Wolves own Lions, 54-7

PRESCOTT – Neither team earned any style points for Friday night’s game as the Wolves whipped the Horatio Lions 54-7.

The Lions entered the game with nothing to lose, coming in winless on the season both in conference and overall. For Prescott, it was a game to work on new plays and work out some kinks.

The outcome was never in any doubt, but the Wolves appeared to lose focus in the second quarter, allowing the Lions to score after a Jacobi Nolen pass was intercepted. Still, it was more a practice game than anything for Prescott as Horatio had few players in reserve.

The Wolves put 42 points on the board in the first half, while giving up seven, but this was enough to ensure a quick second half as the mercy rule would be in effect. From the outset, though, the only real question was what the final score would be.

The Lions had size, but no real speed, and this would prove problematic for the visitors throughout the game.

Prescott won the toss on the chilly and wet evening and opted to receive to start the game. Horatio tried a quick kick, only to see the Wolves recover the ball on its 48. Six plays later Nolen hit Kyree Pearson with a three-yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it 7-0 and the Wolves never looked back.

Horatio returned the kick to the 20, but punted it back to Prescott three plays later. For some odd reason the Lion punter booted the ball toward the sidelines though the Wolves had no one back to return the ball. The short punt went out of bounds at the Lion 35, giving Prescott excellent field position.

It took the Wolves three plays to cover the distance, though there was a problem when Nolen was sacked at the 44. He made up for it by hitting Jeffery Williams with a 44-yard strike with 8:48 left in the opening period. The PAT made it 14-0.

Luis Rabadan’s kick went in the end zone for a touchback, putting the ball on the Lion 20. A bad snap send Horatio backwards as the Lions wound up at the eight. Back-to-back incomplete passes set up another punt, with this one going out of bounds at the Lion 25.

After a gaine of seven on first down, the Wolves went backwards as Jacalyn Zachery took the pitch on  jet sweep headed for the sidelines, reversed his field when Lions players approached and wound up losing two yards. An illegal block on the play moved the ball back to the 38. Nolen hit Jason Patrick, Jr. to the 25. Prescott was aided by an offside call, but Alex George lost two on third down. He made up for it on fourth down, fighting his way to the nine. Two plays later he went in from the one. The PAT made it 21-0 with 5:04 showing.

The Lions started at their 26, went nowhere and punted out of bounds again, this time at the Horatio 35.

Five plays later Derriun Thompson went in from two-yards out with 1:48 to go in the first. The PAT made it 28-0 as the game was turning into a yawner.

Horatio started at its 25 and three incomplete passes later punted to the Prescott 33.

Nolen was picked off at midfield with the ball returned to the Wolf 33.

The frame ended with Horatio bobbling the ball, but gaining two to the 31. Period two opened with the Lions completing the team’s first pass of the game, a 31-yard scoring strike. The PAT cut the gap to 28-7. This would be the end of Horatio’s offense for the night.

Prescott returned the squib kick to the Lion 49, but ended up going the wrong direction as Jaylon Hopson lost to the 47 before the Wolves were hit with  personal foul call, moving the ball back to the 32. The Wolves made it to the 48 before turning the ball over on downs.

It was three and out for Horatio with the punt rolling dead at the Prescott 20.

George carried twice, getting to the 35, before Thompson came in and took the ball to the 49. The drive came to an end with Hopson scoring on a two-yard run. The PAT extended the lead to 35-7.

A pooch kick was recovered by the Lions at the 36. Horatio made it to midfield before Prescott’s defense stiffened and forced the Lions to turn the ball over on downs at the Wolf 48.

It took six plays for the Wolves to ice the game, with Williams hitting Hopson with a 37-yard scoring strike with 3:23 left in the half. The extra point gave the Wolves the 35-point cushion needed for the mercy rule to be in effect at the start of the second half.

Horatio returned the kick to the 39 and got to the Prescott 39 as halftime arrived.

Prescott kicked off to start the third with the Lions returning the pigskin go the 29. A bad snap was recovered by Horatio, with the Lion quarterback getting shoved out of bounds at the eight. A delay of game call moved the ball back to the three and the Prescott defense sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety to make it 44-7.

Horatio punted to Hopson at the 37 with the ball returned to the Lion 49.

Prescott’s scored its last touchdown in two plays with Nolen hitting Omarion Dickens with a 40-yard pass. The PAT made it 51-7.

The ensuing kick was returned to the 46 as Prescott subbed out. Still, the Lions were unable to move the ball and wound up punting to the Wolf 31.

Three plays later the third came to an end with Prescott at its 46. The Wolves used most of the fourth quarter driving to the Lion one before going backwards and settling for a 30-yard Rabadan field goal that made it 54-7.

The kick trickled into the end zone and was placed at the 20. The Lions managed to gain three yards on four plays, turning the ball over on its 23 with slightly more than a minute left in the contest.

Prescott ran two plays as the game came to an end.

The Wolves will face their toughest game since the second week of the season as the Hornets of Camden Harmony Grove come to town. This game will likely determine the conference winner as the Hornets and Wolves are one-two, with the Hornets being the top ranked AAA team in the state, while Prescott’s third.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.