Comeback falls short for Miners
ASHDOWN 34, BAUXITE 27
BAUXITE — The pass from Bauxite Miner quarterback Hunter Ferrell was slightly beyond receiver Braden Arnold’s reach.
And with 31.7 seconds left in the game, as the ball fell incomplete onto the turf at The Pit, the Ashdown Panthers erupted into a celebration as they had forced a key turnover on downs. The defensive stand helped the Panthers secure a tough 34-27 road win in 7-4A Conference play Friday over the Miners.
Early in the fourth, Ashdown went up 34-13 after recovering a muffed punt by Bauxite.
It only took a few plays for the Panthers to capitalize on the Miners special teams miscue as quarterback Alex Keilbach connected with Jaxson Jester, who caught a tipped pass, for a 19-yard TD. DJ Goffin caught the 2-point conversion pass to put Ashdown up by 21 with 9:34 remaining in the fourth.
But Bauxite (1-4, 0-2) refused to quit.
The Miners started to chip away at the Panther lead when Devin Jones scored on a 1-yard carry. Garrett Mccallister’s kick made the score 34-20 with 7:42 on the clock.
Later in the game, Ashdown (5-0, 2-0) was moving down the field when Miner defensive back Conner Stacy picked off a pass from Keilbach. Stacy immediately downed the ball in the end zone. Bauxite would eventually score again when Ferrell hooked up with Arnold for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Following the kick, the Ashdown lead had dwindled to
34-27.
At this point, every player and coach on the field knew a Bauxite onside kick was coming. Thanks to Russ Mccone, the Miners recovered the kick with 1:41 left in the game at the Ashdown 45.
Bauxite would drive down to the Panther 30 where it turned the ball over on downs when a fourth-down pass from Ferrell to Arnold fell incomplete with 31.7 seconds left to play. From that point, the Panthers needed only one play to secure this conference win.
Ashdown never trailed in this game as it scored first when Jonathan Mcelroy ran 6 yards for a touchdown. Bauxite later bounced back to tie the game when Braylon Walker caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ferrell.
The Panthers went up 12-6 with 9:32 left in the first half when Shemar Easter caught at 20-yard TD. With 5:33 remaining until intermission, Easter made his presence felt once again when he snagged a 67-yard TD pass from Keilbach. Following Goffin’s 2-point conversion reception, Ashdown led 20-6.
The Panthers would hold Bauxite away until midway through the third when Walker found the end zone on a 7-yard carry. The kick made the score 20-13. However, Bauxite’s momentum would be quickly subdued.
Only a few seconds later, Ashdown’s Jacoby Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown. With
6:59 left in the third, the Panthers had regained control as they held a 26-13 lead.
Heading into the fourth, Bauxite trailed by 13.
In the final minutes, Coach Caleb Perry’s team battled and made things interesting. But Ashdown did just enough to hold on for the 34-27 win.