Blue Devils fall behind early, use run game to crush Bears
6A-EAST
WEST MEMPHIS 44, SYLVAN HILLS 13
A strong running game helped West Memphis to overcome an early deficit for a convincing 44-13 win over Sylvan Hills on Friday night at Bill Blackwood Field in Sherwood.
The Blue Devils (3-1, 3-0 6A-East) scored 44 consecutive points and used 249 rushing yards to methodically overpower the Bears (0-4, 0-3) . West Memphis was pace by strong performances from senior quarterback Keland Mills and senior running back Jerimiah McGruder.
“Really proud of the entire offense,” West Memphis Coach Robert Hooks said. “Offensive line, quarterback, receivers. I thought we gelled and was able to run the football in the second half, which you’re going to have to do if you’re going to play in the playoffs.”
Sylvan Hills went into its bag of tricks early, recovering an onside kick on the opening kickoff. The Bears took advantage of the early momentum, striking on the first possession with a 24-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Malachi Sherwin to take a 7-0 lead.
West Memphis responded with two consecutive touchdowns on short runs by Mills to take a 14-7 lead with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter. The Blue Devils took full control of the game with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter.
Facing third and long, Sylvan Hills sophomore quarterback Tyler Hampton was sacked by Blue Devils senior linebacker Eric Johnson and fumbled. West Memphis senior defensive lineman Scotty Dobbins jumped on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 22-7 following a successful 2-point conversion.
“Defensively, we did a really good job of just keeping the focus,” Hooks said. “We gave up a couple big plays, but just battled back and spotted the ball.”
On the touchdown play by Dobbins, several players on both sides stopped playing before the whistle as there was confusion as to whether or not Hampton’s arm was moving forward on a pass attempt. The play was ruled a fumble and West Memphis took full advantage to secure the score.
Early in the third quarter, the Blue Devils added to their momentum, pushing the lead to 30-7 on a 7-yard touchdown run from McGruder and a successful 2-point conversion run from Mills with 8:36 left in the quarter.
Sylvan Hills struggled on the offensive side of the ball outside of the first drive of the game. A number of presnap penalties and self-inflicted mistakes contributed to the offensive struggles for the Bears. The physicality of the West Memphis defense was also a key factor in the dominant performance from the Blue Devils.
“We pride ourselves on being physical,” Hooks said. “We’re in the weight room four days a week. That’s one of the things we want to do. We want to wear our oppo- nents down by the fourth quarter.”
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, West Memphis used the run game to control the clock and seal the victory. McGruder added a 7-yard touchdown run with 8:03 remaining to extend the Blue Devils lead to 37-7.
On the next West Memphis possession, McGruder broke off a 69-yard run to move the ball down to the Sylvan Hills 15-yard line. One play later, junior Isaiaha White added a touchdown run to make the score 44-7 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.
McGruder accounted for 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Mills rushed for 88 yards and also added a pair of scores on the ground. Sylvan Hills scored a touchdown on the final play of the game when Hampton aired out a desperation heave that was hauled in by Bears sophomore wide receiver LaKobe Brent to make the final score 44-13.
“I thought our guys locked in after having a letdown early,” Hooks said.