HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFFS

Stuff of champions: Bruins, again

McClellan leads at half, but PA prevails

Pulaski Academy wide receiver Zack Kelley (10) catches a touchdown pass in front of a Little Rock McClellan defender with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Friday’s night’s Class 5A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Bruins held the Lions scoreless in the second half after battling back from a 30-29 halftime deficit to win their second consecutive title. Kelley accounted for 172 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as Pulaski Academy finished the season 14-0. For more photos of the game, visit arkansasonline.com/galleries.
Pulaski Academy wide receiver Zack Kelley (10) catches a touchdown pass in front of a Little Rock McClellan defender with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Friday’s night’s Class 5A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Bruins held the Lions scoreless in the second half after battling back from a 30-29 halftime deficit to win their second consecutive title. Kelley accounted for 172 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as Pulaski Academy finished the season 14-0. For more photos of the game, visit arkansasonline.com/galleries.

Pulaski Academy took Little Rock McClellan's best shot in the first half, but the Bruins delivered a championship performance in the second half.

photo

Senior Tre Bruce (15) leads his Pulaski Academy teammates to the trophy presentation after the Bruins defeated Little Rock McClellan in the Class 5A championship game Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

photo

Junior Jaren Watkins rushed for 172 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries and was named the game’s MVP.

The defending Class 5A state champions came back from only their second halftime deficit of the season to beat McClellan 50-30 on Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

It was the Bruins' second consecutive Class 5A championship and fifth overall, as they finished the season 14-0. Pulaski Academy also won titles in 2003, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

"It's so tough when you have that target on your back," Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley said. "Everybody wants to beat you. To be able to go undefeated and win that back-to-back state championship tells you a lot about our guys."

McClellan (10-3) led 30-29 at halftime, but Pulaski Academy stopped the Crimson Lions on fourth down three times, all in the fourth quarter. The Bruins allowed 76 yards of offense in the second half after yielding 175 in the first half.

Friday's game marked only the second time this season that the Bruins trailed at halftime. They were behind 21-7 at Wynne on Sept. 11 before coming back to win 35-21.

"Our defense has set the tone so many times. Tonight was another one," said Kevin Kelley, whose team beat McClellan twice this season. "We told them: 'Don't let them have another point. That's a good football team'.

"They didn't let them have another point."

Pulaski Academy took a 35-30 lead with 1:06 left in the third quarter on senior Zack Kelley's 2-yard run.

The Lions faced fourth and 1 at the Pulaski Academy 13 when senior running back Trent Lewis was stopped for no gain by senior defensive lineman Robert Ator and junior defensive back Hayden Henry with 9:29 left.

On its next drive, McClellan faced fourth and 2 at the Pulaski Academy 49 at the 4:47 mark, but junior running back Pierre Strong was tackled by senior linebacker Corbin Witham as the Bruins held on downs.

Three plays later, sophomore quarterback Layne Hatcher threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kelley and senior Tre Bruce's two-point conversion run extended Pulaski Academy's lead to 43-30 with 3:48 left.

The Bruins capped their 21-point second half with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hatcher to Kelley to make it 50-30 with 11 seconds left.

McClellan Coach Maurice Moody, who guided his team from a 1-9 record in his first season in 2013 to the championship game this season, gave credit to the Bruins' defense.

"This game is a game of inches," Moody said. "They stopped us fourth and 1 two or three times. Normally we get those, but it's football. It happens.

"They were better than us tonight, and you just have to be the better team on game night."

While Pulaski Academy's offense totaled 520 yards, the Bruins' defense -- which had allowed fewer than 19 points a game entering Friday -- put its own stamp on the school's fifth state championship.

"We started believing in ourselves," Ator said. "I thought Coach [Todd] Wood and Coach [Jason] Wyatt did a phenomenal job scheming against their offense."

It was 14-14 entering the second quarter when Hatcher made it 21-14 on a 5-yard run with 11:36 left in the first half, but McClellan took a 22-21 lead 11 seconds later on Strong's 51-yard run and his two-point conversion run.

Hatcher had another 5-yard touchdown run to put the Bruins on top, 29-22, but the Lions went into halftime with a 30-29 lead after defensive lineman Raoshun Young intercepted Hatcher and ran 28 yards for a touchdown with 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The Bruins were led offensively by junior running back Jaren Watkins, who rushed for 172 yards and 1 touchdown -- a 75-yard run -- on 17 carries to earn the game's most outstanding player award. Kelley caught 12 passes for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns just four months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, which he injured in a 7-on-7 tournament in July.

After throwing two interceptions in the first half, Hatcher settled down and finished 22 of 36 for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Strong rushed for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries to lead McClellan. Lewis added 73 yards on 25 carries.

Sports on 12/05/2015

Upcoming Events