Defending Class 5A state champion Little Rock Christian scored on offense, defense and special teams in beating Vilonia 56-20 before a large crowd Friday night at Warrior Field in Little Rock.
Little Rock Christian (2-0) amassed 466 total yards, including 309 rushing, in extending its winning streak to 11. The Warriors also shined on defense on special teams, limiting the Class 5A Eagles (0-1) to four first downs through three quarters, blocking a punt and returning an interception and kickoff for touchdowns.
The Warriors took a 49-13 lead with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter when junior quarterback Colin Cooper scrambled 17 yards for a touchdown.
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"We want to have a physical identity," third-year Little Rock Christian Coach Eric Cohu said following his 149th career victory. "We want to play fast. We want to play physical. Defense, offense, special teams -- everything we do -- we want to play as fast and physical as possible. We certainly had a lot of mistakes tonight, but we can correct those things."
Vilonia finished with 320 total yards, the bulk coming from senior tailback Draven Smith, who rushed 18 times for 255 yards and 3 touchdowns (66, 74 and 80 yards).
Smith ran 66 yards for a touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage, and Vilonia regained possession after recovering a fumble at the Little Rock Christian 15 on the ensuing kickoff. But Vilonia couldn't covert a 25-yard field-goal attempt, and still leading 6-0, lost a fumble at the Warriors' 5 on its next series.
Little Rock Christian took the lead for good, 7-6, on a 50-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Kendel Givens and extra point by junior place-kicker Isaiah Hankins with 4:29 remaining in the first quarter.
The Warriors led 21-6 at halftime following junior linebacker Corey Platt's 39-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter and a 2-yard touchdown run by Givens with 9:39 remaining in the second.
Little Rock Christian led 42-13 after senior quarterback Akeem Gilmore ran 7 yards for a touchdown with 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Gilmore ran 9 times for 74 yards and 1 touchdown and completed 11 of 15 passes for 100 yards. Standout senior wide receiver Chris Hightower returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown with 9:31 remaining for Little Rock Christian.
"I told them that the speed is going to be different than what you see in practice," Vilonia Coach Todd Langrell said. "That first play, we come out of the chute, the first play from scrimmage, then we get the kickoff and the fumble. There's a fine line between winning and losing."
Givens, who finished with 58 rushing yards on four carries, didn't play in the second half after he "tweaked his ankle just a little bit" late in the second quarter, Cohu said.
Sports on 09/07/2019