Jackrabbits fall to Ricebirds but still have shot at playoffs

The Jackrabbits seniors wait to come out for the coin toss prior to their game with Stuttgart (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

The Lonoke Jackrabbits play Riverview in the season finale Thursday night in Searcy. And despite a 46-6 loss to Stuttgart on Friday, the Jackrabbits still have plenty to play for against the Raiders.

Lonoke is 2-4 in 4A-2 play and still has a chance to make the Class 4A state playoffs with a win over the Raiders.

There are several scenarios that could get the Jackrabbits into the playoffs.

Riverview and Helena-West Helena Central are both 3-3 in league play. 

For the Jackrabbits to have any chance, they must beat the Raiders. The easiest way to get into the playoffs is for Lonoke to win and West Helena beat Heber Springs. That way, West Helena would be the fourth seed and Lonoke would be the fifth seed via a head-to-head win over Riveriew.

If Lonoke beats the Raiders and Heber Springs beats West Helena, it would go down to the point system. 

Each team is allowed up to 13 points for a victory in conference play for tie-breaking purposes. 

Right now, Riverview has 35 points, including nine for beating West Helena 35-26. The Cougars have 32 points. Lonoke, with its two conference wins, has 26 points. 

If there is a perfect triangle with Lonoke beating Riverview, Riverview beating West Helena and West Helena beating Lonoke, it would come down to the points system.

If Lonoke beats Riverview by seven or more points, i they would be tied with Riverview or have more points. Riverview would have 35 and West Helena would have 32. The two teams with the highest point total would be Lonoke and Riverview. And Lonoke would be the fourth seed because of their head-to-head win over Riverview. At that point, the head-to-head matchup with the next two teams would be Riverview since it beat West Helena and the Raiders would be the fifth seed and the Cougars would be eliminated.

If Lonoke beats Riverview by less than 7 points, the Jackrabbits would be eliminated from the playoffs because of the 6-0 loss to West Helena. 

In the loss to Stuttgart, Lonoke led 6-0.

Lonoke senior defensive end Tallon Swint sacked Stuttgart quarterback Tim Johnson, knocking the ball free. Lonoke’s E’Shaun Brown picked up the ball and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown with 9:24 left in the first quarter. The extra point was wide left.

Stuttgart then drove 53 yards in seven plays with Kirk Hughes scoring on a 7-yard run with 6:56 left in the first quarter. The extra point was no good, leaving the score tied at 6-6.

The Ricebirds took a 12-6 lead when David Walker scored on a 16-yard run with 7:09 left in the first half. From there, Stuttgart recovered two onside kicks to take a 25-6 lead with 5:31 left in the first half. 

Stuttgart led 32-6 at halftime. 

The Ricebirds added two second-half touchdowns to invoke the running clock with 10:56 left in the game. 

Lonoke quarterback Daniel Seigrist completed only 3 of 8 passes for 34 yards. 

Xavier Hodge led Lonoke with 59 yards rushing on 13 carries. Seigrist, Shawn Lake and Lexington Mays each had 33 yards. 

Michael Hodges led Lonoke with 11 tackles. Jackson Ward and Swint had seven tackles each. 

Lonoke’s game at Riverview on Thursday is set to kick off at 7 p.m.

Bison get much-needed win, rout Tigers on homecoming

Carlisle's Will Carter hauls in a pass for a two-point conversion during the Bison's win over Brinkley on Friday. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The Carlisle Bison were in dire need of a victory. Brinkley provided the correct opponent. 

The Bison scored often in beating the Tigers 52-6 on Friday night for homecoming at Fred C. Hardke Field. With the win, the Bison improve to 2-5 overall and 2-3 in 2A-6 play.

Carlisle took an 8-0 lead following a Brinkley turnover. Jasean Harper scored on a 30-yard run with 6:42 left in the first quarter. He added the two-point conversion.

Brinkley’s Lamont Swanigan scored on a 12-yard run with 1:46 left in the first quarter. The Bison defense stopped the Tigers on the two-point conversion attempt, leaving the score at 8-6.

Carlisle scored four touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 38-6 at halftime. 

Harper scored on a 1-yard run with 10:56 left. Braiden Jenkins threw to Will Carter for the two-point conversion. 

Harper scored on a 29-yard run with 5:41 left. Zac Vanhouten added the two-point conversion. 

Carter scored on a 35-yard run 39 seconds left. Kaden Bray added the two-point conversion.

Jenkins then threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Harper with 12 seconds left. 

The Bison scored four second-half points. 

Bray scored on a 14-yard run with 9:13 left in the third quarter. Jenkins threw again to Carter for the two-point conversion. 

Davarius Allen scored on a 14-yard run with 10:50 left in the game. 

The Bison finished with 407 yards in total offense while holding Brinkley to 170.

Carlisle rushed for 371 yards. 

Allen led the Bison with 163 yards rushing on 14 carries. Harper had 134 yards rushing on 10 carries. 

Carlisle travels to Clarendon this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Jackrabbits rout CAC for third win

Lonoke quarterback Daniel Seigrist calls a play during second-half action against CAC on Friday. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot with a 49-7 win over Central Arkansas Christian for homecoming Friday night at James B. Abraham Stadium.

With the win, Lonoke improves to 3-5 on the season and 2-3 in 4A-2 play. 

Lonoke is currently in sixth place. Southside Batesville, Stuttgart and Heber Springs are all tied for first at 4-1. Riverview and Helena-West Helena Central are tied for fourth at 3-2. 

The Jackrabbits host Stuttgart this Friday before traveling to Searcy to take on the Raiders on Nov. 2. 

Against CAC, Lonoke led 21-7 after one quarter and 28-7 at halftime.

The Jackrabbits scored 14 points in the third quarter and added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to set the final score. 

Jackrabbits quarterback Daniel Seigrist scored three rushing touchdowns. Xavier Hodge and Shawn Lake scored one each. Seigrist threw a touchdown pass to Braidon Bryant. Michael Hodges returned an interception for a touchdown. 

Seigrist completed 4 of 6 passes for 34 yards. He rushed for 115 yards on eight carries. Hodge had 114 yards rushing on 16 carries. Bryant had 47 yards on four carries. Lexington Mays had 41 yards on six carries. 

Bryant caught two passes for 14 yards. Also catching passes were Ethan Mulligan and Conner Linton. 

Lonoke kicker Nick Tate was 7 for 7 on extra points. 

Defensively, Tyler Washington had three interceptions. Also getting picks were Hodges and and Dalton Smith. 

Jackson Ward led Lonoke with 10 points. Terry Moore had seven. E’Shawn Brown had six. Hodges had five. 

Lonoke coach Taggart Moore was proud of his team’s effort against CAC. The Jackrabbits were coming off a 28-14 loss to Southside on Oct. 6 and a 6-0 loss to West Helena on Oct. 13. 

“I was very happy with our focus this week,” Moore said. “Our defense has been really coming into its own and playing with a swagger. Now that our offense is starting to roll, I think we are just going to continue to get better.”

Lonoke’s final home game is Friday against Stuttgart. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. 

Bison rout Mustangs for first win

Carlisle's Kaden Bray carries the ball against Des Arc on Sept. 22. Bray scored two touchdowns in the Bison's win over Marvell on Friday. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

MARVELL — The Carlisle Bison finally got in the win column Friday night, beating the Marvell Mustangs 42-0.

With the win, Carlisle is now 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the 2A-6 conference. 

The game was close in the first quarter with the Bison leading 7-0 after 12 minutes of play. 

Bison quarterback Braden Jenkins threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Houston Garrich with 3:54 left in the first quarter. Ian Seidenschwarz kicked the extra point. 

It remained that way until the midway point of the second quarter when Kaden Bray scored on a two-yard run to make the score 13-0. 

Carlisle scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 25-0 at halftime. Devarius Allen scored on a three-yard run with 1:36 left and Jenkins threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Nichols on the final play of the first half. 

Carlisle added to its lead in the third quarter, scoring a safety with 9:25 left.

The defense then picked up a score when Jasean Harper returned an interception 42 yards for touchdown with 7:08 left. Allen added the two-point conversion to make the score 35-0. 

Carlisle’s final touchdown came on a 17-yard run by Bray with 1:30 left in the quarter. Seidenschwarz kicked the extra point. 

The Bison finished with 178 yards in total offense while holding the Mustangs to minus-22 yards in offense. 

Bray led the Bison with 69 yards rushing on 11 carries. 

Jenkins completed 3 of 4 passes for 73 yards. Garrich caught two passes for 61 yards. 

The Bison will host the Hazen Hornets this Friday at Fred C. Hardke Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Hazen is 3-2 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Hornets beat Brinkley 55-0 at Hazen for homecoming last week.