LAMAR -- Lamar's football team took it personally in the summer when a preseason magazine had Mansfield ranked ahead of the Warriors in a coaches poll, especially since Lamar had won three straight games against the Tigers.
So when the two teams met Friday night in Johnson County for senior night, the Warriors were eager to make a statement.
Lamar senior Brady James rushed for 142 yards and scored five touchdowns as the Warriors grabbed a key 48-26 homecoming win at Warrior Field.
James also had both a quarterback sack along with an interception on defense and also helped Lamar convert on a couple of key first downs on offense late in the contest.
"That magazine got us fired up so we came out here and tried and prove ourselves like we do every Friday," James said. "The field was wet tonight so I had my first two fumbles off the season but thankfully my teammates came and picked me up and we were able to get it done."
The shootout victory not only vaulted the Warriors over Cedarville, who lost to Greenland on Friday, into second place in the 3A-1 Conference by a full game, but more importantly, gave them the inside track to securing a state playoff appearance with only two games with conference leader Booneville and Charleston still left to play.
"We felt like coming into the season that we were one of the best teams in the conference or at least right there in the mix." Lamar coach Josh Jones said. "This was our senior night and we knew we had to win this game because if we don't win we could be in serious danger of missing the playoffs. But if we won, we could be in the conversation for a conference championship."
Following a slow start offensively that helped bury them into a 27-6 hole at halftime, Mansfield (5-3, 2-3 3A-1) finally came roaring back with a pair of unanswered third-quarter touchdowns as Ethan Stovall passed to Layton Howard for a 63-yard touchdown for the first and then found Brandon Carlton for another on the Tigers' ensuing possession to close the gap to 27-20.
But after Lamar converted on a crucial fourth-and-1 from their 46-yard line with Jacob Parmenter pushing his way forward for five yards up the middle on a quarterback sneak, the Warriors were able to continue down the field on a scoring drive that took eight minutes off the clock.
James would eventually sprint in for an eight-yard touchdown and the cushion Lamar needed to finally salt away the game for good at 33-20.
James also scored on runs of 13, 9, 1 and 25 yards to pace Lamar (7-1, 4-1).
"We couldn't get them off the field when we needed to and a team like Lamar is relentless because they will play keep away," Mansfield coach Tim Cothran said. "Our guys just don't quit. We play with a lot of heart, emotion, and character. We got them going in the direction we wanted to but we dug ourselves too big of a hole."
Stovall passed for four touchdowns on 7-of-16 attempts for 113 yards for the Tigers and rushed for 48 yards to lead Mansfield.
Class 6A
El Dorado 30, Siloam Springs 6
Leading 10-6 in the third quarter, El Dorado made a goal-line stand and then drove 97 yards for a touchdown. The swing in momentum sparked the Wildcats on Friday.
El Dorado ended a five-game losing skid and improved to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the 6A-West. The Panthers fell to 2-6, 1-4 with their fourth straight loss.
The Panthers had 281 total yards. Jackson Norberg rushed for 197 yards on 30 carries.
Class 5A
Harrison 35, Alma 0
Gabe Huskey ran for four touchdowns and lifted Harrison to a homecoming victory over Alma.
Huskey now has 81 rushing touchdowns for his career, which would put him seventh in that category according to the Arkansas Activities Association record book.
His 3-yard run in the first quarter gave Harrison (8-0, 5-0 5A-West) a 7-0 lead, then he scored twice in 18 seconds on runs of 1 and 34 yards as the Goblins led 20-0. He then bolted 66 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half, causing the sportsmanship rule and the running clock to come into play.
Colton Shaver had Harrison's other score with a 20-yard pass reception from Ben Johnson.
Greenbrier 31, Clarksville 14
Talon Moore ran for two touchdowns to lead Greenbrier past Clarksville in 5A-West Conference action.
Moore followed Cody Powell's 30-yard field goal with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers an early 10-0 lead in the second quarter. He then capped Greenbrier's scoring with a 14-yard touchdown run.
Greenbrier added a 3-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Wilcox to Bryce Morehart and a 2-yard touchdown run by Trey Havens. Clarksville's scoring came from Jaylin Wright's 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Nicholas Buckner's 25-yard touchdown pass to Miles Kimbrel in the third quarter.
Class 4A
Gentry 28, Prairie Grove 21
Brandon Atwood hit Serien Reding with a 53-yard touchdown pass on Gentry's first play, and the Pioneers went on to post a 4A-1 Conference victory at Prairie Grove.
Atwood had a hand in two more touchdowns as he ran 23 yards for one score and gave Gentry (5-3, 3-2) a 14-0 halftime lead. He then caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Zac Jarnagan in the third quarter to give the Pioneers a 28-7 cushion.
Prairie Grove (2-6, 2-3) made things interesting in the fourth quarter with Knox Laird's 41-yard touchdown pass to Cordelle Whetsell and a 41-yard touchdown run by Jared Harger, but the Tigers never threatened again.
Brennan Crosby had Gentry's other touchdown on a 16-yard run in the third quarter, while Whitsell scored from 6 yards out in the third quarter for Prairie Grove's first score.
Atwood was 8 of 14 passing for 111 yards and one touchdown, then he ran 12 times for 68 yards and a touchdown and had three receptions for 73 yards and a score. Jarnagan was 4 of 6 passing for 80 yards and a touchdown, then he ran 13 times for 69 yards and caught three passes for 23 yards.
Gravette 36, Green Forest 6
Chace Austin ran for three touchdowns, and Cy Hilger threw for two more as Gravette rolled to a 4A-1 Conference win at Green Forest.
Austin had touchdown runs of 8 and 1 yards and had a pair of two-point conversion runs in the first quarter, one of them coming after Cy Hilger's 29-yard touchdown pass to Mason Dagley. His 12-yard run in the second quarter gave the Lions (4-4, 3-2) a 29-0 lead, then Hilger's 20-yard touchdown pass to Trenton Durham helped Gravette take a 36-0 halftime cushion.
Green Forest (2-6, 0-5) avoided a shutout when Reiley Gordon scored on a 12-yard run.
Pottsville 33, Elkins 22
Drew Rust rushed into the end zone early in the fourth quarter, then did so again three minutes later and again three minutes after that to lead the Apaches (4-4, 3-2) in a late 4A-4 Conference victory over Elkins (5-3, 3-2).
Rust also opened the scoring in the game by breaking out for a 50-yard touchdown run with under a minute left in the first quarter.
Elkins, however, led 22-14 entering the fourth quarter following a trio of touchdowns by wide receiver Cody Drummond. The Elks were then held scoreless in the fourth quarter as Rust scored on consecutive drives.
Pea Ridge 55, Berryville 27
Quarterback Tate Busey accounted for seven of Pea Ridge's eight touchdowns as the Blackhawks remained unbeaten in 4A-1 Conference play with a victory at Berryville.
Pea Ridge (5-3, 5-0) led 21-7 after one quarter as Busey ran 26 yards for the first score, then threw touchdown passes of 59 yards to Brayden Ralph and 19 yards to Zak Withrow. Busey threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Blair, ran 55 yards for another score and added an 11-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Rains as Pea Ridge led 55-14 at halftime.
Daniel Deleon added the Blackhawks' other score with a 1-yard run.
Dominic Henry led Berryville (2-6, 0-5) with 89 yards on nine carries, including a 49-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Jaeden Tanksley, who had 83 yards rushing, and Brett Parsons each added a score, while J.R. Smith hit Kennon Helminger with a 46-yard touchdown pass.
Mena 35, Waldron 6
Jake Wiles rushed for 238 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bearcats to the big win.
Zane Stephans and Evan Graves also added rushing touchdowns for Mena. Devan Adams and Chris Boolmeyer each picked off a pass to lead the Mena defense.
Ozark 49, Dover 0
The Hillbillies rolled to a 35-0 lead after a quarter and cruised to the 4A-4 Conference win.
Quarterback Harper Faulkenberry completed all three passes he attempted for 76 yards and two for touchdowns for Ozark (7-1, 5-0 4A-4). Sophomore Britton Gates led seven different Ozark players who carried the ball with 62 yards on just six carries. He also had a touchdown.
Class 3A
Greenland 41, Cedarville 6
Gabe Wilson passed for 174 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for another score to lead the Pirates to a big 3A-1 Conference win.
Greenland (4-4, 2-3 3A-1) recovered an onside kick en route to a 19-6 lead after one quarter and led 33-6 at halftime.
Jett Dennis rushed for 118 yards on 15 carries and added three touchdowns for Greenland.
Paris 45, West Fork 6
Ely Fore rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Eagles to the 3A-1 Conference win.
Quarterback Chase Watts also threw for 160 yards and a touchdown for Paris (3-5, 1-4 3A-1). Keller Keen also had a receiving touchdown and intercepted a West Fork pass. Blake Martines also returned an interception for a touchdown -- one of three picks for the Eagles' defense on the night.
Class 2A
Hackett 46, Mountainburg 32
Weston Winters ran for 133 yards and four touchdowns, and Avery Hester added two more as Hackett outlasted Mountainburg in a first-half shootout and handed the Dragons their first 2A-4 Conference loss.
Avery Hester rushed for 145 yards and completed 7 of 12 passes for 207 yards. Peyton Hester caught two passes for 97 yards and contributed 10 tackles on defense, including a sack.
Winters' 2-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, and his two-point conversion run tied the game at 24 early in the second quarter, then the Hornets (6-2, 2-1) recovered the onside kick. Winters then scored from 7 yards out and added another two-point conversion to give Hackett a 32-24 lead.
Mountainburg (4-3, 2-1) later tied the game at 32 on Dylan Coughran's 28-yard run and Malachi West's two-point conversion run, but Hackett took the lead for good on Hester's 1-yard touchdown run just before halftime. Winters had the only score of the second half with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Magazine 38, Johnson County Westside 6
Tatum Scott ran for a touchdown and returned an interception for another to lead the Rattlers to the big win.
Scott also threw for a pair of two-point conversions and ran for another. Kadeon Trejo also ran for two touchdowns as Magazine (6-1, 4-0 2A-4) rolled to a 38-0 lead early in the second half and cruised to the win.
Sports on 10/27/2019