5A-CENTRAL

Beebe Trip(s) unbeaten Sylvan Hills

Special to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/CHRIS BRASHERS - 10/31/2014 - Sylvan Hills RB Marlon Clemmons tries to elude the tackle of Bebee DL Reese Anders during action at Bill Blackwood Field in Sherwood, October 31, 2014
Special to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/CHRIS BRASHERS - 10/31/2014 - Sylvan Hills RB Marlon Clemmons tries to elude the tackle of Bebee DL Reese Anders during action at Bill Blackwood Field in Sherwood, October 31, 2014

Beebe Coach John Shannon has yet to find a limit to what running back Trip Smith can do for the Badgers' offense.

Whatever it is, Smith's ceiling is beyond the 40 carries he accumulated in Friday night's 41-37 upset of previously unbeaten Sylvan Hills at Bill Blackwood Field.

Smith gained the bulk of his 213 yards and 4 touchdowns on hand-offs up the middle to help the Badgers' T-formation offense rush for 444 yards. The Badgers (4-5, 4-2 5A Central) led 34-13 early in the third quarter, and then Smith helped them hold off a comeback attempt to win their fourth consecutive game and hand the Bears (8-1, 5-1) their first loss of the season.

"I tell him 'However many times we've got to give it to you to win the ballgame,' " Shannon said. "And he's accepted that. Of course, he didn't play the first three games, so crap, he ought to be fresh."

Smith, who Shannon said missed the season's first three games with an injured finger, scored twice on 1-yard runs and also on runs of 3 and 14 yards. His final score came from 3 yards out with 8:31 left in the game to give Beebe a 41-31 lead and stopped a string of three consecutive Sylvan Hills touchdowns that had trimmed Beebe's lead to 34-31.

"Stud," Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said of Smith. "He's a horse."

Sylvan Hills entered ranked No. 3 in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Class 5A Super Six with a game at No. 2 Pulaski Academy next week for the 5A Central title. The Bears gained 417 yards, but had three extra points blocked, missed another and had two turnovers. Marlon Clemmons rushed 15 times for 253 yards and 5 touchdowns, three of which came in the second half after Beebe had taken a 34-13 lead.

"You relax against a good football team who comes in and outplays you and outcoaches you, that's what happens," Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said. "You can't relax. You know, there's no overlooking or anything they just came in and beat us."

Beebe built its lead starting late in the second half when a 14-yard run by Smith made it 20-13. Beebe then forced the only punt of the game, and Jovaughn Wyrick's 43-yard run made it 27-13 at halftime. The Badgers then went up 34-13 on Wyrick's 57-yard run on the first drive of the third quarter.

That's when Clemmons and Tra Doss started to bring the Bears back.

Clemmons scored on a 55-yard run to make it 34-19, then after Sylvan Hills recovered a fumbled kickoff return, Doss' 15-yard run down the sideline made it 34-25. The Bears' recovered a fumble in the end zone after the Badgers' completed a 41-yard pass -- their only completion of the game -- and the Bears drove 82 yards capped by Clemmons 38-yard run, making it 34-31.

But Smith and the Badgers scored on the next drive and after Clemmons' 8-yard run made it 41-37 with 6:37 left, the Bears never got the ball back.

"I think we relaxed a little bit and you could see it in their faces," Shannon said of when Sylvan Hills got close. "I just got them over there and said 'Guys, have some fun. Enjoy the moment.' ... I think that kind of calmed things down a little bit and we relaxed out there and our last couple of drives we got back to our basics."

JACKSONVILLE 31, LR MILLS 7

Senior running back Lamont Gause rushed 20 times for 170 yards and 4 touchdowns as Jacksonville (3-6, 3-3 5A-Central) rolled by visiting Little Rock Mills (2-7, 1-5).

PULASKI ACADEMY 56, LITTLE ROCK FAIR 0

Will Hefley passed for 282 yards and five touchdowns to lead Pulaski Academy (8-1, 6-0) to a 5A-Central Conference victory over Little Rock Fair (0-9, 0-6).

Hefley’s passing touchdowns — the team’s first five scores — went for 19 and 5 yards to Will Hastings, 30 yards to Trey Bruce, 3 yards to Zack Kelley and 33 yards to Grant Pickle. Bruce had five catches for 87 yards.

Chase Coody recovered a fumble in the end zone for another Bruins touchdown. Layne Hatcher passed 21 yards to R. J. Anderson and 17 yards to Trey Johnson for the other scores.

Sports on 11/01/2014

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