Wolves advance to semifinals with 26-0 win

PRESCOTT – It was a sloppy game for a quarterfinal playoff game as the two teams were called for a total of 23 penalties, not including sideline warnings for both benches.

McGehee was penalized 13 times in the game for illegal procedure, penalties that often ended up killing drives. Weather conditions also played a part in the final outcome, a 26-0 win for the Wolves, as the fog kept both teams from going to the air much.

However, with both teams running the ball from start to finish, it kept the clock moving and made the game go by faster – except for all the penalties.

McGehee won the toss and elected to receive. Luis Ramadan kicked the ball high and short, with the Owls calling for a fair catch at the 38.

McGehee put its best drive of the game together, driving to the Prescott 16 before the drive ended when Derrium Thompson picked off an Owl pass at the eight.

Prescott wasted no time in putting points on the board, as the Owls were fed a healthy dose of Alex George, Ryan Johnson and Thompson. It took the Wolves six plays to cover 92 yards with Johnson scoring on a 20-yard run. A bad snap blew the point after attempt, but the Wolves were up 6-0 which would have been enough to win the game. The Wolves, though, managed to score in every period, while the defense bent but didn’t break and shut the Owls out.

The kick again was high and short, with a fair catch called for at the 38 again. Three plays later McGehee punted to the Prescott 21.

Prescott drove to the Owl 29 as the first quarter came to an end, finishing the drive with George carrying three straight times and scoring from a yard out. The PAT made it 13-0 with 11:15 left in the half.

A squib kick was recovered at the 38, but the Owls were unable to move the ball and turned it over on downs at the McGehee 46.

Prescott’s offense went backwards, ending up at the Wolf 48 after three plays. The Wolves punted to the Owl 22.

McGehee lost 10 yards on consecutive motion penalties and ended up punting to the Wolves. Prescott made a mistake as Jacobi Nolen tried to field the punt, but muffed the catch resulting in a fumble the Owls recovered at the Wolf 45.

Having back to back offensive possessions didn’t help the visitors as it was four and out, with the Owls failing on a fourth down attempt.

Neither offense could do anything the rest of the first half, which ended with Prescott up 13-0.

McGehee borrowed a play from the Wolves, opening the second half with a high, short kick, which saw Jordan Glass call for a fair catch at the Prescott 20.

It looked like the Wolf offense was going to kick it into high gear as Thompson and George sliced through the McGehee defense, almost at will, getting to the 20 before a holding call moved the ball back to the 31. Johnson found a gap on the right side of the defense and looked like he was going to score, only to have the ball punched out of his hand at the three, where the Owls recovered.

Not that it mattered because the Owls punted three plays later with Prescott taking over at the McGehee 41.

It was time for Prescott to put some points on the board. The Wolves drove 41 yards in eight plays, with the help of an interference call against the Owls. The touchdown came on a one-yard run by George with 3:46 to go. The PAT made it 20-0.

The ensuing kick was returned to the Owl 34. McGehee made it to the Prescott 37 as the period came to an end. The final 12 minutes began with the Owls facing a second and eight, but going nowhere. On fourth down, an attempted pass play saw the quarterback dropped at the 41 where the Wolves took over.

Prescott put its final scoring drive of the night together, pounding the Owl defense with nine straight runs. The drive ended with Thompson scoring from the one. The extra point was wide, leaving it 26-0.

The Owls took over at the 32 after the kick and drove to the Prescott 12 before turning the ball over on downs with 3:49 to go.

There was nothing McGehee could do as the Owls had used all three time outs in the third quarter. Prescott sent in several substitute players, giving them valuable playoff experience for the future. The Wolves made it to the 37 before punting to the Owls at their 34 with 1:18 to go.

McGehee stayed true to form, continuing to operate out of the Wing-T, keeping the ball on the ground instead of going to the air and trying to score quickly.

Prescott advances to the semifnals of the state playoffs next week. The Wolves will be on the road to Booneville to face the Bearcats, a team that’s given Prescott fits in the past. However, the Wolves were the only team from the 5AAA to advance to the semifinal contest.

Booneville ended Camden Harmony Grove’s season with a 43-22 win. Osceola slipped past Smackover, 24-21, and in the other quarterfinal game, Rison demolished Lamar. This sets up the semifinals with Prescott at Booneville and Rison tangling with Oscoela.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.