WEST MEMPHIS 24, JACKSONVILLE 14
WEST MEMPHIS -- Jacksonville did its best to slow down West Memphis' high-powered offense in a 6A-East game on Friday, but the Titans couldn't totally stop the Blue Devils.
West Memphis (8-0 overall, 5-0 in the conference) didn't score in the second half, after losing two of its top offensive players, but the Blue Devils did enough early and held on to post a 24-14 victory.
The Titans knocked one of West Memphis' offensive aces out of the game, and another Blue Devil had to leave the game for a few plays.
West Memphis senior running back Guren Holmes, who had gained 101 yards on 14 carries, left midway through the second quarter and never returned.
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Then in the third quarter, West Memphis senior quarterback Michael Troxler took a shot to the chin, which kept him out for a few plays before he returned on the following offensive series.
Troxler completed 7 of 13 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown.
Jacksonville (3-5 overall, 2-3 in the 6A-East Conference) ran down the play clock every chance it had.
"We wanted to slow the tempo because West Memphis is such a good football team," Jacksonville Coach Barry Hickingbotham said. "We wanted to have a chance in the fourth quarter."
Jacksonville held the Blue Devils offense, which came in averaging 40.7 points, scoreless in the second half.
Regular starting quarterback H.D. Martin didn't start for Jacksonville but did enter the game in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown on a 69-yard run.
Hickngbotham, who said Martin was banged up last week against Little Rock Hall, started junior Shavarris Curley, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 155 yards with no interceptions.
Curley threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to senior Debious Cobbs with 6:45 to play in the second quarter to slice West Memphis' lead to 10-7.
But the Blue Devils took a 24-7 lead into halftime thanks to a touchdown by Kelvin Love, who replaced Holmes at running back, and a 37-yard touchdown pass from Troxler to Amaurius Stinnett.
Martin entered the game at running back late in the second half and he responded with the long touchdown to pull the Titans within 24-14 with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter.
"We wanted to play him [Martin] sparingly tonight, and he got loose on one run," said Hickingbotham. "That gave us some momentum."
Jacksonville had one last shot to score when Tamad Tyler recovered a fumble by Troxler with 1:50 to play, but the Blue Devil defense dug in and forced a four-and-out to effectively end the game.
Sports on 10/21/2017