Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Curley Wolves Dominate Pioneers, Win 42-12; Prescott to Take

On Clarksville Friday Night The Curley Wolves made their attack against the Pioneers fast and sure Friday night as they put four touchdowns on the scoreboard in the first quarter.

The final was Prescott 42, Gentry 12.

The Wolves will play Clarksville here Friday night in the semi-finals of the state playoffs.

It only took the Wolves two minutes and 40 seconds to get on the board. It came on their first possession.

Gentry had received the kickoff, but the "Big D" refused to let the Pioneers make more than 4 yards and Gentry had to punt. A bad snap netted three yards on the kick, so Prescott took over a scant 30 yards away from the first goal.

On first down Courtney Bryant picked up 7 yards. A pass from Barrett Yates to C.D. Flemons in the end zone fell incomplete, then Yates handed off to Bryant on a delay and Bryant went through the middle for the 23-yard TD. A bad snap from center prevented Yates from kicking the point after, and Rashad Johnson attempted to carry the ball in for 2 points, but failed, leaving the score 6-0 with 9:20 left in the quarter.

Johnson was to have a good night for the Wolves. He ran back a 75- yard punt for a TD in the first period and was the receiving end of two of Yates' passes during the game for 71 yards.

Bryant didn't do too badly either. He only carried the ball three times during the quarter, and only gained 44 yards, but he scored 2 touchdowns of his own during the same period.

The other scores came when Flemons recovered a fumble for a quick TD and when Yates went in from 14 yards out and he also threw a 32-yard pass to John Cornelius.

Yates threw 13 passes during the game, completing 6 of them for 170 yards. Passes went to Bryant, Johnson, Flemons, Cornelius and Carlos VanHook. In addition he completed two 2-point plays through the air.

Bryant rushed eight times for 57 yards, short from his average of more than 100 yards per game. He has gained 1,398 yards in 13 games.

The game proved one thing: Prescott was ready for it and the Gentry Pioneers were not. The Pioneers appeared to have gone into the game arrogantly. Prescott went into it determined to win. That's what it takes.

After the first TD it wasn't very long until the Curley Wolves were back in for another.

Terrell Burton has been doing the kickoffs lately for Prescott and he did another good job Friday night. After each kickoff it seemed the Pioneers were within five yards of where they began after the first, somewhere around the 25.

The Pioneers made a first down, then after a sack by Larry Henderson and C.D. Flemons, quarterback Joey Still went back to pass again. Again Still was hit behind the line of scrimmage. This time the ball was knocked loose and Flemons picked it up for the race to the goal line. A Yates to Flemons pass converted 2 points to make the score 14-0 with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

This time the Gentry Pioneers were serious. Starting at the 24 they converted two first downs, getting to the Prescott 49. Three passes in a row and the Pioneers had to punt.

Still went back and took the snap. The punt went to Johnson at the 25-yard line. He didn't know what else to do but run. And run he did: 75 yards for a punt return touchdown with 3:24 still remaining in the quarter.

Then comes a play no coach wants to see more than once in his lifetime.

The snap to Cornelius for the point after was bad. The ball was finally picked up and, seeing he had no room to run, he shoveled the ball toward Yates. It bounced on the ground, but Yates finally got it and began to run, but seeing he had no running room he threw to his younger brother, Jared Yates, a freshman waiting in the end zone. The pass was good for 2 points. The score was 22-0.

It could have been bad, though. If Gentry had scooped up the ball it could have been a TD for the opponent. It was very exciting, however.

Then comes another scoring drive.

Gentry began this time at the 26. They punted from the 25 -- Prescott's defense was doing a good job. They did a good job all night. The punt was blown dead at the Prescott 41.

Carlos VanHook got the first call and picked up the first down at the Gentry 45.

Yates, playing in the shotgun position, missed Channing Butler with a pass. Then two offsides penalties against Gentry gave the Wolves a first down at the Gentry 35-yard line.

Al Johnston gained 4 yards on the next play, and a shovel pass over the middle on the next play to Courtney Bryant netted 17 yards. Yates had been hit hard and left the game. Johnston took his place.

He gave the ball to Bryant, who went in from 14 yards out for the fourth TD of the quarter. The PAT by Mike Fountain was good and Prescott led 29-0 with 4 seconds left in the period.

The Wolves, offensively, had rushed 5 times for 62 yards and Yates had passed for 17 yards. Gentry at this point had 23 yards rushing and 8 passing.

No scoring was done in the second period, but Yates completed two passes for 89 yards and he had one intercepted. His completed passes went to Johnson for 47 yards and to Flemons for 42 yards. Very good passes.

The Wolves had begun the drive at their own 2-yard line. The first pass moved the ball to the Gentry 44. The second was almost a touchdown, but Flemons was stopped at the 2.

Then something happened that had not happened in several games. The handoff went to Flemons, but the ball went through his arms. He went over the goal line, but without the football. Gentry recovered the fumble with time running out in the first half.

In all Prescott only made the two long first downs during the second quarter, and that was all. Gentry made three first downs during this period.

Prescott took the kickoff to open the second half and had to punt with a fourth and 9 situation.

Gentry made two first downs and then had to punt.

They faked it. Instead of punting Still attempted a long pass that was intercepted by Channing Butler. He was almost free to the end zone, but was finally stopped at the Gentry 37.

A pass was thrown incomplete, then a pass to Rashad Johnson was complete for the first down at the 13.

VanHook lost a yard on the next play, but Yates ran the option well on the next. He went right and faked a pitchout to Bryant, but kept the ball and went in for the TD with 6:18 left in the third period. Another bad snap to Johnson prevented the point after, but the score was 35-0.

This time when Gentry had to punt it was no fake. Rashad Johnson took the kick somewhere around the 35 or 40. He wasn't stopped until he got to the Gentry 27.

Yates missed Cornelius with a pass, but threw a little screen pass to VanHook that gained 8 yards. Bryant got the first down on a rush play at the Gentry 17-yard