Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Curley Wolves Rip Through Bobcats, 25-16

Prescott put another win under its belt Friday night, beating Class AAA Hope, 25-16.

Four other 7AA Conference teams -- Bismarck, Fountain Lake, Fouke and Nashville -- also posted wins. In fact, these five teams are all 2- 0 for the new season, while Fordyce is 1-1 and De Queen is 0-2.

The Wolves have not had a loss since its last game in 1994 against Fordyce. They tied Hope last year, 12-12, for the only blemish of 1995, then went on to win the state Class AA championship.

For anyone at the Prescott game for only the first quarter Friday night, it would have seem that the Curley Wolves may be invincible this year.

They scored three touchdowns during that period and did not allow the Bobcats one single first down. Their TD's came on their first three possessions, moving the ball at will and letting Hope make the mistakes.

But that all changed in the second half.

In the first quarter it was all Prescott offensively, getting 45 yards on the ground and 73 yards in the passing game. The Wolves also picked up five first downs.

Defensively, the big Wolfgang D pleased the overflow crowd by only allowing six yards for the Bobcats. Two class reunions were in attendance Friday night, the classes of 1976 and 1986.

In the second period it was still Prescott's football game, although no more scoring was done. However, as Prescott was churning up 39 more rushing yards and 25 through the air, the Bobcats picked up their first first down and 23 yards in the passing game. They had a minus 7 on the ground.

Each team posted interceptions during the second period, as Prescott's Al Johnston and Hope's Chris Conway each completed two. In the first half, Johnston completed four, one that went for a TD.

The Wolves finished the half with nine first downs to Hope's one.

An observer could also say the third period belonged to Prescott, too. The Prescott defense held the Bobcats to 24 yards rushing and Conway completed two more passes for a total of nine yards in the air.

What impressed most fans, and no doubt the couches, too, was the Wolves' ground game in the third period. They had 15 plays, all on the ground, for a total of 76 yards. Johnston did not throw a pass the entire second half.

Prescott's last touchdown came on the first play in the fourth period. After that it was Hope's time to move the ball.

Conway threw 10 passes during the fourth period, completing seven of them for 94 yards. Hope had 11 rushing plays for 66 more yards. During the same period Prescott six plays, two of them in the closing moments when Johnston merely went to the ground after getting the snap.

All in all, however, it was a sweet victory for Prescott over Hope.

Only one more `pre-season' game remains before the `real' season begins. This week the Curley Wolves will host the Gurdon Go-Devils. The Go-Devils dropped out of the 7AA Conference this year, and now play in the 7A West Conference.

The Prescott defense was in control Friday night as the Bobcats received the kickoff and had to punt on fourth and three from their 28-yard line.

The Wolves took over at mid-field with Sam Marlow getting the first call and a first down all the way to the Hope 27-yard line.

Carlos Vanhook gained eight yards next, then Shane Pipkin picked up 12 yards and the first down at the seven. The wolves were knocking at Hope's goal line.

VanHook got the ball the next three plays, but only managed to get it to the one. On fourth and one Johnston kept the ball on an option and went in for the score. The point after kick by Mike Fountain missed the mark, but Prescott led 6-0 with 7:32 still left in the quarter.

This time, thanks to Prescott's tough defense, it was fourth and 12 when the Bobcats punted from their 26-yard line.

Marlow got the first call again and moved the ball four yards. An offsides penalty against Hope moved the ball five yards, and a pass play was incomplete to leave the ball at the 47-yard line. Vanhook then went up the middle and got the first down at the 48.

An effort by Tracy Stafford moved the ball to the 50, where a Johnston to C.D. Flemons pass fell incomplete. Then Johnston hit wide receiver Rashad Johnson on the sidelines with a pass. Johnson, who also has a good arm on him, then connected with Flemons around the 25, and Flemons knew where the goal line was as he went over for the TD with 3:07 left in the quarter.

This time coach Eddie Jackson decided to for a two-point conversion. Johnston attempted to hit Flemons with a pass, but failed as the score remained 12-0.

On the next Hope series Mike Lawson lost a couple of yards on the first play, then Conway missed the handoff on the snap and Jared Yates recovered the fumble for Prescott at the Hope 24-yard line.

Johnston threw a pass for Marlow that couldn't be caught, then ran the option for a one yard gainer. Johnston thenhit Flemons in the end zone for another TD with 1:56 left in the first period.

Another two-point conversion failed as a Johnston to Marlow pass fell incomplete. The score remained 18-0.

Hope had to punt once more, this time on fourth and seven as time was running out. The Curley Wovles had one more play before the quarter ended, then had to punt for the first time in the game. This came only after the Wolves had made two first downs and were at the Hope 48.

Prescott finished the half with nine first downs to Hope's one.

Each team began a series of downs and punts, and each quarterback turned the ball over on interceptions. In addition, Vanhook received a handoff too high to handle and Hope recovered the fumble.

Vanhook fumbled again in the game. In all Hope lost two fumbles and one interception to Prescott, as did Prescott lose two fumbles and an interception to the Bobcats.

Prescott only had six first downs the second half, while Hope had 11. Prescott had a total of 15 first downs to Hope's 12.

In an attempt to get the ball, the Bobcats tried an onsides kick to begin the second half with Jarod Miller recovering the ball for the Curley Wolves.

Prescott dominated the third quarter time-wise, but the Bodcats managed two first downs. The Wolves' longest drive was their touchdown drive that culminated on the first play of the fourth period.

The drive began on the Wolves' 31 after Jamie Williams recovered a Hope fumble.

Vanhook and Marlow got the first down on two plays, then Heath Duke picked up 11 yards and another first down at the Hope 46.

Duke was stopped for no gain on the next play, then Stafford rushed for 18 yards to get a first down at the Hope 28.

Next, Stafford gained eight yards and then one before Johnston got the first down on a sneak.

Stafford took the ball on a sweep on the next play and picked up six yards. Marlow came up short for the first down on second down, but Vanhook gained two on the next play to get the first down at the seven-yard line.

Marlow got the next three calls,