Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Tigers Remain Unbeaten Into Conference Play
STILWELL, OKLA. — Prairie Grove continues to improve each week showing the trademark of a Danny Abshier coached football team winning big, 48-13, on the road at Stilwell, Okla. Friday.
The Indians ended a 20- game losing streak by knocking off Gentry, 32-8, on Sept. 11, but didn’t fare nearly as well against another Arkansas 4A-1 team. Stilwell recognized Abshier’s 200th win coming against Farmington three weeks ago announcing the feat over the P.A. system prior to kickoff.
Stilwell coach Don Harrison, who coached at Lincoln from 2015-2019 when the Wolves were in the 4A-1 Conference competing annually against Prairie Grove, made no bones about knowing what he and the Indians were up against.
“I’m familiar with the fact that Danny Abshier always has a very good football team and that they are going to play very disciplined football. They’re going to do their jobs,” Harrison said prior to the game. “They play very hard and they’re going to be ready to go and we’ve got to match their intensity. We’ve got to match their physicality that they play with in the first quarter or it could get bad for us.”
Harrison’s prediction proved accurate. Stilwell couldn’t stop Prairie Grove’s running game all night and surrendered two scoring drives in the first quarter that put the Tigers in front 14-0 on fullback Foster Layman’s 1- yard run culminating a 4-play, 80-yard march and senior halfback Cade Grant’s 2-yard touchdown plunge to conclude the Tigers’ third series.
Stilwell suffered two turnovers in the first quarter. Grant picked off a pass and Caden Redfern recovered a fumble. On their third possession the Indians looked sharp offensively moving the ball 80 yards in 11 plays and scoring on Colby Philpott’s 1-yard carry aided by penalties and three catches by Geremiah Noisewater who finished with 8 receptions for 111 yards.
Playing smashmouth football Prairie Grove answered with another 4-play drive. Three runs gained 53 yards then the Tigers scored on Knox Laird’s 18-yard touchdown toss to sophomore Matthew Velasco on a tight end dump and restoring Prairie Grove’s advantage on the scoreboard back to two scores at 21-7 following the third PAT kicked by Paytin Higgins.
Realizing the Indians better keep pace, Harrison elected to go for it on fourthand-five from his own 37 but Chase Stephens’ pass fell incomplete turning the ball over on downs. Stilwell’s possession lasted a mere 47 seconds.
The fact Harrison called time-out on defense after the teams were out on the field reinforced the respect he has for Prairie Grove, but those three early turnovers put Stilwell in a 27-7 hole because Knox Laird hit Grant on a flare pass that the speedster took to the house. Grant also had two interceptions and Abshier liked what he got from a senior leader.
“Super effort, he’s got some young guys pressing him, too, so he’s like ‘I better produce here’ and he likes it,” Abshier said.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff tacked on 15 yards giving Stilwell good starting position from its own 45 and Stephens, who completed 14-of-27 passes for 155 yards with 3 interceptions, found Noisewater on a 20-yard touchdown pass keeping Stilwell within 27-13 when the extra-point kick failed with 6:19 remaining in the second quarter.
Kobe Frazier returned the kickoff out to the Tiger 41 setting up a 7-play touchdown drive polished off by Layman’s 16-yard burst up the middle with 2:52 left in the first half. Higgins booted the point-after and Prairie Grove owned a 34-13 lead but had to withstand Stilwell’s two minute offense. The Indians benefited from yet another 15-yard penalty and Stephens completed four straight passes moving the ball 46 yards to the Tiger 25 before Grant put the kabosh on the drive with an interception in the end zone.
Facing fourth-and-five on the opening series of the third quarter Stilwell set up a fake punt, but Noisewater dropped the shotgun snap and was swarmed under by Prairie Grove defenders
Prairie Grove added a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Grant scored on a 1-yard run at the 10:14 mark and Austin Whetsell streaked 41-yards to paydirt impressing Abshier with his speed.
“Wow, he’s faster than the starting guys,” Abshier said. “That dude finally got him a shot and he wasn’t going to waste it.”
Kade Walker kicked the final extra-point giving the Tigers a 48-13 victory.