Coach returns for OT
Brian Maupin hadn’t even considered coaching Friday night.
It was Senior Night at Maumelle, so the first-year head coach handled his pregame responsibilities and then headed to his office.
Maupin had been ejected from Maumelle’s game against Morrilton on Oct. 14, so he was required to serve a four-quarter suspension.
At halftime Friday, it still hadn’t crossed Maupin’s mind as the Hornets were trailing Watson Chapel 3214, having given up three quick touchdowns just before the half.
“It just kind of felt like the culmination of our year,” Maupin said. “Some good things happening, and then stuff starts to snowball.”
On Maumelle’s opening drive of the second half, junior running back Jaidon Wirsham scored on a 27yard run to make it 32-21.
Maumelle tight end Amarie Rodgers moved under center and scored via a quarterback sneak on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 32-29 after a two-point conversion.
The Hornets then held Watson Chapel scoreless in the second half, and after a field goal, the game was headed to overtime.
Maupin said it’s the best his defense has played since a 35-0 win over Batesville on Sept. 1.
“We were firing on all cylinders. We really had moments of good defense,” he said. “Since the Batesville game, that was really where we just kind of put our foot down and said, ‘No more. You’re not going to score on us.’ And it gave us a chance. Obviously, we need every single possession to get tied up so we can get to overtime and have a chance.”
From the first kickoff, through the first half deficit and the second half comeback, to the final seconds rolled off the clock in regulation, Maupin was secluded to the Maumelle coaches office watching from what felt like miles away.
“I was watching the live stream and pounding on the table and gritting my teeth,” Maupin said. “You know, trying to stay a step ahead. And I mean, miraculously, an opportunity presented itself for me to come out and impact the game as best I could.”
The only issue for Maupin was the route from the office to the field wasn’t a quick one.
After calling his athletic director and the head referee on the field to confirm he could rejoin his team, Maupin made his way to the field, hopping a fence to get there and rejoined his team on the sideline.
Maupin jokingly said he felt like professional wrestling great “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as he ran toward the sideline.
He arrived just in time to watch Watson Chapel run the first play of overtime for a touchdown.
Maupin had some catching up to do with his team, so he called a timeout prior to Watson Chapel’s two-point conversion attempt.
Maupin, last season’s defensive coordinator at Class 4A state champion Joe T. Robinson, pulled from that experience to force an incompletion by Watson Chapel, leaving the score 38-32.
On Maumelle’s first play of overtime, senior quarterback Weston Pierce connected with junior wide receiver Alan Timmons for the tying score. Senior kicker Bradon Kemp drilled the ensuing extra point to move Maumelle to 3-5 and 1-5 in 5A-Central play.
“[Coaching] really hadn’t crossed my mind until it got really close in the fourth quarter,” Maupin said.
“I love football. I love Friday nights. I love this community. I love these guys. … I didn’t plan on getting to coach [Friday]. So it was really beautiful for me to be able to be a part of it and be out there, and to get to celebrate and impact the game in the small way that I was able to.”
Landmark wins
Two coaches reached career milestones with wins Friday night.
Longtime Central Arkansas Christian Coach Tommy Shoemaker won his 200th game with a 41-14 victory over Dover.
Shoemaker’s career record is 200-94-1, including 11 seasons at Harding Academy before taking over at CAC. He won the Class 2A state championship with Harding Academy in 2002.
Benton’s Brad Harris reached career win No. 100 thanks to a 62-28 win over Searcy Friday night.
Earlier this season, Harris reached win No. 50 at Benton with a win over Sylvan Hills. He’s now up to 55 wins in six years with the Panthers in addition to 19 wins at his first stop Arkadelphia and 26 wins at Lincoln.
Harris has taken Benton to two state title games during his time in charge, losing to Greenwood in 2018 and Searcy in 2019.
The Panthers (6-2, 6-1 6A-East) sit in second place in the conference.
Group effort
Having one player rush for 100 yards is a strong night for most teams. Having three players combine for over 400 yards? That’s a recipe for success.
That’s exactly what Lamar did Friday night in a 64-32 win over Little Rock Hall.
The 64 points for Lamar (6-2, 4-2 4A-4), were the most of any team in the state Friday and the victory came behind the running back trio of Jarrett Dalton, Damien Hendrix and Lee Harkreader.
Dalton (12), Hendrix (14) and Harkreader (13) each received double-digit carries. Dalton led the team in rushing with 201 yards, Hendrix rushed for 114 yards and Harkreader had 112. Dalton and Hendrix had two rushing touchdowns each.
Quarterback Caleb Green also rushed 5 times for 29 yards and 1 touchdown. Backup running backs Levi Horn and Jonathan Rice each had rushing touchdowns as well.
Green also passed for 95 yards and two touchdowns, including a 56-yard score to Dalton.