Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Quarterfinal Game Is Friday At Prescott

Prescott will be playing in town this Friday, hosting the Atkins Red Devils, after trouncing the McGehee Owls, 34-12, Friday night.

Last week's Curley Wolves looked like last year's state champions. After getting a handle on the Owls' offense, the Prescott defense shut down the Owls completely. Only after the reserves, including ninth graders, did the Owls score.

Atkins edged out the Dover Pirates, 13-12, to advance. Had Dover won, Prescott would have had to travel to Dover.

The team with the highest conference ranking gets to be the host. In this case Prescott finished second in the 7AA Conference behind Nashville. Atkins finished third in the 5AA Central Conference.

Next week, after Prescott wins Friday night, the Wolves will have to travel to either Osceola, winner of the 3AA South Conference, or to Huntsville, the winner of the 1AA Conference. Both are long drives.

Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) is in control of the play-off games. Therefore, no season tickets or local passes will be accepted at the PHS Stadium. Admission will be $4 for adults and $3 for students without an AAA pass.

The Curley Wolves couldn't stop the Owls on their first drive. Not until McGehee got inside the Prescott 10-yard line did the defense stop the Owls, and then it was one of those `costly' mistakes.

Terrence Spratt, carrying the ball from the seven, attempted to stretch a little bit further for more yardage after he was hit. When he did the ball came out of his hands and bounced into the end zone, where Rashad Johnson recovered it.

While both teams made more than one turnover, only Prescott was able to score on it, later in the ball game.

One of the things that inspired Prescott so much, perhaps, was the public address announcer.

Before the game began, he praised both teams' defenses. Then he said, "McGehee has the best defense in the state..." and said the Owls have only permitted just over six points per game while Prescott has permitted over eight points per game. He should have said that.

The Wolves proved they could score more than six, and actually held the Owls scoreless for over three quarters.

Exciting for the crowd (it was as big as the one last week at PHS Stadium) were two safeties and a field goal. One safety is rare in a ballgame, but two are almost unheard of.

All this is related on the front page to encourage Prescott fans to come out to the PHS Stadium Friday night to support the Curley Wolves.

In other Friday night happenings last week, Nashville won, 56-7, over Gravette; De Queen upset Rivercrest, 14-7, in overtime; Osceola defeated Fordyce, 28-15; Mena shut out Dollarway, 33-0; Lonoke eliminated Star City, 21-14; and Huntsville defeated Robinson, 27-14.

Three teams from the 7AA Conference remain in the play-offs. Last week was the first time any can remember when four teams from the same conference won all its games.