Senior tailback Pierre Strong rushed 22 times for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Little Rock McClellan had 5 interceptions in its 42-14 victory over Little Rock Christian in the 5A-Central Conference on Friday night at Warrior Field.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
McClellan (6-2, 4-1 5A-Central) never trailed in winning for the fourth consecutive time since a 41-20 loss to Sylvan Hills in the conference opener.
McClellan can grab a piece of the 5A-Central lead with a victory next week at home against perennial conference champion Pulaski Academy, a rematch of last year's state title game.
"We're right where we want to be," McClellan Coach Maurice Moody said. "We've been preaching that we just needed to take care of business since the Sylvan Hills loss. We got the help we needed when P.A. beat Sylvan Hills. Now we've got a chance to share the championship."
Pulaski Academy beat McClellan twice last year, 41-30 during the regular season and 50-30 in the Class 5A final.
Little Rock Christian (2-6, 2-3), which was eliminated by Pulaski Academy in last year's playoff semifinals, trailed McClellan 20-14 at halftime.
But the Lions pulled away quickly in the second half.
Strong ran 37 yards for a touchdown on the third play from scrimmage, and senior quarterback Dalvion Childs added a 2-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 34-14 with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
McClellan's final touchdown came on a 48-yard screen pass from Childs to Strong with 4:19 remaining to play.
Strong's first carry of the game, a single-wing trap play, resulted in a 69-yard touchdown with 4:25 remaining in the first quarter.
Strong added a 5-yard touchdown run for a 20-7 lead with 4:39 remaining in the first half.
"That's Pierre Strong for you," Moody said. "As he goes, we go."
McClellan had taken a 14-0 lead on a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior safety Lee Rudley with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter.
The Lions finished with 371 total yards on 51 plays.
Childs completed 6 of 10 passes for 108 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Warriors totaled 259 yards on 68 plays.
Junior quarterback Jackson Bowersock completed 22 of 38 passes for 198 yards and an 8-yard touchdown to freshman wide receiver Chris Hightower with 2:42 remaining in the first quarter for Little Rock Christian.
The Warriors cut the deficit to 20-14 on a 3-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Ladarius Burnes with 15 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
McClellan pitched a shutout in the second half, recording three interceptions and two sacks.
"Our defense has come alive the last four or five weeks," Moody said.
Sports on 10/22/2016