There were hints of conventional football in the Pulaski Academy Bruins' 35-7 victory over the Batesville Pioneers in the semifinal round of the Class 5A playoff at Rector Field in Little Rock on Friday night.
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Pulaski Academy's dominance was evident from the start, and as is typical, the Bruins frequently displayed their pass-happy offensive attack.
But a 20-play, 99-yard drive stood in contrast.
Pulaski Academy led 7-0 when senior defensive back Hayden Henry's interception set the Bruins up at their 1 with 6:54 left in the first quarter.
The following drive consumed nearly seven minutes, ending with an 11-yard touchdown run by senior Jaren Watkins.
Pulaski Academy overcame 25 yards in penalties and converted two third downs and one fourth-down situation to keep the drive alive. Junior quarterback Layne Hatcher carried 4 times for 18 yards and passed 5 times for 45.
The Bruins rushed 14 times and passed 6 to complete the drive that gave it a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
"We don't like old-fashioned football, but when we got it on the 1 right there, we wanted to make a statement that we could go the whole field if we had to," Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley said. "We mixed up the run and pass well. Penalties put us in some 2nd-and-longs, but we kept overcoming those."
Pulaski Academy had 13 penalties for 81 yards for the game.
"We want to eliminate those, I'll be honest," Kelley said. "In the end, we have to fix those things, because you can't afford to make those sort of mistakes in a championship game."
Hatcher's 13-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Tra Johnson opened the scoring at 9:47 of the first quarter. His 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Hudson Henry gave Pulaski Academy a 21-0 lead with 9:23 left in the second.
Hatcher ran in from 7 yards with 1:47 to play in the second quarter to give Pulaski Academy a 28-0 halftime lead.
"Two things were our downfall," Batesville Coach Dave King said, "an inability to put any pressure on their quarterback, and offensively, we kind of mushroomed, but you have to give them credit for that. They played great defense and did a great job. They're as advertised. They're very tough."
Hatcher completed 14 of 20 passes for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns and carried 9 times for 47 yards and 1 touchdown. Watkins ran 13 times for 100 yards.
Reserve sophomore running back Kadar Floyd scored Batesville's touchdown with a 6-yard fourth-quarter run. He led Batesville with five carries for 80 yards.
"We wanted to be in the finals," Kelley said. "If someone had told us at the beginning of the season, 'Hey, we'll put you in the finals right now,' we'd have gladly taken it. It's been a good road and a fun road."
Pulaski Academy will play Wynne in the 5A state championship game at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium on Dec. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. Wynne advanced with a 77-41 semifinal victory over Watson Chapel.
"You have to take your hat off to Pulaski Academy," King said. "I think it'll be a great game between them and Wynne."
Sports on 11/26/2016