Bucks rally past Hornets to win league crown
SMACKOVER Smackover rallied in the second half and beat Harmony Grove 29-18 on Thursday to claim the 5-3A championship and No. 1 seed in the 3A State playoffs.
The Buckaroos improved to 9-1 overall and 7-0 in league play and will earn a first-round bye in next week’s playoffs.
The
Hornets fell to
7-3, 5-2.
“First of all, the game was huge. Harmony Grove knew that. We had no chances of getting the second seed. You either win and you’re one or you lose and you’re three. There’s no two in there for us,” said Smackover coach Brian Brown.
“Our kids knew it was big. We’ve had to overcome a little adversity this week that I’m sure everybody knows. There’s a lot on a kid’s mind, conference championship, other stuff. It takes its toll by
game-time. Our kids knew what was on the line and what we needed to do. I thought they performed well in the second half. We overcame a lot this week.”
Smackover’s Greg Turner had 28 carries for 278 yards and three touchdowns. The senior also intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter to thwart a Harmony Grove drive.
Turner scored on two of his first three carries on runs of 49 and 59 yards. But, some of the four- and five-yard runs were just as impressive, especially on a muddy field.
“Young people are usually looking for that big play every play. He’s looking for that big play. You can’t fault him there,” said Brown.
“Also, we tried to talk to him about, let’s take that five-yard run, also. He adjusted better late. Our offensive coordinator talked to him. He’s got great eyes and sees the field well. I thought he played overall a good game.”
The Hornets led 18-14 at the half and threatened to extend the lead with a 10-play drive in the third quarter. Harmony Grove converted on thirdand-11 twice before the Bucks finally held at the 15, stopping a pass on fourth-and-7.
Smackover, which had struggled to move the ball, got runs of 15, 8 and 20 by Turner and was also aided by a pass interference flag.
Quarterback Roshard Boone then found Jaqueze Modica over the middle. Modica made a juggling catch then fended off a Hornet defender on his way into the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown reception. Turner ran for the conversion and a 22-18 lead with 11:03 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks’ defense made sure the lead would stand as William Mitchell sacked the quarterback on third-and-7 to force a punt.
Smackover ran off eight plays, including back-to-back incomplete passes, before turning the ball back over to the Hornets at their own 28 with 4:01 left on the clock.
Harmony Grove converted a third-and-10 when Gannon Bearden completed a 19-yard pass to Xaylon Falls to the 47. But, on third-and-13, the Bucks’ Dawson Biggers broke up a pass deep in the secondary. On fourth down, Turner came up with the interception.
Smackover would chew up most of the clock. Turner ran for two to convert a third-and-2. On third-and-8, Turner broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown romp with 26 seconds left in the game. Harley Williams kicked the PAT.
The Bucks finished with 421 yards in total offense. Boone completed 7-of-13 passes for 85 yards. Modica had six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Brown praised the play of his offensive line, especially in the second half.
“We really played well. I think the mud hurt us some. But, offensive line played well. They do a good job of adjusting,” he said.
“That’s another thing we did at halftime, we adjusted on some of our zone blocking because of their stack defense. I thought the kids got on the board and looked and got that stuff and got it corrected. I thought we blocked well in the second half and did a really good job. We gave our quarterback enough time to throw. I think those guys play well together.”
Smackover’s center, Trevor Pyron, had an adjustment to make as well, snapping in the shotgun on the muddy field. In the first half, Boone handled several hot, high snaps, disrupting the timing of the play.
In the second half, the snaps were right in the pocket.
“He said the way he normally snaps, it was so muddy out there. And, our quarterback did a great job handing the snaps. He always has. We haven’t had many of those, if any, all year,” said Brown.
“He told us, ‘I’m just going to pick the ball up and snap it.’ You know, pick it up off the ground. Usually kids will slide the ball back and use the grass some and he just started picking it up and snapping it. It worked well. He’s a smart kid and figured it out himself.”
Harmony Grove totaled 346 yards of offense, including 186 on the ground.
The Hornets’ Damion Daniel had four receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns. The bulk of that damage came in the first half.
“Our defensive coordinator always makes great adjustments at halftime. We came out in a 6-2 look. It gave them some fits and we just talked about our coverages. After we did that, we were better,” said Brown, who talked about the adjustment on Daniel.
“Anytime you line up with that four-sided line, tight end on the backside with the twoheads right there, he was just getting behind our free safety without him seeing him.
“We started manning him up some and that changed things. That’s hard to do sometimes in the middle of the game. You get to halftime and that helps out and that helped us a bunch.”
Harmony Grove’s success early came on third down. The Hornets converted eight third downs in the game, including several third-and-longs.
“It’s as frustrating as anything,” Brown said. “If it was third-and-7, they got eight. If it was third-and-11, they got 12. Those things start to cause adversity. You have to overcome that.
“It was really frustrating to us because we just haven’t had those type of games, besides the Prescott game. It was good for us after it’s over. Now, when it’s going on, you’re struggling and all of that stuff. But, I thought it was good for us to have to overcome some of that stuff. We just have to play better on third down. I thought we did a lot better in the second half.”
Brown said Dawson Biggers led the Bucks in tackles.
After K.J. King recovered an onsides kick for the Bucks to start the game, Turner picked up a fumbled snap, broke a tackle and scooted 49 yards for the opening touchdown with 11:46 left in the first.
The Hornets answered with a 75-yard drive.
Kentrell Hill had a 41-yard run before Bearden connected with Daniel for a 17-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 6-6 with 8:47 left in the first.
Two plays later, Turner busted up the gut for a 59-yard TD romp. Boone found Modica for the 2-point conversion and a 14-6 lead with 7:59 left in the first.
Harmony Grove would answer two possessions later with a quick, 80-yard drive in three plays.
Bearden hooked up with Daniel on a 77-yard touchdown. Daniel broke a tackle and then showed off his speed, out-running the Bucks’ secondary to the end zone.
The try for two failed and Smackover maintained a 14-12 cushion with 11:05 left in the second quarter.
Harmony Grove’s defense would force a fourth-and-5 on the ensuing Smackover possession, which ended in a shanked, 5-yard punt.
The Hornets used eight plays before, on fourth-and-3, Bearden found Daniel open in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass, which gave Harmony Grove a 18-14 advantage with 3:42 left in the half.
Smackover tried to answer, pushing the ball to the Hornets’ 3-yard line. But, a fumbled shotgun snap lost nine yards and, on fourth down, Boone’s pass to the end zone was incomplete.