OZARK -- It didn't take long for Ozark to find the end zone Friday night at Hillbilly Stadium.
Ozark's Ethan Foster took the first offensive play of the game for an 82-yard touchdown run, and the Hillbillies didn't look back. The early score helped Ozark pull away for a 27-7 victory against Charleston.
"You can't draw it up any better than that," Ozark Coach Jeremie Burns said. "It got us going early, that's for sure. He took that carry and went untouched."
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Ozark (2-1) snapped a six-game losing streak to Charleston (0-3). The Hillbillies last won this matchup back in 2012.
"We won the first two years I took over, but they had us there for a little bit getting six in a row," Burns said. "It's been a long time coming. These seniors now beat Booneville and Charleston. I'm super proud of these guys."
The Hillbillies were led by junior quarterback Harper Faulkenberry, who finished with 11 carries for 95 yards with a touchdown. He also connected on a 64-yard touchdown pass to junior Tyler Sanders.
"We are so banged up after last week losing three starters in that game, and we have a couple still out from before that," Burns said. "We are razor thin right now. We moved some guys around and gutted it out."
After the first-play touchdown, the Hillbillies' defense forced stops on back-to-back drives in the second quarter, forcing punts of 32 and 17 yards. Ozark took advantage, putting together touchdown drives on both possessions that followed.
Eli Munnerlyn scored from a yard out, then Faulkenberry found Sanders for a 64-yard touchdown pass. Those touchdowns gave Ozark a 21-0 lead heading into the break.
Charleston had its opportunities to get on the board in the first half but couldn't come away with scores. The Tigers turned the ball over on downs inside the opposing 25 and inside the opposing 20.
The Tigers were held to 76 yards in the first half on 27 plays.
"The defense did a good job tightening up when it mattered most," Burns said. "We bent a little bit, but we didn't break. They were able to provide those big stops for us."
Ozark punted on its opening drive of the second half, but a fumbled punt by Charleston put the ball at the opposing 5. Ozark got a 5-yard touchdown run from Faulkenberry one play later to take a 27-0 lead.
Charleston avoided the shutout late in the fourth quarter with the help of its defense.
Geoffrey Scott intercepted a pass that set up a 1-yard touchdown on the next play from quarterback Brayden Ross.
Ross passed for 97 yards while adding 18 yards on the ground for the Tigers.
Sports on 09/21/2019