LINCOLN -- The junior Wolves endured a frustrating, 14-8, home loss to Huntsville with the Eagles scoring off a pair of fumble recoveries in the first half Oct. 13.
A blocked punt set up a Lincoln score in the third quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Brewer (6 of 15, 101 yards) to Eli Rich, who had two catches for 32 yards. The junior Wolves added a 2-point conversion on Brewer's pass to Caden Redfern to cut Huntsville's lead to 14-8, but the Eagles used up a lot of the fourth quarter with their running game. Huntsville was able to ice the game with a late interception and run the clock out. Assistant coach Perry Philpot wasn't making any excuses, but he did say game conditions contributed to the fumbles, which hurt Lincoln early in the contest.
"It was a very foggy night, which lead to some damp balls," Philpot said.
Lincoln received the opening kickoff and was driving down the field until fumbling away the ball near the Eagle 25 yard line. Huntsville recovered and went on to score. According to Philpot, the Eagles sustained their drive using the option game and led 6-0. On the next junior Wolves' drive, Lincoln had scarcely run a few plays before fumbling the ball near their own 40 yard line in the second quarter. The Eagles once more pounced on the turnover and burned the clock.
"Huntsville would hold onto the ball the rest of the quarter, scoring right before halftime making it 14-0 at half," Philpot said.
Trying valiantly to change the game, Lincoln came up with a big play on special teams in the third quarter. The Eagles received the second half kickoff, but the junior Wolves rallied on defense to force a punt that was blocked by Blake Arnold. The junior Wolves took over at the Huntsville 35-yard line and drove in earnest, seeking a touchdown.
"We would go on to score on an 18-yard TD pass from Brewer to Rich," Philpot said. "Brewer would then connect with Caden Redfern for the 2-point conversion."
The touchdown and conversion narrowed the gap to 14-8 in favor of the Eagles. Huntsville played stingy, ball-control after that. They didn't score on the following drive, but held onto the ball late in the game. Lincoln had one last drive that ended in an interception with just under a minute left. The Eagles had 55 offensive plays compared to the Wolves' 29.
"They controlled the time of possession big time which worked to their advantage," Philpot said.
Lincoln's offense was held to 115 yards of total offense. Noe Avellaneda was Lincoln's leading rusher with 17 yards on three carries. Abraham Calvillo had 3 carries for 10 yards. Brewer was sacked twice for 13 yards in losses. Receiver Daytin Davis (3 catches, 67 yards) led the Wolves in receptions. Brewer completed 6 of 15 passes for 101 yards with a touchdown and an interception. At the end of week seven, junior high standings among 4A-1 teams left two teams undefeated in league play. Pea Ridge and Shiloh Christian were both at 4-0; followed by Prairie Grove, Gentry and Gravette, all at 2-2; Lincoln, 1-3; and Berryville, 0-4.
Sports on 11/16/2016