Lake Hamilton routs Russellville in home stand
PEARCY — Lake Hamilton’s defense dismantled a pass-heavy Russellville offense Friday night as the Wolves routed the Cyclones 42-7 at Bank OZK Field.
The Wolves (6-0, 3-0 6A West) put up 21 unanswered points in the second half after a 21-7 halftime lead over the visiting Cyclones (1-5, 0-3).
“Offensively we tried to figure some things out,” said Lake Hamilton head coach Tommy Gilleran. “They did some things different we didn’t see on film, but we’re going to see that every week. Once we got some things fixed, we got it going in second half. Our kids have bought in to everything we’ve done and so, if we can continue to do that and keep people healthy, we’ll have a chance to be successful.”
Sophomore Tevin Woodley punched it in from the 2-yard line on the first drive of the half to cap a 10-play, 90-yard drive. Senior kicker Spencer Hillard’s kick secured a 28-7 lead with 5:40 left in the fourth. Classmate Owen Miller found his way into the end zone three minutes later for his 14th score of the year, this one on a 33-yard dash.
Russellville was held to a three-and-out by the Wolves defense, and the clock was set in motion under sportsmanship rule at the 8:35 mark when Woodley scored on a short run. Hillard kicked the PAT to set the final while logging 6 for 6 on the night.
Lake Hamilton recovered a fumble early in the game, and Miller found his way into the end zone from the 1 with 3:42 off the clock for a 7-0 lead. Junior quarterback Layne Warrick faked a handoff with under four minutes left in the period and dashed 52 yards for the end zone to make it 14-0.
Moments later, Russellville responded as junior quarterback Brayden Whitford tossed out to senior Justin Loveless who then connected with sophomore Gavin Graham for a 46-yard touchdown. Senior Connor Cooper booted the kick to cut the Wolves’ lead in half with 2:40 left in the first period.
“They throw the ball 4050 times a game, so we were worried about that with our secondary, but our secondary played pretty good tonight,” said Gilleran. “I was pretty proud of their effort and all the things they did defensively, giving up just one touchdown that was off a trick play. We feel good about that.”
The Wolves drove the ball down the field on a 12-play,
92-yard drive with Woodley running the ball in from the
14 with less than three minutes off the clock in the second frame to stretch Lake Hamilton’s lead back out to a
14-point spread. Warrick was 6-for-8 passing for 68 yards on the night and carried the ball 19 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. Woodley had 19 touches for
96 yards and three scores, and Miller rushed 17 times for 180 yards. Woodley reeled in two catches for 18 yards, and sophomore J.T. Bardwell had two for 43 yards.
“I feel like we got some different weapons this year to help us get better, so I think we have an advantage this year over last,” Gilleran added. “We’re going to have to get ready and continue to work on all the little things we’ve got to get better at.”
Lake Hamilton travels to Siloam Springs to take on the Panthers Friday night. The Cyclones host Greenwood.
“Being on the road for a four and a half hour drive, legs will be a little weird from being on the bus for so long, so we kind of break that trip up [and] make a day of it just so our kids aren’t worn out,” said Gilleran. “They’re a good football team; they’re doing things right up there.”