Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolves district co-champs part 2

The Panthers were aided by two Prescott penalties as Ashdown drove 75 yards in 11 plays, with Aylett finding Garrison for a 19-yard touchdown pass.

The point after made it 42-14 with 4:58 remaining.

Prescott fumbled on the first play after the kickoff, with Ashdown recovering at the Wolf 23.

The Panthers needed four plays to put the team's third touchdown on the board on a one-yard plunge by Courtney Jackson with 21 seconds left in the game.

Ashdown converted the try for two to make it 42-22.

"We knew they'd be tough and physical," said offensive coordinator Brian Glass after the game. "We came in wanting to spread their defense, get them out of their comfort zone and adjust to us."

Glass said the idea was to mix things up enough to keep Ashdown on its heels.

He praised the defense, saying it stepped up in the second half when the offense was stymied by Ashdown.

"This is about as tough as it gets," he said.

Smith thanked the community for its support of the program throughout the regular season.

He said things were tough for the team early on in the season, but the fans hung in there to see the Wolves win a share of the conference title.

"Prescott is a great place," he said. "I'd like to thank the administration, teachers and everyone down the line for their support all year.

"These guys believed they could win. They believed they can play with and beat anyone, anytime, anywhere.

"The seniors decided they wanted to win the conference title, then went and got it. I'm proud of our seniors. They'll be successful in the game of life."

Statistically, the game was close, with Ashdown dominating the time of possession and offensive plays.

The Panthers ran 57 plays, whereas Prescott had 39 snaps.

The Prescott ground game was shut down and held to less than100 yards for the first time all year. The Wolves had 42 yards rushing, while Ashdown gained 174 yards.

On the other hand, Prescott's aerial attack proved to be more than Ashdown's defense could handle.

Martin was 11-15 for 175 yards and four touchdowns.

Aylett connected on eight of 22 passes for 36 yards. He was picked off three times, two being returned for touchdowns.

Both teams punted three times, Prescott for 87 yards, and Ashdown for 113.

Ashdown managed to sack Martin four times, while Aylett was sacked twice by Prescott's defense.

The Wolves were flagged seven times for 45 yards, while Ashdown was hit five times for 55 yards in penalty.

Prescott fumbled twice, losing both, while Ashdown also put the ball on the ground twice, but recovered both.

Ashdown managed 14 first downs to 12 for the Wolves.

In spite of the score, it wasn't an offensive showcase as Prescott managed to scratch out 217 yards, and Ashdown fought for 210.

Vanhook was Prescott's leading ground gainer with 30 yards on 11 carries.

Ashdown, Nashville and Prescott finished the season with 6-1 conference records and 8-2 overall.

Fouke was the final 7AAA team to qualify for the playoffs with a 4-3 conference record and a 7-3 overall record. Fouke's losses all came at the hands of the conference co-champs.

De Queen was fifth, followed by Mena, Fountain Lake and Bismarck. The Lions were winless on the year.

Warren won the 8AAA conference and will host Fouke Friday night.

Star City finished second in the 8AAA, followed by Dollarway, Dumas, Fordyce, McGehee, Hamburg and Lake Village.

The important thing, though, is Prescott will host Dollarway at Cummins Field Friday, Nov. 15, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.