SEARCY -- Caden Sipe didn't want to leave Harding Academy without an opportunity at a second consecutive Class 3A state championship.
The senior quarterback scored four touchdowns, including two in a 21-point third quarter, that gave the Wildcats a 35-7 victory over Glen Rose on Friday night at First Security Stadium.
Harding Academy (12-1) will play McGehee in the Class 3A state championship game at 6:40 p.m. next Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"It's big, especially for this senior class," Sipe said. "We had it last year. We've been working our tails off. We know what it takes to get back. We're really excited."
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Sipe rushed for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns on 13 carries. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 226 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Wildcats' signal-caller deflected credit for the victory and said the third quarter was critical for his team.
"We just played together," Sipe said. "We don't care who's getting the glory. We just want to win. We said, 'Let's go score a few points in this quarter, and they'll get mad and be out of the game.' That's exactly what happened."
Wildcats Coach Neil Evans said Sipe wanted to play better in the second half.
"He really wanted to come out and change the trajectory of the second half," Evans said. "We walked out right over here and he just grabbed me said, 'Coach, I love you. I'm going to go do this.' And do it, he did. I'm just super proud of him."
Harding Academy led 14-0 at halftime.
It was the third quarter where the Wildcats put the Beavers away.
The Wildcats opened the second half with a three-play, 62-yard scoring drive, resulting in Sipe's 43-yard touchdown run down the left sideline that gave his team a 21-0 lead with 11:36 left in the third quarter.
"I like to think I can run a little bit," joked Sipe. "I don't do it too often. But I'd like to think I have some moves to me."
On its next drive, Glen Rose quarterback Wesley Launius fumbled and defensive lineman Cooper Welch recovered at the Beavers' 35-yard line.
The turnover turned into Harding Academy's fourth touchdown of the game. Andrew Miller's 1-yard dive made it 27-0 with 8:09 left in the third quarter.
With 2:38 left in the quarter, Sipe scored from 5 yards out for his third rushing touchdown of the game. He then threw a two-point conversion pass to Ty Dugger to make it 35-0.
The Wildcats went 89 yards in 10 plays to go ahead 7-0 with 4:19 left in the first quarter. Sipe's 35-yard pass to Dugger set up his 29-yard touchdown pass to Miller.
Sipe's 38-yard completion to Jackson Koch set up the Wildcats at the Glen Rose 9, and the Wildcats scored two plays later on the quarterback's 4-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds left before halftime to make it 14-0.
"We played tough football," Sipe said. "We weren't as sharp as we wanted to be in the first half. He [Evans] said, 'Offense, just go do your thing. Be physical like we have been all year.' "
Evans said the third quarter was about the Wildcats' players.
"Everybody has a second-half plan," Evans said. "But it's our players that come out and execute that. The credit in the third quarter goes to the players. Just a phenomenal, phenomenal job."
The Beavers' lone score came with 2:35 left to play in the fourth quarter when Launius connected with Noah Wright for a 61-yard touchdown.
Miller finished with 49 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for the Wildcats and also caught 7 passes for 48 yards and another score.
Glen Rose (11-3) rebounded from a loss to Prescott in the regular-season finale Nov. 6 to win three consecutive games in the playoffs (West Fork, Charleston, Centerpoint). But Harding Academy proved to be too tough to take down for the Beavers.
"It was pretty bad for us," Glen Rose Coach Mark Kehner said. "They played good and we didn't.
Harding Academy is 27-1 since the start of the 2019 season. The Wildcats' only loss was at Briarcrest Christian from Eads, Tenn, on Sept. 25.
With Friday's victory, the Wildcats enter the Class 3A state championship game on a nine-game winning streak. A 10th victory in a row will result in Harding Academy's eighth state title.
For Evans, he was just wanting to get past the semifinals before thinking about a state title matchup next weekend.
"It's surreal. It hasn't even set in yet," Evans said. "To be honest, there's some relief involved.
"This [the semifinals] is one of the toughest games to play. It's so far down the road, you're trying to figure out who you're going to play. You have an idea in the first two games, but this fourth game is so wide-open.
"But just a surreal feeling."
Playoff schedule
FRIDAY’S GAMES
CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS
Rivercrest 55, Warren 35
Shiloh Christian 56, Stuttgart 7
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
Harding Academy 35, Glen Rose 7
McGehee 20, Hoxie 18
TODAY’S GAMES
CLASS 5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
At War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
LR Christian vs. Pulaski Academy, 12:10 p.m. (Arkansas PBS)
CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
At War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
Fordyce vs. Des Arc, 6:40 p.m. (Arkansas PBS)
SATURDAY, DEC. 19
CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
At War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
Shiloh Christian vs. Rivercrest, 12:10 p.m (Arkansas PBS)
CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
At War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
Harding Academy vs. McGehee, 6:40 p.m. (Arkansas PBS)
