Bisons win

The

Daily Citizen SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2011

SPORTS

SECTION B Sports Editor Kyle Troutman 501-268-8621 ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com

Searcy looks for win No. 10 Wildcat defense miserly to foes Harding Academy allows one only score for 6th straight game

After convincing Round 1 win, Lions host Zebras in 6A

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com

One win down, three wins to go.

Searcy’s 41-14 win over Little Rock McClellan Friday has the Lions preparing for their next guest, Pine Bluff.

Head Coach Tim Harper said Searcy didn’t play up to potential Friday, but he expects work to get done and focus to improve when the Lions host the Zebras in round two of the 6A playoffs.

“We’re a lot better team than we played [Friday],” he said. “We

played sloppy because we knew we were a better team, and I take responsibility for that. If we want to win over Pine Bluff, we’ll have to play more like we did against Jonesboro or Mountain Home.”

“We definitely have some things to clear up,” said junior Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com running back and defensive back Searcy quarterback Dezmond Stegall evades a Little Rock McClelCam Woodruff. “We had some lan defender’s tackle during the Lions’ 41-14 round-one playoff win at home Friday. Searcy hosts Pine Bluff in a quarterfinal matchup Please see SEARCY | 3B Friday at 7:30 p.m.

BY ALEXANDRA MCCLAIN Special to The Daily Citizen

Harding Academy will go into its Friday contest against high-scoing Greenland with a good deal of momentum.

The Wildcats kept their 2011 football season rolling Friday night, thrashing Mountain View 48-6.

For the sixth game in a row, the Wildcats allowed their opponent to score only once. The Yellow Jackets’ points came on their first possession.

“We’re playing fast and hard on defense, they’re playing great,” Wildcats head coach Roddy Mote said after the game.

The offense has been salty this season, as well, scoring at least 40 points in five games so far.

Mountain View was unable to contain senior David Brooker who scored 4 of the Wildcats’ 7 touchdowns. “[Brooker] played well, Please see HA | 3B

BISONS GET 16-9 WIN IN YEAR’S FINAL CONTEST

Harding counts season’s blessings

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com

Arkansas rolls over Tennessee

BY KURT VOIGT Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas is having its way with the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.

Dennis Johnson accounted for 140 total yards and a pair of touchdowns to help No. 8 Arkansas beat Tennessee 49-7 for its sixth consecutive victory.

The Razorbacks (9-1, 5-1) kept alive their hopes for a second-straight BCS bowl game — and possibly more. They also earned their seventh straight win against an SEC East opponent.

Johnson led Arkansas with 97 yards rushing, including a 71-yard touchdown run in the first half.

He also had 43 yards receiving.

Jarius Wright added five Please see HOGS | 2B

The Bisons may have not had as good a season as they hoped, but Harding stuck in for a 16-9 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State in the final game of the year.

The Bisons forced the Savage Storm to punt on their first possession. Then, after a threeand-out, punter Eddy Carmona faked a punt and completed a 9-yard pass to long snapper Darby Palmer for a first down to keep the drive alive.

Quarterback Kelvin Martin capitalized by finding Jeremy Holt for a 47-yard touchdown pass, giving Harding a 6-0 lead after the point-after attempt was blocked.

The touchdown marked a school record of 51 times the Bisons found paydirt this season. Harding made it 52 later in the first quarter when Martin rushed for a 1-yard score.

Carmona went on to hit a 42yard field goal into the wind to put the Bisons up 16-0, but SOSU’s C.J. Kirk broke a 17-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 16-6 at the half.

The Bisons were scoreless in the second half, but the defense played well enough to hold the lead and give Harding the win.

Head Coach Ronnie Huckeba said the season didn’t go quite as well as planned, but the strength of the program isn’t necessarily based on wins and losses.

Jacob Brower/jbrower@thedailycitizen.com

Harding senior running back Kale Gelles is wrapped up by Southeastern Oklahoma State strong safety Johnny Seals during the Bisons’ 16-9 victory at First Security Stadium Saturday afternoon to wrap up the season. Gelles eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season for the second straight year during his final game as a Bison.

“In a lot of ways it was a disappointing season as far as wins and losses go, but the attitude of the players throughout the year, even though some losses

really hurt, was a testament to the most of the Bisons’ final the players of this program,” he possession when he broke a said.

7-yard rush that put him over One of those players, senior running back Kale Gelles, made Please see BISONS | 3B

Turnovers to blame for Raiders’ opening round defeat Riverview loses QB Butler in 3A loss

BY RICH POLIKOFF Special to The Daily Citizen

GREENLAND — It didn’t take a complex statistical analysis for Stuart Hill to explain why his Raiders saw their season come to an abrupt end Friday night.

The only number he needed to cite was five. Five, as in the number of turnovers Riverview (4-7) committed in the second half of its 42-21 loss to Greenland in the first round of the Class 3A state Rich Polikoff/Special to The Daily Citizen Riverview Head Coach Stuart Hill addresses his team following football playoffs.

Those five turnovers — three the Raiders’ 42-21 road loss to Greenland in the first round of the playoffs Friday night. The Raiders’ five turnovers in the second interceptions and two lost fumhalf proved costly. bles — led to all 21 of the Pirates’

second-half points.

“It’s plagued us all year,” Hill said. “Turnovers just killed us.

We shot ourselves in the foot with the big mistakes we just can’t have against a team like that — a well-coached, athletic Please see RAIDERS | 3B

The Daily Citizen

Sunday, November 13, 2011 • Page 3B

SPORTS

Nebraska adds to woe for Penn State's fans

BY RALPH D. RUSSO Associated Press

Jacob Brower/jbrower@thedailycitizen.com

Harding Academy’s Landry Shipman celebrates a Wildcat touchdown during Harding Academy’s 48-6 win over Mountain View at Frist Security Stadium Friday night. Harding Academy hosts Greenland Friday at 7:30 p.m. in round two of the 3A playoffs.

HA: Greenland appears Wildcats' biggest obstacle CONTINUED FROM 1B

they all did,” Mote said.

“We’ve played hard all season and it isn’t the time to slack off now.”

Mote noted that his team does have some things to work on and a few mistakes to correct.

“We had a fumble in the end zone,” he said. “That can’t happen.”

The Wildcats prepare this week to host Greenland, and Mote said his team will prepare as always for the game.

“We take it week by week,” he said. “We don’t get ahead of ourselves. We just practice hard, play hard, and leave it all on the field.”

Greenland may be the biggest challenge the Wildcats have faced since their week two loss to Heber Springs. The Pirates are 9-2, and like the Wildcats, put big numbers on the scoreboard.

The upcoming game will put the Wildcats seemingly unstoppable offense to the test, but Mote is con-

fident in his team.

A key to Wildcats’ success next week will be limiting the time the ball is in the hands of Greenland’s offense and clock management.

“We have to keep playing the way we have been on defense, with explosive intensity, playing fast and hard,” he said. “On offense, we just have to move the chains and put points on the board.”

Kickoff against Greenland is Friday at 7:30 p.m.

SEARCY: Stegall helps erase early mistakes CONTINUED FROM 1B

muffed punts and a couple of turnovers and we’ll have to fix that this week.

Pine Bluff has a power run game we’ll have to stop, but as long as we execute, we can move the ball on anyone.”

Harper said the mistakes will have to go down if the Lions want to stay alive in the playoffs.

“That’s something we’ll have to clean up,” he said. “Multiple mistakes like that can get you beat against a good team.. We have two kids with great hands returning punts and we’re confident in them, but we’ll be working the dog out of that this week.”

Searcy may have made some mistakes, but quarterback Dezmond Stegall, running backs Antwan Arnold and Woodruff, along with wide receiver Darius Bowman, made up for Searcy’s mistakes.

“Dez played really well,” Harper said, “and Cam played well too. We tried

to not run as much because an athletic team like McClellan can bang you up and we want to stay healthy.”

Stegall completed 3 touchdown passes in the contest: a 14-yard strike to Woodruff, a 57-yard pass to Bowman and a 45-yard screen pass to Arnold.

Woodruff’s 14-yard reception was his only touchdown through the air, but the junior also juked-andjived his way to a 55-yard touchdown run to start the second half.

“We wanted to make a

statement in the second half,” Woodruff said. “The blockers in front did their part and I did my part.”

Harper said the team is happy to be where they are, but they’re also hungry for more.

“I’m proud of this team for getting nine wins and have the chance to get to 10,” he said. “We need everyone who calls themselves a Searcy Lions fan to be here Friday and pack the stands in support.”

Searcy hosts Pine Bluff in the state quarterfinals Friday at 7:30 p.m.

BISONS: Gelles credits linemen CONTINUED FROM 1B

1,000 yards rushing for the second season in a row.

“I give it all up to the linemen and quarterbacks,” Gelles said. “They fought all year for me and I’m blessed to have them here.”

After the game, Hucke-

ba addressed the players on the season’s end, counting the team’s blessings and looking past its misfortunes.

“It’s not always about W’s and L’s,” he said, “It’s about the brotherhood this team has formed that will go on for the rest of your lives.”

No. 19 Nebraska won a game its coach thought should have been called off.

Rex Burkhead ran for 121 yards and a touchdown, and Nebraska held off Penn State’s fourthquarter rally to beat the 12th-ranked Nittany Lions 17-14 on Saturday in the first game since Joe Paterno was fired because of a horrifying child sex abuse scandal involving a former Nittany Lions assistant coach.

It was a surreal day for the Cornhuskers, too, who prayed at midfield before the game with their opponents.

But when it ended coach Bo Pelini’s team came away with a win it had to have. The victory kept Nebraska, playing its first season in the Big Ten, a game behind Michigan State in the Legends Division.

Penn State’s turmoil began last weekend with the arrest of former de-

fensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on 40 counts of sex abuse and ended with the Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) losing their first game of the post-Joe Paterno era.

The winningest major college football coach ever was fired Wednesday, ousted because he apparently failed to do more about a 2002 rape allegation against Sandusky than pass it up the chain of command to his bosses.

“I’ll be honest with you, going into this football game, I didn’t think the game should have been played — for a lot of different reasons,” Pelini said. “I look at my job as a football coach is to educate, and to prepare the kids that come into the program for life.

“I thought that this game was an opportunity. The situation that’s going on is bigger than football.”

That was obvious before the game when the teams met on the field,

players dropping to a knee as a moment of silence was observed at Beaver Stadium.

“It was very overwhelming,” Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez said. “I got the chills the entire time. I thought it was an awesome experience.”

The Nittany Lions scored 14 points on two second-half touchdown runs by Stephfon Green.

But Nebraska’s defense stepped up and ended a Penn State drive by stopping Silas Redd on fourth-and-1 with 1:49 left at the Penn State 38.

Most Nittany Lions fans heeded calls for a “blueout,” wearing the school’s familiar dark blue in support of victims of child sexual abuse.

Fans formed the outline of a blue ribbon in the student section.

“We are ... Penn State,” roared the crowd through the afternoon, the signature State College cheer.

But this school’s identity has forever changed.

RAIDERS: Turnovers take over in second half CONTINUED FROM 1B

team that can score at any time. When you make the big mistakes like we did tonight, you don’t deserve to win.”

The irony of the miscue-plagued second half was that Riverview had dominated the turnover battle in the first half. Indeed, it was the Raiders’ ability to take the football away from the Pirates (92) that kept them in the game for a half.

Riverview took the ball away from Greenland twice in the first half, and committed zero turnovers of its own, which made up for the fact that the Raiders were outgained 300-141 in first-half total offensive yardage.

With Greenland up 7-0 in the first quarter and in Riverview territory, the Raiders’ Ron Jarret fell on a fumbled snap. That led to a 67-yard touchdown reception by Dallas Johnson, which knotted the score at 7.

Another takeaway, this one a fumble recovered

by Cole Butler, led to a second Riverview touchdown, this time a 4-yard run by McKenzie Jones.

Desmond Harris followed with a reception on the 2-point conversion, giving the Raiders their first lead of the game, 2114, with 2:50 remaining in the half.

But a non-turnover proved a bad omen for the Raiders. Following Jones’ touchdown, Riverview failed

to fall on a loose kickoff, which would have given the Raiders the ball in Greenland territory. The Pirates made the most of the second chance, scoring a touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the half to tie it at 21.

“We had come back from down 14-7 and went ahead and had all the momentum and had a chance to get the next kickoff,” said Hill, whose team ended the season on a three-game losing streak. “We had a chance to go up two scores if we get that kickoff. That was a big turning point in the game as well.”

From that point on, it was mistake after costly mistake for Riverview.

The Raiders got the ball to open the second half, and drove all the way inside the Greenland 10-yard line when Butler threw the first of three second-half interceptions.

Greenland returned the interception to midfield, and needed just two offensive plays to go back ahead 28-21, scoring on a 45-yard reception by Brett Vaughn.

“They all hurt, but [when] we were driving down there, the first possession of the third quarter, and ended up throwing an interception [it was particularly dam-

aging],” said Hill when asked which turnover affected his team the most.

“We punch that in, we go up 28-21, it could be a different ball game. But we couldn’t punch that possession in and it snowballed from there.”

The kickoff that followed the touchdown bounced around the field untouched by Riverview, and Greenland fell on it to get the ball back at the Raiders’ 28. On the very next play, Greenland scored another touchdown, this time with quarterback Darian Froud throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joe Bramall — the Pirates’ second touchdown in five seconds.

Froud wound up going 14 for 22 passing for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns.

His fourth touchdown of the game, a 25-yard pass to Vaughn midway through the fourth quarter, came shortly after a fumbled snap by Riverview was fallen on by Greenland, some 19 yards behind the original line of scrimmage.

Butler had to be assisted off the field in the fourth quarter when he injured his right knee.

He did not return to the game, and Hill said his quarterback’s knee did “not look good.”

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