Wolves punch ticket to championship with 28-7 win

PRESCOTT – Next stop – Little Rock and War Memorial Stadium.

The Curley Wolves punched their ticket to the AAA championship with a decisive 28-7 win over the Mansfield Tigers Friday night at Cummins Stadium. The Wolves will play the winner of the Booneville-Glen Rose game. These are two teams Prescott is more than familiar with as the Wolves have a history with both. The only way to see the game, other than making the trip to Little Rock, will be to watch it on AETN at noon. Current forecasts are calling for clear skies with a high of 67 next Saturday.

In spite of the score, Mansfield was no pushover. The Tigers’ defense made the going tough for Prescott offense from start to finish.

The game opened with the Tigers winning the toss and deferring to the second half. The opening kick was an onside attempt that didn’t go the required 10 yards. Mansfield was flagged for delay of the game and the ball moved five yards closer to the Tiger goal. In this case, the ball was placed on the Mansfield 38. Still, it took Prescott seven plays to punch it in, with Pierce Yates going in from the one with 9:44 to go in the first. The extra point made it 7-0.

A squib kick by Prescott was returned to the 30. The Tigers made it to Prescott’s 48 before the drive stalled out and Mansfield punted to the Prescott 19.

It looked like the Wolves were headed for the team’s second touchdown as Prescott marched to the Tiger 25, at which point the passing game went haywire with Yates overthrowing two wide open receivers and a third pass dropped with another pass tipped.

Mansfield took over on downs, ran three plays and punted into the Prescott end zone. The Wolves returned the favor as the first quarter came to an end.

As the second period began, the Tigers, having taken over at the Prescott 38 after a short punt, used eight plays to cover the distance, scoring on a one-yard run. The point after tied the game at 7-7, and ended Mansfield’s scoring for the game.

The team’s swapped punts and with the clock running down, Prescott took over at its 34 with 3:21 left in the half. The Wolves went to an uptempo game, not giving the Tiger defense time to make any changes or get any rest. The end result was Prescott scoring in seven plays, with K.J. Page going in from the 10. The PAT gave Prescott a 14-7 lead with a minute left in the period.

The Tigers returned a squib kick to the 26 to open the second half and marched to the Prescott 42 before the quarterback tossed the ball to a running back who wasn’t there. Marshawn Rafter scooped the ball up and scored on a 52-yard run with 8:32 to go in the third. The PAT put the Wolves up 21-7.

The ensuing kick was returned to the 32, but it was three and out with the punt rolling to the Wolf 14. Prescott drove to the Mansfield 12, where the drive stalled and John Rabadan attempted a 29-yard field goal that sailed just left.

It was three and out for the Tigers with the punt reaching the Prescott 41. The Wolves took the field with 2:12 left in the third and scored five plays later with Yates going in from the 13 with 40 seconds left. The PAT ended scoring in the contest with Prescott leading 28-7.

As the final 12 minutes began, the teams swapped punts as the Tigers never changed how the team ran its offense. Prescott didn’t mind in the least as it took time off the clock.

On Mansfield’s second possession of the fourth quarter, the Tigers made it from the Mansfield 19 to the Prescott 24 before turning it over on downs with 5:51 to go.

Prescott took over on its 34 and kept the ball on the ground to run out the clock and seal the win.

Again, Prescott will be playing the winner of the Booneville-Glen Rose game at noon Saturday, Dec. 9, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.