Tigers Secure Title

Prairie Grove Finishes Season At Gravette

GENTRY — The Prairie Grove Tigers (8-1, 6-0) earned at least a share of their second consecutive 4A-1 conference crown following their dominant 35-14 performance over the Gentry Pioneers on Friday at Gentry.

With the win over the Pioneers the Tigers also secured the conference’s number No. 1 seed for the upcoming state playoffs, and a win over the Gravette Lions this Friday will give Prairie Grove the undisputed 4A-1 title while completing their run of 12 consecutive conference victories.

A week after turning in their poorest performance of the season in a contest against the winless Pea Ridge Blackhawks which nearly saw Prairie Grove lose their first conference game in two years, the Tigers returned to their dominant ways by pounding the Pioneers in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

“Last week we came off soft on senior night,” said Tigers’ running back J.D. Speed. “Tonight, we made sure we came out here with our heads on straight and put it to them early.”

The Tigers were anything but lethargic against the Pioneers, jumping out to a 21-0 lead before the end of the opening period and had a 35-0 advantage shortly after halftime which kicked in the continuously running “mercy-rule clock.”

The Tigers out-gained the Pioneers 382 yards to 194, with the majority of that real estate coming from Prairie Grove’s punishing ground game. Fullback Nick Sugg brutalized the interior of the Pioneers’ defense racking up 155 yards on 15 carries while scoring a hat-trick of three touchdowns.

Wingback Bobby Catt tallied 80 yards and a touchdown on the ground and hauled in two passes for 20 yards through the air. Speed contributed 79 yards, while quarterback Jacob Storlie pitched in 31 yards passing and 20 yards on the ground while also scoring a one-yard touchdown.

Prairie Grove’s defense, led by Jackson Diebold and Jack Reynolds, who each tallied six tackles, held Gentry out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter when the Pioneers scored a pair of meaningless touchdowns against the Tigers’ reserve defense.

“We needed to get back on track after Pea Ridge dealt us that little set-back,” said Tigers’ coach Danny Abshier. “We needed to get it going early tonight and we did. We had to play better defense tonight and we did.”

On the third play of the game Catt reeled off a 64- yard touchdown run. Clammond Gautreau, who was a perfect five-for-five on extra point attempts, split the uprights following Catt’s run to make the score 7-0.

Prairie Grove’s Sam Dodd recovered an onside attempt on the ensuing kickoff, giving the football back to the Tigers at the Pioneer 39.

Sugg punctuated the possession with a three-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 14-0. With 28 seconds left in the first stanza, Sugg completed an 80-yard Tiger drive with his second touchdown, this one from two yards out, swelling the lead to 21-0.

Sugg completed his hat- trick with 6: 43 left in the second quarter when he found pay dirt from 16 yards out which swelled the Tigers’ advantage to 28-0.

After intermission Storlie wrapped up a 55-yard Tiger drive with a one yard quarterback sneak which increased the lead to 35-0 and put into effect the “mercyrule.” Storlie’s touchdown allowed the starters to punchout for the night, while the reserves earned some valuable playing time. Gentry’s two late inconsequential touchdowns, the last coming with 11 seconds on the clock, brought the final score to respectable, 35-14, which was good enough for the Tigers to earn another banner to hang from the rafters of the High School gym.

“Winning the conference championship was our first goal for the year. Gravette is a big game and we need to take care of business so we can be undefeated in conference,” concluded Speed after the game.

The Tigers travel to Gravette on Friday. A victory will give Prairie Grove the outright conference crown. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.