PRAIRIE GROVE -- Gentry scored two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter to garner a 32-24 win over Prairie Grove in junior high football Thursday.
Gentry took an 8-point lead with less than two minutes left, then withstood a final Prairie Grove drive as the game went down to the wire. Only after a fumbled snap led to a sack with time expiring could Gentry rest easy.
The junior Pioneers broke an 18-18 tie by scoring on a 53-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brandon Atwood, who ran off tackle, then cut inside on his way to the end zone. Prairie Grove's Hayden Black stuffed a run, stopping a 2-point try. The ensuing kickoff went out-of-bounds and the junior Tigers set up their offense from their own 37. Prairie Grove drove to the Gentry nine on the strength of Keiandrae Hobbs' running. The freshman carried the ball four times for 59 yards and had to be grabbed by the jersey by a falling defender to prevent a touchdown.
Prairie Grove's drive then went in reverse. The junior Tigers recovered a fumble but lost 11 yards, then were penalized for illegal procedure and moved back to the Gentry 25. On second-and-goal, Layman Foster ripped off a touchdown run. Prairie Grove appeared to be in position to take the lead when a penalty against Gentry moved the ball to the one for the conversion, but the junior Tigers failed to capitalize and drew a 5-yard penalty of their own, moving the ball back to the six. Gentry sacked Higgins and a pass play failed to convert - leaving the score knotted one more time, at 24-24.
Prairie Grove tried an onside kick, but Gentry recovered. The junior Pioneers avoided a turnover when Atwood got back a bobbled snap. On the next play, Brennan Crosby broke a 48-yard touchdown run. Atwood looked like he was in a world of trouble with Prairie Grove penetrating the backfield as he attempted to pass on the conversion attempt. Atwood avoided a sack and kept the play alive by retreating, then reversing field. Running to his right, he released the ball near the 30 and Ben Philpot caught the pass in the end zone to complete Gentry's first successful 2-point conversion of the game.
"Prairie Grove's defense was great inside on 2-point runs all night," said Gentry coach Daniel Ramsey, explaining why the junior Pioneers went to their passing game on the conversion.
"Great job by the offensive line and the quarterback just keeping it alive," Ramsey said. "He's a great athlete, he's a great leader. You got to put it up. Give them a chance to catch it. We did that."
Hobbs returned a short kickoff to the junior Tiger 43 - leaving Prairie Grove with 57 yards to cover in 1:37, plus needing a 2-point conversion. A sack on second down was followed by an incomplete third down pass, putting Prairie Grove in a fourth-and-22 hole from their own 45. With 25 seconds left Prairie Grove coach John Elder called time-out to set up a play. The junior Tigers came out of the time-out in the swinging-gate formation and caught Gentry by surprise with Layman Foster running for a first-down to the Gentry 32.
"We gave ourselves a chance right there," said Prairie Grove coach John Elder. "There wasn't much to go on. I was pleased with the way we pulled it out right there."
The junior Tigers edged even closer on a Higgins completion to Guenther, who got out-of-bounds at the Gentry 17 leaving time for one more play, but a fumbled snap ended the game with Prairie Grove having no chance to use their last time-out.
Gentry opened the scoring with a touchdown in the first quarter. The conversion failed leaving the visitors with a 6-0 lead. The junior Tigers tied the game on a Higgins touchdown toss to Marshall Montgomery, who got behind the Gentry secondary. Prairie Grove could not convert and the score was deadlocked at 6-6, the first of four ties in the contest. On Gentry's next play from scrimmage, Atwood ran around left end untouched. Nobody caught him as he reached the end zone to put Gentry back ahead. The junior Pioneers fumbled the football and Prairie Grove's Gunnar Caudle tackled the runningback for a loss foiling the conversion attempt. The first quarter ended with Gentry ahead, 12-6.
Prairie Grove turned the ball over on downs at the Gentry 36 on the first play of the second period. Gentry got a break on their drive. Prairie Grove's Cody Kruse submarined Atwood popping the ball out with Higgins recovering for the junior Tigers. The officials ruled Atwood's head hit the ground before the fumble and possession remained with Gentry. The junior Pioneers completed a 64-yard scoring drive in 11 plays with Atwood carrying the ball 23 yards for a touchdown around left end. A run failed on a conversion and Gentry led, 18-6, with 2:41 left in the first half.
Prairie Grove's Guenther returned an onside kick into Gentry territory at the 41. After three running plays, the junior Tigers went to the air with Higgins tossing a touchdown pass to Josh Weber from the Gentry 30. A running play failed on the conversion attempt, but Prairie Grove was within a touchdown, at 18-12, an advantage Gentry maintained at the half.
The junior Pioneers forced Prairie Grove to punt on the first series of the third quarter. Higgins got away a decent kick giving no opportunity for a runback and Gentry started at their own 25-yard line. Three straight runs by Crosby left Gentry in a fourth-and-one situation. They elected to go for a first-down, but Atwood was tackled for a 5-yard loss by Prairie Grove's Hobbs, turning the ball over on downs. The junior Tigers turned the short field into a scoring opportunity with Higgins getting a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. An incomplete pass ended a 2-point try and the score was tied at 18-18 as the third quarter wore down setting up a dramatic fourth quarter.
The junior Tigers had to juggle their starting lineup, moving eighth-grader Kennan Davis into the starting unit at the last minute.
"We had a guy, who missed right before the game today," Elder explained. "We had an eighth-grader, who had to step up. Kennan Davis got the call tonight at 5:30 p.m. that he was starting. He didn't know it."
"If you count our tight end, four of our six linemen up there are eighth-graders. They're going to be able to handle it next year, but we've got to finish this year."
The junior Tigers are on the road at Berryville Thursday. The seventh-grade game begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by the junior high game at 7 p.m.
Sports on 10/26/2016