Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Booneville works way back for title contention in Class 3A
We’re down to one team from our 12-county coverage area with a chance to bring home a state championship in football.
Booneville will attempt to do what Fayetteville in Class 7A and Greenwood in Class 6A did previously by bringing home a championship plaque in Class 3A. The Bearcats will take the field at noon today at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock against Prescott, which put a stop to Mansfield’s impressive run with a 28-7 victory over the Tigers in a semifinal game.
Booneville advanced to the state final with a 34-25 victory over Glen Rose.
Today’s game marks a second consecutive appearance in the final at War Memorial for Booneville, which lost 41-12 to Charleston last season. The Bearcats are back and they mean business with seniors like Dax Goff, who’ll rightly end his spectacular career in football by trying to lead Booneville to another title.
Booneville (12-2) will face a fierce opponent in Prescott (13-1), whose only defeat this season came way back on Sept. 1 when the Curley Wolves lost 17-13 to McAlester, Okla. Prescott is led by senior quarterback Pierce Yates, a standout athlete who’ll play baseball next season at Kansas State. Yates ran for two touchdowns last week and the Prescott defense did the rest by holding Mansfield scoreless in the second half.
Booneville appears to be at full strength again with Rylen Ray back from injury to help Goff maul opponents out of the backfield. Goff ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns last week, while Ray added 117 yards rushing on 21 attempts.
Booneville and Prescott have shown they were both worthy of No. 1 seeds to begin the playoffs. Both are highly-respected programs, but no one outshines Booneville as a small-school power in Arkansas.
The Bearcats prove it again today with a win against Prescott in the Class 3A final. RICK’S PICK: Booneville LAST WEEK 5-1 (83.3%) OVERALL 329-50 (86.87%)