bruins.
“That was incredible,” Hankins said. “It felt like the state championship all over again.”
Friday’s victory wasn’t for a championship, but the Warriors are undefeated in the 5A-Central through two games. The Warriors have not won a conference title since 2015 when they were in the 5A-West.
Cohu is not looking ahead. “It’s huge to be 2-0, but we’ve got to focus on every game,” Cohu said. “Our conference is very difficult. We’ve got to show up every week.”