LITTLE ROCK — Not even a position switch and an extra man on the field could stop Larry Matthon on Thursday night.
Matthon was responsible for both touchdowns in Little Rock Hall's 14-0 victory over Little Rock Parkview at Little Rock Fair's War Eagle Stadium.
The senior scored on a 33-yard fumble return late in the first quarter, and added a 98-yard punt return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.
Not bad for a player relegated to defense for most of the night.
"Looking at Parkview on film, we knew we needed Larry on defense," Hall Coach Travis Mann said. "It's about not wearing Larry down, which we do sometimes."
Matthon has played defensive back on several occasions throughout the season for the Warriors (2-7), but often lines up at running back, quarterback or even at receiver.
But Mann figured Matthon would be needed to help bottle up Parkview's running game. What he didn't figure was Matthon coming up with a game-breaking punt return, especially considering Parkview (2-7) began its punt play with 12 men on the field.
Those two plays turned out to be more than enough on a wet and cold night that made things difficult for both teams.
Parkview ended up with the better offensive showing, getting 50 yards rushing from Jalen Watkins and 65 from Chris Giles.
Roosevelt Harris gained 43 yards to lead Hall.
"It's about taking advantage of opportunities," Mann said. "We took advantage of what was given to us, and that was the important thing."
Sports, Pages 28 on 10/26/2007