Wolves advance to second round with 49-7 win
PRESCOTT – It was one and done for the visiting Charleston Tigers as the Curley Wolves posted a 49-7 win in the first round of the AAA state playoffs Friday night.
After an inauspicious start, where the Wolves found themselves on the short end of a 7-0 score, it was pretty much all Prescott as the Tigers couldn’t consistently move the ball. In fact, the visitors only had one big run all night and that came at the end of the game.
Prescott advances to the second round next week and will host the Cardinals of Pine Bluff Dollarway. The Cards opened the playoffs with a 42-19 win over Jessieville.
The Wolves again relied heavily on the running game, throwing few passes, but connecting for two scores through the air in the second half.
Prescott won the toss and elected to receive. Jaylon Hopson fielded the kick at the 13, returning it to the 42. After a motion call moved the Wolves back five, Prescott coughed the ball up on its first play from scrimmage with the Tigers recovering at the 30.
This gift turned into the only points the visitors would score in the game. It took Charleston six plays to score, with the touchdown coming on a five-yard run on fourth and goal. The point after made it 7-0 with 9:03 left in the opening period.
Hopson set the Wolves up at the 29 after the kick, and the ground attack was on.
Prescott ran the ball 13 times, primarily on the legs of Alex George and Derriun Thompson, with the score coming on a 12-yard run by Jacobi Nolen with 5:04 showing. The PAT tied the game at 7-7.
The Tigers returned the kick to the 15, only to go three and out, with the punt getting to the Charleston 39 after a high snap.
Once again, the Wolves punished the visitor’s defense by keeping the ball on the ground and chewing up both the turf and time. George went in from five yards out with 1:59 to go. The PAT made it 14-7 and Prescott never looked back.
A squib kick was returned to the 26, but the Tigers were unable to move the ball on the ground against Prescott’s defense. The period came to an end with Charleston facing a fourth and seven. The second quarter opened with the visitors punting to the Prescott 26.
For the third consecutive drive, Prescott disdained going to the air, though Nolen did drop back on first down, only to be pressured out of the pocked for a gain of three. Overall, it took nine plays for the Wolves to march 74-yards downfield. Nolen capped the drive with a six-yard run with 8:52 on the clock. The PAT put the Wolves up 21-7, which is where the score remained at the half.
Charleston started at its 35 and drove to the Prescott eight before turning the ball over on downs with five ticks left on the clock. Prescott ran one play as the second quarter came to an end.
The Tigers got the ball to start the second half and returned the kick to the 30. The visitors went to the air, and on the fourth play saw Jeffery Williams pick off a pass at the Prescott 45 and return it for six. The PAT made it 28-7 with 9:20 remaining.
Prescott tried an onside kick only to see the Tigers cover the ball at midfield.
The visitors showed signs of mounting a drive as the Tigers made it to the Prescott 14 before fumbling. Prescott recovered at its 23.
The Wolves only needed five plays to cover the 77 yards, with Nolen connecting with Jacalyn Zachery on a 38-yard strike. The PAT made it 35-7 with 1:51 left in the third.
Charleston set up shop at its 33 and made it to the 49 as the third came to an end. The fourth opened with the Tigers missing connection on a third down pass and punting to the Prescott 19.
Then it was show time. Nolen found Thompson, who battled his way to open field and put the final dagger in Charleston’s hopes. The PAT invoked the mercy rule as the Wolves now led 42-9 with 11:27 left in the game.
A personal foul on the kickoff set the Tigers up at the Charleston 12. Three plays later the visitors punted to Prescott with the ball going out of bounds at the Wolf 49.
Prescott’s coaching staff didn’t take its foot off the gas. Instead of running the ball to kill the clock, the Wolves continued passing. The first play saw Nolen connect with Omarion Dickens to the Tiger 33. Three plays later Nolen hit Hopson with a 35-yard strike at the 4:40 mark in the fourth. The extra point was gravy for the Wolves with the score 49-7.
Charleston returned the kick to the 32, ran two plays before breaking loose to the Prescott 21 with less than 10 seconds left. The Tigers opted to let the clock run out instead of running a play.
The win puts Prescott at 9-2 overall and in the second round of AAA state playoff action. The Wolves will again be at home Friday night entertaining the Pine Bluff Dollarway Cardinals.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.