Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Curley Wolves; Blue Jays Rule

Sports was big news in 1995 with the Curley Wolves winning the state championship, and Nevada's Bluejays coming in second overall in basketball.

Newton's third law of gravity states for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This pretty well sums up the Prescott Curley Wolves football season, making it one of the top stories of 1995 in Nevada County.

The Wolves accrued a 14-0-1 record and brought home the AA State Championship with a 14-8 win over league rival Nashville on a bitterly cold and windy Dec. 9 at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium.

The only blemish on an otherwise perfect season was a 12-12 tie with the Hope Bobcats in a contest the Wolves should have won, and did win statistically.

In an examination of how Newton's law applies to the season, the action was the Wolf offense, which was all but unstoppable. The equal, yet opposite, reaction was one of the stingiest defenses to set foot on turf during the season, as the Wolves stopped almost all offensive assaults against them.

Prescott opened its championship season with a 15-0 whipping of Camden Harmony Grove. This was followed up by the tie at Hope.

A 1-0-1 record in two games was nothing to be excited about, but there was something in the air for the third game as the Wolves played Ashdown. Whatever it is that makes a team a team occurred during this game as the squad jelled and showed the offense that would dominate the rest of the season. It was also the game the defense stepped up.

The Wolves hammered Ashdown 34-12. They went on to pummel Junction City 34-14. This was the only team the Wolves had been picked to beat in the conference during pre-season predictions. Prescott had been slated to finish sixth.

From Junction City, the Wolves entertained Nashville, and dominated the Scrappers 28-13.

The roll continued as the DeQueen Leopards fell 40-12. Stamps gave the Wolves a bit of a fight, but the final score was not indicative of how the game went. Precott won 8-0, but had three touchdowns called back by penalty.

Hampton was little more than a doormat for the Wolves as they posted a 43-0 pasting of the team. Gurdon was next in line as the Go-Devils were cooled 16-0 in their homecoming game. It was also the first game the newly- created traveling trophy was awarded by the Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times. As long as these two teams play, the trophy will continue. This will be the Wolves' third game in 1996.

Prescott wrapped up its perfect conference season by thumping the Fordyce Redbugs 16-3. These same Redbugs had frustrated the Wolves' playoff hopes for several years and Prescott was more than ready to get a measure of revenge as the team looked forward to the playoffs.

Week one of post season action saw the Wolves completely humiliate Yellville 48-6. Hamburg was the victim for the second playoff game as Prescott posted a 37-13 victory enroute to the championship.

Gentry made a long trip from Northwest Arkansas in week three, only to return on an even longer journey home as the Wolves sent them packing 42-12.

Then came the problem. In the semifinal game against Clarksville, the Wolves had posted a huge lead, going into the lockers with a 32-7 advantage. But star running back Courtney Bryant blew out his knee in the first half after gaining 71 yards on seven carries.

This injury took some of the starch out of Prescott's sails as their rivals fought back in the second half, almost pulling off the comback but falling short 32-26.

Bryant, the leading rusher for Prescott with almost 1,500 yards, may have been the pivotal point in the championship game against the Scrappers. He had rushed for 168 yards against Nashville earlier in the season.

Round one of the Prescott-Nashville battle saw Wolf quarterback Barrett Yates only put the ball in the air six times, completing three for 27 yards.

The Scrappers had to figure with Bryant out they had the game well in hand. After all, their signalcaller, Jared McBride had passed for more than 2,500 yards during the season.

In addition, the Scrappers had managed to beat Pine Bluff powerhouse Dollarway 10-6 in their semifinal game. Some "experts" had said Dollarway was a tougher team than Prescott.

All this lead to a sense of security and sureness for Nashville, and a plethora of overconfidence.

However, they overlooked the Wolf Gang "D", which had been among the state's best all season.

Defense was the name of the game in the first period, as neither team could consistently move the ball against the other.

However, late in the second period, the Wolves defense had forced Nashville to punt on fourth and 14. The boot was partially blocked, giving Prescott the ball at the Scrapper 44.

From there, Yates went to work, expertly moving the team downfield toward the promised land. Yates had the Wolves on the march primarily on the strength of his right arm.

The payoff came when he connected with C.D. Flemons on a third and 10 pass in the flats at the 13. Flemons took it in, but Yates missed on the point after try. Still, Prescott led 6-0 going into the half.

Neither team was able to sustain a drive in the third period as the sun began sinking in the west, casting shadows farther out onto the field.

In the final 12 minutes, though, the Wolves put together their final drive. Prescott coughed up the ball deep in Nashville territory, but the defense forced the Scrappers to punt.

Sophomore Al Johnston fielded the kick at the 43 and gained five to the 38. Two plays resulted in the loss of seven yards before Yates went to the air and found John Cornelius at the Scrapper eight.

Johnston carried to the four on first and goal, and was followed by Heath Duke's amazing scoring run on second down. Duke took the handoff and headed for a crowded line, somehow, though, he found a gap and went in almost untouched for the score.

Prescott mentor Eddie Jackson opted to go for two instead of a standard point after. Yates found Larry Henderson all alone in the endzone for the conversion and a 14-0 lead.

But the game wasn't over as Nashville fought back. In the waning moments, McBride connected with Willie Henry for a score with less than a minute to go. The Scrappers also made a two-point conversion to cut the gap to 14-8.

Nashville went for an onside kick and managed to recover it with 10 seconds left. This was the first time all season the Wolves lost an onside kick attempt.

McBride winged a desparation pass deep into Wolf territory, only to see his counterpart, Yates, step up and pick off the pass, ending the game and completing Prescott's dream season.

But with the round ball, as opposed to the oblong ball, the Nevada senior boys were a dominant force.

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