Prescott Coach Tommy Poole said last week that he was not content with the Curley Wolves getting to the Class 3A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Poole certainly was satisfied after Saturday's 37-26 victory over Charleston, which gave Prescott its first state championship since 1995 and fifth overall.
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"We were coming here to win it," said Poole, a 1994 Prescott graduate who is in his fifth season coaching the Curley Wolves. "It wasn't easy. We had to make some plays in the second half to help us win."
Senior quarterback Derrick Flynn rushed for 210 yards and 4 touchdowns on 34 carries and completed 6 of 12 passes for 39 yards and 1 touchdown to earn MVP honors. Flynn scored on runs of 6 and 2 yards in the first half and 2 and 73 yards in the second half.
"He's a warrior," Poole said. "He's been doing it all year for us."
Senior running back Carlos Vanhook finished with 209 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries and added a 21-yard receiving touchdown.
Vanhook joins his grandfather Randolph (1972, 1973) and father Carlos (1995) as state champions at Prescott, located in Nevada County.
"It feels great," Vanhook said. "It's a dream come true. I've always wanted to be a third-generation champion."
Charleston led 20-19 at halftime, but Prescott took a 25-20 lead with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter on Flynn's 2-yard run. Flynn's two-point conversion pass failed.
Charleston came right back to take a 26-25 advantage with 1:36 left in the quarter with an 8-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jackson Rowland to senior tight end Phillip Hampton.
Flynn put the Curley Wolves back on top with a 73-yard run down the left sideline for a 31-26 lead with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Prescott stretched its lead to 37-26 with 10:00 left when Flynn found Vanhook for a 21-yard touchdown completion on fourth and 17. Charleston had a chance to pull closer, but Rowland's pass was intercepted by senior cornerback Deonte Jamison at the Prescott 20.
The Curley Wolves outgained the Tigers 438-314, including 399 rushing yards.
"We couldn't get them on the ground," Charleston Coach Greg Kendrick said of Flynn and Vanhook. "Those two guys are better than advertised. I don't know how many missed tackles we had, but we had a ton of them. We were in position to make plays, but we couldn't get it done tonight."
Prescott trailed 14-7 in the second quarter before taking a 19-14 lead with 6:34 remaining in the second quarter.
Flynn scored on a 2-yard run at the 7:13 mark. Then, Jamison's onside kick for Prescott was recovered by sophomore Colton Johnson. Two plays later, Vanhook scored from 44 yards out for a 19-14 lead.
Charleston regained the lead at 20-19 with 3:53 left in the first half when Rowland connected with sophomore wide receiver Brayden Caudle for a 23-yard touchdown.
Rowland led Charleston offensively, completing 18 of 31 passes for 193 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Junior running back Bradyn Ketter rushed for 70 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries.
Sean Michael Flanagan, a junior wide receiver, finished with 11 receptions for 130 yards. He rushed for 51 yards and 1 touchdown on 3 carries.
Charleston was making its third state championship game appearance in four years. The Tigers won in 2013 and 2014 in Kendrick's first two seasons before going 7-5 in 2015. Saturday's loss was Charleston's first in a state championship game since 2004. They had won in their past five title game appearances (2005, 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014).
The end result was not what the Tigers wanted Saturday, but Kendrick was pleased about his team's season.
"They put us back on the map," Kendrick said of his team's senior class. "We've been fortunate to not have to experience this. But I tip my hat to Coach Poole and the Curley Wolves. They out-executed us in the second half."
Sports on 12/11/2016