Booneville carried by Rays vs. Ozark

BOONEVILLE 42, OZARK 12

BOONEVILLE — The Ray family has left quite the legacy on Booneville’s football program with multiple generations of players. It continued Friday night at Bearcat Stadium.

Booneville leaned on quarterback Randon Ray and running back Rylen Ray to jump out to a lead it never gave back against Ozark in a 42-12 victory in a nonconference matchup.

The Bearcats had just an 8-0 lead after the first quarter when Randon Ray scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. He helped break open the game with his younger brother using the ground game in the second quarter.

Randon Ray popped off a 61-yard touchdown, and Rylen Ray bulldozed his way to a 40-yard touchdown on backto-back drives. Those scores made it a 22-0 halftime edge for Booneville (2-0).

“We knew he would pop one eventually,” Booneville Coach Doc Crowley said of Randon Ray. “We just kept waiting for it. We got a look we were looking for on that play. He just got past everyone and did a good job finishing the run off.

“We made a lot of big plays in the running game. I loved the effort.”

Randon Ray finished the game with 13 carries for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He also completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Rayce Blansett. Rylen Ray finished with 8 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Dax Goff had 10 touches for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Goff, 6-1, 195 pounds, and Rylen Ray, 5-10, 220, are both underclassmen who give the Bearcats offense some muscle in the backfield. It was on full display against a much bigger team in Ozark (1-1).

“They give us some meat in the backfield we have been missing in recent years,” Crowley said. “We got the speed on the edge with other guys, too. I’m proud of those guys. They give us a different look.”

Ozark was guided by quarterback Ryker Martin, who was pressed into full-time action Friday night. The Hillbillies entered the season with a plan to rotate signal callers, but an injury last week didn’t allow that against Booneville.

Martin finished 6 of 10 for 49 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed 14 times for 63 yards. Brayden Combs had two carries for 10 yards with a touchdown for the Hillbillies. Kyle Archer had two catches for 26 yards with a touchdown.

“This is the second game in a row we have made a lot of mistakes,” Ozark Coach Jeremie Burns said. “I take full credit for that. We are going to get better from this. Booneville had 24 guys and played more physical than us. There is a lot of season left. We are 1-1 and looking to get better.”