The mercy rule went into effect as expected, but it did not come until 51 seconds remained as Little Rock Hall hosted undefeated Pulaski Academy at Scott Field in Little Rock on Friday night.
An 11-yard touchdown run in the final minute by senior Dylan Allison completed the scoring in the Bruins' 48-13 victory over the Warriors (1-4, 0-2 5A-Central), but the majority of contentment resided with Hall's 25-player roster and its first-year Coach Jim Withrow.
"I'm extremely proud of our guys," Withrow said. "I thought they competed really well. Pulaski Academy made a lot of plays and kind of got us in a bind, and they ran the ball real well.
"We made some mistakes, but I thought our kids played hard. I think they're beginning to look like a high school football team. We're not a sideshow anymore."
Withrow coached Sylvan Hills to 11 playoff appearances in 13 seasons from 2007-19 before becoming Hall's coach.
"Hat's off to Jim and his staff and the Hall kids," Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley said. "They came out and played really, really hard.
"They got us a little frustrated early. We didn't come ready to play. That was my fault. We weren't mentally ready, but I told them, Hall can play. They've got some players, and they're extremely well coached."
The Bruins (5-0, 2-0) took a 14-0 lead with their first two possessions after a 28-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Nolen Bruffett to senior running back Caleb Nichols, and then junior running back Joe Himon's 19-yard scoring run.
After Hall stopped PA on downs, senior running back Kavionne Rucker scored on an 11-yard run to cut Pulaski Academy's lead to 14-7.
"In the first quarter, we go down 14-0, and then we go down and score," Withrow said. "Our guys just competed. That's what we've talked about. We're going to work hard, and we're going to compete."
A 31-yard run by Himon put Pulaski Academy up 21-7 on its final first-quarter possession.
Signs of an impending rout came in the second quarter with, in order, a 24-yard touchdown pass from Bruffett to Himon, a 75-yard touchdown run by Himon, and Bruffett's 13-yard touchdown pass to Nichols that -- after a missed extra-point attempt -- gave PA a 41-7 lead with 1:22 left before halftime.
Himon rushed for 159 yards on eight carries, all in the first half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Hall pulled within 41-13 on a 43-yard touchdown pass from junior BJay Sisk to junior Timothy Price with 2:20 left in the game.
"They've got some guys over there who can coach," Kelley said. "I knew they would have this team better, and as this year progresses, they're going to keep getting better. Their kids are buying in, and they have a good defensive and offensive plan. They're doing a good job of teaching those guys."
"We still have miles to go," Withrow said. "We have miles to go, but we're becoming a team that the school and the community can be proud of."