Wolves Turn Offensive Into Vanity

In the midst of trials and tribulations, and facing a determined opponent, Lincoln found a way to win, 42-34, at Gentry Friday, to keep their playoff hopes alive.

With the victory, Lincoln (3-6, 2-4 4A-1) picked up a “must-have” second conference win, while Gentry fell to 0-6 in the league and has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The Wolves did this the hard way, allowing Gentry 20 points in the first quarter. Since owning a 20-6 lead at Huntsville in week seven, Lincoln had been outscored 99-7 in seven-and-a-half quarters of play, including Friday’s 20-7 first period deficit at Gentry. The Wolves had to pick themselves up after suffering a disappointing, 36-34, loss at Huntsville, followed by a 49-0 whitewash at home against Shiloh Christian and Gentry did not make things easy.

The Pioneers were better statistically in several categories Friday, out-gaining Lincoln by 100 yards in total offense, 515 to 415 behind a 32 carry, 257 yard, 4 touchdown, rushing performance from Gentry quarterback Joel Faulkenberry. The Pioneers also ran more plays from scrimmage than the Wolves (64 to 51). A second Gentry runner, Myles Mcferron ran the ball 19 times for 142 yards. In all, Gentry racked up 445 yards on the ground on 57 rushing attempts for a 7.8 average. The Pioneers had 4 more first downs (22-18) than Lincoln, but all this accumulation didn’t add up to a win.

The Wolves turned Gentry’s offensive showcase into a vanity of vanities. To paraphrase an ancient rhetorical question, “What shall it profit a quarterback if he gain the whole field and still lose the football game?” That is exactly what happened to Faulkenberry and Gentry.

Lincoln never gave up. The Wolves defended just well enough to win and they were much better against the pass, leaving Gentry one dimensional. Faulkenberry completed just 7 of 18 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, but Gentry’s longest gain through the air was 15 yards. Defensively, Lincoln came away with three turnovers, recovering two Pioneer fumbles and intercepting Faulkenberry once.

Gentry was aided by Cole Cripps’ kickoff returns. He ran back 4 kicks for 94 yards, but almost half of that total came on a single return of 45 yards. Cripps caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Lincoln didn’t do everything perfect, but they did enough to win. Time of possession was just about even and the Wolves had fewer penalties (3 for 25 yards) than Gentry (5 for 45 yards). A key statistic was the middle two quarters in which Lincoln outscored Gentry 27-0. That was when momentum swung in the Wolves’ favor.

Lincoln’s offense had balance. Senior quarterback Harrison Swayne completed 11 of 20 passes for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception. His close friend, tight end Dalton Lee, was the top receiver with a big night, catching 7 passes for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 22.6-yards-per-catch helped Lincoln move the football. Senior Brent Crews came up with a huge 31-yard gain on his only reception, moving the ball from just inside Gentry territory at the 49 to inside the red zone at the 18. Christian Crittenden caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and Braden Umberson contributed 2 catches for 16 yards. There were no dropped passes among Lincoln’s receiving corps.

The Wolves produced 199 yards on the ground on 39 rushing attempts for a 5.1 yard average and 3 touchdowns. Sophomore Caleb Lloyd rumbled for 98 yards on 21 carries, scoring twice. Swayne added 89 yards on 12 runs and Crittenden scored one touchdown on the ground.

Lincoln finishes the regular season at home Friday against their neighbor, undefeated 4A-1 Conference champion Prairie Grove (9-0, 6-1). Both teams have incentive coming into the contest. A win gets Lincoln into the playoffs if Berryville should defeat Huntsville; while Prairie Grove wants to maintain their dominance and go unbeaten in league play. MARK HUMPHREY IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER.