Jackrabbits fall to McClellan for first loss

Lonoke's Kane Williams [75] leads the Jackrabbits onto the field against Little Rock McClellan (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

LONOKE — Lonoke seemed to have all the momentum after scoring on a long touchdown pass in the fourth quarter but Little Rock McClellan stole it back.

The Crimson Lions held off the Jackrabbits for a 32-16 non-conference win Friday night at James B. Abraham Stadium. 

McClellan led 24-8 after Dalvion Childs threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Karl Harris with 10:24 left in the game. Two plays later, Lonoke quarterback Savonte Rountree threw a screen pass to Casey Martin, who took the ball 73 yards for a touchdown with 9:34 left in the game. Justin Meadows scored the two-point conversion to make the score 24-16. 

From there, the Lions drove 66 yards in 14 plays with Trenton Lewis scoring on  2-yard run with 2:24 left in the game. On the drive, McClellan recovered a fumble after a mad scramble for the ball at the Lonoke 22. 

Lonoke's final possession ended with a McClellan interception.

Lonoke's Josh Coleman led the Jackrabbits in rushing with 128 yards on 13 carries. Meadows had 66 yards on four carries. Rountree completed 2 of 4 passes for 77 yards. Martin caught both passes for 77 yards. 

Ethan Holland led Lonoke with 13 tackles. Ricky Nichols and Zack Murray had nine tackles each. 

After a scoreless first quarter, McClellan took an 8-0 lead with 7:31 left in the first half on a 35-yard run by Andre Campbell. 

Lonoke tied the game at 8-8 on a 72-yard run by Meadows with 1:28 left in the first half. Coleman scored the two-point conversion. 

The Lions wasted to time in reclaiming the lead as Childs threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Ashlee Lane with 26 seconds left in the half as McClellan led 16-8 at halftime. 

Lonoke (2-1) will open 4A-2 conference play this Friday at Heber Springs. The Panthers are 1-2. They beat Clinton in the season opener but then lost to Greenbrier and Harding Academy the last two weeks. 

Lonoke quarterback Savonte Rountree and center Jacob Miller