Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Elliott, Williams find success running the football for teams
When someone sets a record at Booneville it’s quite an accomplishment, given the program’s history as a smallschool power in Arkansas.
That’s what Cody Elliott did on Friday.
Elliott scored five touchdowns to lead Booneville to a 41-36 victory over Melbourne in the Class 3A playoffs at Melbourne.
The five touchdowns set a playoff record fo r the Bearcats, who will face Charleston in the Class 3A state championship game on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Charleston advanced with a 27-0 victory over Rison.
Elliott rushed for 184 yards on 37 carries and he was a true workhorse in the second half when he carried 20 times and scored three touchdowns. For his effort, Elliott is the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week for teams in the River Valley. Bo Williams of Shiloh Christian is the NWADG Player of the Week for teams in Northwest Arkansas.
Elliott carried 10 times on a time-consuming drive when Booneville went ahead 27-24 in the second half. The senior fullback then carried nine times on a 55-yard drive and scored from the 1 to make it 41-30 for Booneville with 3:30 left to play in the game.
Elliott was projected to play mostly defense this season. But that changed after Rylen Ray, a 1,000-yard rusher last year, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game at Pine Bluff Dollarway. Elliott stepped into the starting role at fullback and made a major contribution to a dominant run game that has long been a staple at Booneville.
“Cody is the definition of a Booneville Bearcat, undersized at 5-6, 160, but plays like he is 6-2 220,” Booneville coach Doc Crowley said. “He is a heckuva player and an even better young man. Love that kid!”
Williams ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns Saturday in the Class 5A state championship game, where Shiloh Christian fell 31-21 to Little Rock Parkview.
Williams had 15 carries, including a 24-yard touchdown run off left tackle in the first quarter. He scored again on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter but the Saints could not overcome the Patriots, who seized control with two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 31-14 lead.
Williams is a junior who’ll be back next year for the Saints, who won a conference championship and finished as state runners-up in their first season in Class 5A.