Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Curley Wolves Slay Dragons; Must Win Over Panthers

This Thursday's game at Fouke is a do-or-die situation for Prescott as the Curley Wolves must have a win to get into the state playoffs beginning in two weeks.

Presently the Wolves are 2-2 in the 7AA Conference. They are in fourth place behind Fordyce, De Queen and Nashville. However, Fouke is right behind Prescott, looking for the opportunity to move up in the conference.

The game is being played Thursday night instead of Friday, because Halloween is Friday. Next week's game at Fordyce will be played on Thursday so the game will not interfer with the opening of gun deer season Saturday morning.

Last Friday was Prescott's last appearance at home, as the Curley Wolves `slew' the Dragons, 22-12.

For some reason the Curley Wolves just did not look as sharp as they should against Junction City. They certainly looked better the week before. Was it over confidence? Was it homecoming ceremonies throughout the week? A better Prescott defense certainly would have helped, especially in the fourth period.

Five players were hurt in the game, which could indicate the Dragons were better prepared. One injured player, maybe more, probably will not see action this week at Fouke. Justin Jernigan, who was injured at De Queen two weeks earlier, probably will be out.

The first half was certinaly the best for Prescott. The Curley Wolves made 11 first downs, scoring two touchdowns. They had 31 offensive plays the first half, compared to 25 for Junction City. The Dragons only came up with three first downs during the same time.

Neither team did hardly anything the third period. Prescott had 39 yards rushing. The Dragons rushed for 16 yards and passed for another 13.

In the final period, the Curley Wolves rushed for 59 yards while Junction City rushed for 46. The big difference was the 124 passing yards gained by quaterback Nick Fisher for Junction City.

Prescott had 18 first downs in the game, Junction City 12.

Prescott quarterback Al Johnston attempted 16 passes, completing five for 105 yards. He was intercepted once and he threw 10 incomplete passes.

Fisher also 17 passes, but he only completed six - all in the last half, five in the final period - for 137 yards. He threw one interception during the fourth quarter. All others fell incomplete.

Junction City finished with three turnovers. Prescott had two, one in the first period and one in the third.

Two unusual plays happened in the last half.

One was in the third period when Jason Morrow recovered a fumble for Prescott. In his attempt to gain yardage, he was hit and lost the ball. However, it came as an extra advantage for the Curley Wolves as Gary Stovall recovered it for the Wolves after it bounced several yards in Prescott's favor.

The second one also happened in the final period when Fisher tried to hit Matthew Snow with a pass. Two Prescott defenders broke up the play, as well as anyone could, with the ball going up in the air. However, from out of nowhere Gerod Payne caught the ball behind the action before it hit the ground. There was no one between him and the goal line for the score.

The game started smoothly. No penalties were called in the first half against Prescott, and only two in the second period were called against the Dragons. But in the third period, Prescott was penalized three times and JC twice. In the final period, the Curley Wolves were penalized five times while JC had two infractions.

In all, Prescott was penalized eight times for 75 yards. Junction City was penalzied six times for 45 yards.

In the first quarter, the Curley Wolves got as close as five yards of scoring, but were at the six when the series was turned over on downs. They just couldn't make anything jell.

Things were different in the second period. On the first play, Junction City punted to the Wolves. Prescott made one first down, but the Wolves also had to punt. Junctin City followed suit. Then the Curley Wolves began a scoring drive from their 23.

Terry Woodley rushed for four yards on the first play and Calvin Flemons picked up the first down at the 35-yard line.

Carlos Van Hook then gained six yards before Heath Duke did likewise, getting the first down at the 41.

Flemons got the call again and made it to mid-field. From the 50, Johnston connected with Mike Fountain with a pass for a 41-yard gainer and a first down at the Dragons' nine.

Heath picked up eight on the next play, and then it was given to him again. He scored from one yard out. The extra point was kicked by Fountain.

Fountain's kickoff was taken by Marcus Godfrey at the two-yard line, a kick that should have gone in the end zone. Surprisingly, Godfrey was able to get the ball back to the 22-yard line.

Sam Grayson carried the ball twice for the Dragons, but lost it on the second carry, fumbling it away to Bret Wicker for the Curley Wolves at the JC 29.

On the first play, Johnston hit Morrow in the end zone for another TD only one minute after the first. An offsides penalty against the Dragons moved the point after try closer to the goal, so Coach David Bennett decided his team should go for a two-point conversion. Duke made the score 15-0 with 3:20 left in the half.

Prescott ended the third period with the ball still on the 17-yard line after two tries, 10 yards away from a first down. Early in the fourth period the Curley Wolves had to punt.

Two plays later the fumble occurred with Morrow making the recovery, fumbling, then Stovall gettting the recovery at the Junction City 29-yard line. Another Prescott score was coming up.

Woodley picked up four yards on the first carry, and got the call on the next, gaining two more. Duke then rushed to the Junction City 14 for the first down.

Duke got the call again and picked up eight yards to the JC six. On second and two Duke got the first down at the two on the next play.

Woodley then went in for the touchdown with Fountain getting the extra point. Prescott led 22-0 with 8:47 left in the game.

Junction City's first score came on the next series. Fisher completed a lateral pass to Godfrey in the flats. With an open field down the sideline it was scoring time. The two-point try, a Fisher-Joey Davis pass, fell incomplete for the score to remain 22-6.

Prescott stalled in the next series and punted. JC made a first down and got extra yardage with a Prescott penalty. Then Fountain intercepted a Fisher pass that was nullified because of a roughing the passer penalty against the home team. This gave the Dragons a first down at the Prescott 22. Jarrod Milled finally ended the series with an interception that counted.

Once more the Curley Wolves had to punt with Junction City getting the ball on their 29, actually the 13 since a clipping penalty on