Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolves make state playoffs

And the crowd went wild, doesnt even come close to explaining the reaction of fans as the Prescott Curley Wolves saved their place in the conference playoffs during the final moments of the game against the West Fork Tigers. The final score, 19-18, was achieved with literally seconds left on the clock and the Wolves will be playing at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock Saturday.

The Tigers got off to an early lead and held it until Prescotts final possession of the game. It came down to a kick by Justin Marcum, a senior player who has missed few field goals this season. But the West Fork defense was a force to be reckoned with and Marcums only other field goal attempt of the game had been thwarted by the Tigers. In those final moments of play, the Wolves came together, held the line to provide Marcum with the time he needed and the kick was good.

The early part of the game was all about the Tigers and the two teams hit the half-time lockers with the Tigers well in the lead. As the Wolves returned to the field, the temperature dropped and the Prescott fans could be heard shouting, Its not over!

and Were still in this game! It turned out that the fans knew what they were talking about and the Wolves seemed to find the few weaknesses in the Tigers defensive line.

Early in the second half, quarterback Ben Smith managed a pass to Deon Accor, putting the Wolves near mid-field. Smith held on the next play, picking up nine yards, then handed off to James Threadgill who managed a first down at the Wolves own 41-yard line. Smiths next pass put Accor at the 29-yard line. Over the next two plays, Smith held the ball - at least partly due to the pressure by the Tigers defense. But the Wolves still pushed their line to within yards of a much-needed touchdown.

One of many penalties against Prescott pushed the Wolves back to the 13-yard line, but Smiths next pass to Accor put the Wolves on the board, 6-18. The Wolves went for two points, but that West Fork defense was simply all over the Wolves and the point was no good.

Prescott forced a turnover on the Tigers next possession, but the Wolves couldnt make good on the opportunity. They did manage to hold the Tigers next plays to a minimum and the Wolves next took over on the Tigers 30-yard line.

Though the Tigers pressed, Accor was well into Wolf territory and open for Smiths pass. Smith held the next play for a gain of seven yards, then handed off to Kalin Hall who made it to the 26-yard line before the Tigers tackled him. It took several plays for the Wolves to put themselves into position for Hall to run the football in for the Wolves next touchdown. With a score of 12-18, Marcum prepared to kick but that strong Tiger defensive line pressed the Wolves and the point after was no good.

As the Tigers took possession, the West Fork team seemed intent on an answering touchdown. The Wolf defense was putting up some barriers of its own, including a play by Drew Loe. As Tiger quarterback Daniel Holiday made a pass that would have put the Tigers in excellent scoring position, Loe broke up the play, almost intercepting but the senior player couldnt hold the football. Holiday next handed off to Richardson but Loe made the tackle and the Tigers gained no ground.

Wolf defensive player Sam Stafford also put several Tiger plans to rest, effectively shutting down at least three runs. The Wolf defense, seemingly unable to contain the Tigers early in the game, found their feet in the second half and kept the Tigers advances to a minimum.

The Wolves took over their final possession deep in Tiger country. Over the next several plays, the Wolves gained yards gradually. Then Smith found Hall who made it to mid-field before Tiger player Taylor Ginz caught up with him. As the Wolves found their way toward the touchdown that would tie the game, Hall and Accor made runs that put the Curley Wolves at the 20 yard line with a first down. The problem facing the Wolves was the clock. The Prescott team found themselves at their own 12-yard line but with only a minute left to make the trip. While the crowd went wild, #28 Kalin Hall carried the ball over the line for the tie score. With Marcums kick, the Tigers had only seconds left on their own possession and the Tigers managed to make only two brief plays before time ran out.

The Tigers, who held the lead until the final minute of play, left Cummings Stadium defeated while the Prescott Curley Wolves will be making the trip to War Memorial Stadium to face Shiloh Christian Academy for the state championship.