Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Umberson Fueled Offense
LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL’S MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
LINCOLN — Lincoln versatile wide receiver Braden Umberson became the Wolves’ main offensive threat during his senior season gaining yards, scoring touchdowns and thrilling fans.
For his exploits Umberson has bee named Male Athlete of the Year for Lincoln by the Enterprise-Leader for the 2017-2018 school year just completed. He also played basketball. Umberson gave a good account of himself on the football field for the Lincoln Wolves as a senior.
Umberson finished with 93 pass receptions for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. He averaged 11.9-yards-per-catch and ran the football 72 times for 310 yards, averaging 4.3 yards-a-carry. Despite those numbers, Umberson didn’t get enough votes to be named All-State from a Lincoln squad that went 3-7.
“I’ve been in this conference four years now and if you don’t finish in the top three they won’t vote for you,” said Lincoln coach Don Harrison at the conclusion of the 2017 season.
Umberson was among three Lincoln players awarded All-Conference distinction for the 2017 football season along with Trea Harrison, center; and Hunter Phelan, linebacker.
In the regular season finale, a 56-25 loss at Prairie Grove, Umberson drew plenty of attention from the Tiger defense. He took several direct snaps in the Wildcat Formation in addition to playing receiver where he caught 5 passes for 29 yards. Umberson did not find the end zone with so much of the defense focused on him, yet he contributed to Lincoln’s only two scoring drives.
Prairie Grove opened up a 14-0 lead with 5:21 left in the first period and tried to add more with an onside kick that Lincoln recovered. The Wolves drove 50 yards in 14 plays to put a touchdown on the board and get back in the game. Umberson had a key reception hauling in a 12-yard pass on fourth-and-7. The drive was kept
alive on another fourth down by a roughing-thekicker penalty against Prairie Grove on a missed field goal attempt. Caleb Lloyd ran for an 8-yard touchdown and Paul Frogg kicked the extra-point to narrow Prairie Grove’s lead to 14-7 with 1:59 left in the first quarter.
Not all opponents were able to keep Umberson out of the end zone.
On the road at Westville, Okla., in the season-opener, Umberson out-leaped double coverage on fourthand-goal from the 10 to reel in Caleb Lloyd’s game-clinching touchdown loft with 58 seconds left. The Wolves won, 18-7 aided by two Umberson interceptions on defense.
In week two, Umberson fittingly scored Lincoln’s first touchdown on the school’s new artificial turf by catching a touchdown pass from Lloyd in a 34-16 loss to Keys, Okla. He followed that up by running in the 2-point conversion to account for both Lincoln’s first aerial and ground scores on the new turf.
In the Wolves’ Homecoming game against Mansfield, Lincoln trailed 27-0 at the half then surged back into the game with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Umberson caught 11 passes for 119 yards capping an 8-play, 46-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-goal. Lincoln had dug too big of a hole, however, and lost 39-36 in a wild game that featured Umberson intercepting a deep-thrown ball late in the game.
Facing No. 1 ranked Pea Ridge, Lincoln played to its strengths with Lloyd finding Umberson 8 times for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 48-32 loss, the most points allowed by the Blackhawks in the regular season. They lost 51-26 to Arkadelphia in the Dec. 1, 2017, State 4A football championship.
The first quarter ended in a 0-0 tie at Berryville. Umberson soon changed that by catching a 7-yard touchdown pass. A few plays later, Umberson turned on the jets racing 80 yards to the Berryville one to set up a short rushing touchdown and give Lincoln a 14-0 halftime lead on the road. The Wolves went on to record a 39-0 victory, their first conference win.
The next week Lincoln trailed Huntsville, 28-27, when the Wolves got the ball back on Dillon King’s fumble recovery 75 yards away from the goal line with 5:48 remaining. Lincoln wasted no time mounting a 4-play, touchdown drive culminated by Umberson running a slant and scoring on an 11-yard catch from Lloyd. The touchdown and a 2-point run by Lloyd secured the Wolves’ second conference win and kept their playoff hopes alive.
Umberson caught 4 passes for 47 yards and ran the ball 11 times for 42 yards in a lopsided, 55-6, loss to Shiloh Christian. He contributed a 22-yard catch in the end zone in a 34-14 loss to Gentry that finally eliminated the Wolves from playoff contention in week nine.