High school football playoff coverage including Hope, New Boston and Atlanta
Bobcats shut out Wynne, 21-0, reach semifinals
HOPE, Ark.—On a cold and rainy Friday night, Hope got defensive and found ways to manhandle a tough Wynne team, shutting out the Yellowjackets, 21-0, in the state quarterfinals.
The Bobcats took advantage of one of their two first-half takeaways, forced six punts, thwarted four fourthdown tries, and limited Wynne to just 231 yards of total offense at Hammons Stadium.
Hope will host Morrilton, which upset previously unbeaten Pulaski Academy, 57-50, Friday. The Yellowjackets' season ended at 9-3, and Pulaski Academy is eliminated at 11-1.
The Bobcats (10-2) and Devil Dogs (10-2) will be back at Hammons Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday with a berth to the Class 5A state championship game, set for noon Saturday, Dec. 7 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, on the line.
“Our defense played so well tonight and gave us opportunities,” Hope coach Jay Turley said. “We didn't play well offensively, but Wynne was probably quicker than we expected, especially on defense.”
Javon Westmoreland, who had an
interception to set up a short TD and forced and recovered a fumble for Hope in the first half, took the second-half kickoff at the 20, knifed his way through Wynne tacklers, got behind a five-man caravan near midfield, and slipped through one more tackle en route to his 80-yard touchdown.
Kyler Means booted his third PAT to cap the scoring and make it 21-0 just 14 seconds into the second half.
Both teams' defense buckled down in the second half and limited their opponent to just four first downs after the break.
The Bobcats held the Yellowjackets to 76 yards of total offense on 39 snaps in the second half. Hope finished with 243 yards of total offense, including 202 rushing.
“We thought we could overpower Wynne up front, but they outquicked us a lot of the night,” Turley said. “They're well-coached and were well prepared for things that we were doing on offense. My hat's off to them.”
Quarterback Nathan Stubber ran for 95 yards—85 after halftime—and a touchdown. Fullback Channing Kight added 61 yards on six carries, and Westmoreland had 46 yards on 13 totes.
Kenneth Thompson caught four balls—all of Stubber's completions—for 41 yards and made an acrobatic turnaround grab to his back shoulder for 23 yards to set up a 35-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by the Yellowjackets.
Wynne QB Zachary Morris was knocked out of the game in the first half with a leg injury and never returned. He was 11of-17 passing for 75 yards and an interception. His backups went 8 for 16 for 41 yards, including 18 on their final completion.
Antonio Davis was the one offensive bright spot, running for 99 yards on a work-horse effort of 32 rushes. Loveron Paige had nine catches for 57 yards for the Yellowjackets, also.
In the first half, Hope established just two drives that lasted more than three plays— not including punts—but the Bobcats held a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Before intermission, Wynne had 39 offensive snaps, and Hope had 28 offensive plays. The Bobcat defense forced two turnovers and stopped the Yellowjackets twice on fourth down, the second inside Hope's red zone.
“We're playing with a lot of confidence; the kids feel good about themselves,” Turley said. “They're confident in each other, and that's probably the biggest key. The biggest change has been the kids started believing in each other, and we stopped giving up big plays on defense. We've played really good defense the last half of the season.”
Wynne marched to midfield on its first drive, but a fourthand-five attempt came up three yards short, giving the Bobcats the ball at their 48. Hope drove to the Wynne 27 before turning the ball over on downs.
Two plays later, Westmoreland intercepted Morris, just the fourth pick he's thrown this season, at the Yellowjacket 45 and returned it to the 2-yard line.
Stubber ran two sneaks, the second plunging into the end zone for the lead with 3:43 left in the first quarter. Means' PAT made it 7-0.
The Yellowjackets were called for an illegal block penalty on the ensuing kickoff, and they put together a 12-play campaign to the 50, where Wynne punted again. Hope also punted after running six plays for 14 yards, and the ball rolled out of bounds at the Wynne 41.
Davis ran to the left, but Westmoreland stripped the sophomore running back at the Wynne 44 and recovered the loose ball. The Bobcats couldn't capitalize, going three-andout, which started consecutive punts by both teams.
Hope took possession at its 34 with 3:27 left in the first half. Thompson carried a pile of tacklers for a 16-yard gain on first down. Westmoreland picked up 3, and Kight found a seam up the middle, broke six tackles, and rumbled to the end zone for a 47-yard score with 2:22 remaining before intermission.
In the other Class 5A quarterfinal games, Alma shut out Little Rock Mills, 26-0, and Batesville
edged Camden Fairview, 26-24. Wynne 0 0 0 0 — 0 hope 7 7 7 0 — 21
First Quarter
HOPE-Nathan Stubber 1 run (Kyler Means kick), 3:43.
second Quarter
HOPE-Channing Kight 47 run (Means kick), 2:22.
Third Quarter
HOPE-Javon Westmoreland 80 kickoff return (Means kick), 11:46.
Wynne hope First Downs 15 11 Yards Rushing 39-115 38-202 Yards Passing 116 41 Passes A-C-I 33-19-1 11-4-1 Fumbles Lost 1-1 6-2 Penalties 7-55 6-50 Punts-Avg. 6-37.8 5-31.8
iNdiVidUAl sTATisTics
RUSHING—Wynne, Antonio Davis 3299, Zachary Morris 3-14, Ryan Spector 2-8, Austin Wilson 1-0, Willie Delaney 1(minus 6). Hope, Stubber 11-95, Kight 661, Westmoreland 13-46, Aaron Smith 3-13, Jamario Love 2-1, team 3-(minus 14).
PASSING—Wynne, Morris 11-17-1-75, Paxton Mills 7-13-0-23, Spector 1-3-0-18. Hope, Stubber 4-11-1-41.
RECEIVING—Wynne, Loveron Paige 9-57, Timothy Strasser 5-30, Wilson 4-24, Davis 1-5. Hope, Kenneth Thompson 4-41.