Jackrabbits hold off Bald Knob for 3rd straight win

Lonoke's Anthony Parks carries the ball against Bald Knob on Friday night. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits had to play all 48 minutes to come away with a 38-36 win over the Bald Knob Bulldogs on Friday night at James B. Abraham Stadium. 

Bald Knob quarterback Johnson Capps’ pass into the end zone was batted away on the final play as Lonoke won it’s third consecutive game after starting the season 0-2. The Jackrabbits are 3-2 overall and 2-0 in 4A-2 conference play.

“Any win is a good win … I’ll take every one of them,” first-year Lonoke coach Harry Wright said. “They [Bulldogs] are a good football  team. They saw something on film and took advantage of it in the first half for sure. We came out and made adjustments.”

Lonoke led 24-20 at halftime following a 31-yard field by Diego Contreras on the final play of the second quarter. 

Brayden Coble blocks for Spencer Pepper. 

Bald Knob took a 28-24 lead early in the second half. Lonoke responded with another touchdown. Anthony Parkers scored on a 2-yard run with 6:56 left in the third quarter. Contreras’ extra point gave the Jackrabbits a 31-28 lead. 

Bald Knob fumbled the ball back to Lonoke with Da’Lynn Waits recovering the ball at the Lonoke 31. Six plays later, Lonoke quarterback Spencer Pepper threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Lake with 7 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 38-28.

Bald Knob cut the deficit to 38-36 on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Capps to Tyrese Dinwiddie with 6:54 left in the game.

Lonoke had a chance to put the game away but pass into the end zone was incomplete on fourth down at the Bald Knob 19 with 36.7 seconds left in the game. 

Bald Knob’s Leason Pierce lined up at quarterback and pitched to Capps, who threw a 53-yard pass to Josh Clark down to the Lonoke 28 with 27.4 seconds left.

After an incomplete pass, Capps was tackled after a 6-yard gain. The Bulldogs tried to kill the clock but Capps spiked the ball after taking a snap from the shotgun. Bald Knob was called for intentional grounding. That set up one last play from the Lonoke 28.

Capps final pass into the end zone was incomplete, giving Lonoke the victory. 

Pepper finished with 146 yards rushing on 17 carries. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 115 yards. 

Anthony Parks rushed for 84 yards on 19 carries. Lake had 22 yards on two carries. 

Chris Lucas caught four passes for 82 yards, 45 of which came off a lateral from Parks on the first play of the game.  Parks caught five passes for 10 yards. Lake caught three passes for 22 yards. 

Capps completed 7 of 20 passes for 193 yards. 

Lonoke took a 7-0 lead with 11:12 left in the first quarter. Pepper scored on a 2-yard run. The play was set up by a hook and lateral play. Pepper threw to Parks who laterally the ball to Lucas, who took it 50 yards.

Bald Knob cut the deficit to 7-6 on a 30-yard run by Capps with 6:02 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs took a 14-7 lead on a 9-yard run by Pierce. They scored the two-point conversion. 

Parks returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14. 

Bald Knob reclaimed the lead at 20-14 on a 6-yard run by Pierce with 12.5 seconds left in the first quarter.

Lonoke took a 21-20 lead on a 41-yard run by Pepper with 1:44 left in the first half. 

Lonoke will travel to Southside Batesville this Friday. The Southerners are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in 4A-2 play following a 35-7 loss to Riverview on Friday night.

Jackrabbits start conference 1-0 for first time since 2013

Lonoke kicker Diego Contreras attempts an extra point against Newport. Contreras kicked a 32-yard field goal against Heber Springs on Friday night. Holding for the kick is Riley Miller (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

HEBER SPRINGS — For the first time since 2013, the Lonoke Jackrabbits are 1-0 in conference play.

The Jackrabbits routed the Heber Springs Panthers 32-12 on Friday night to improve to 2-2 on the season and start 4A-2 play at 1-0. The last time Lonoke beat Heber Springs, which was also the conference opener was 2013. The Jackrabbits beat the Panthers 63-34 on Sept. 27, 2013.

In Friday’s win, Lonoke jumped out to an 11-0 lead. 

Lonoke kicker Diego Contreras kicked a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter. Lonoke then pushed the lead to 11-0 on a 14-yard run by Anthony Parks. Chris Lucas caught a pass from Spencer Pepper for the two-point conversion.

Hebei Springs scored a touchdown in the second quarter to make the score 11-6. Lonoke followed up with a 35-yard pass from Pepper to Parks. Contreras kicked the extra point to make the score 18-6. 

Each team scored a touchdown in the third quarter. Pepper scored on a 25-yard run. Contreras kicked the extra point. The Panthers also scored on a pass to make the score 25-12.

Lonoke’s final score came in the fourth quarter. Lucas caught a 23-yard pass from Pepper, and Contreras kicked the extra point to account for the final score. 

Pepper completed 10 of 16 passes for 131 yards. he also rushed for 130 yards on 22 carries. Parks had 75 yards on 16 carries. He caught 5 passes for 79 yards. Lucas and MJ White each caught two passes. 

Dayton Smith led Lonoke with 15 tackles. Brayden Coble and Lucas had 9 tackles each. Daylynn Waits had 8. 

John Lawson had two sacks for the Jackrabbits. Riley Miller had an interception.

Lonoke will host Bald Knob on Friday night at James B. Abraham Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Bison fall to Hornets in conference opener

Carlisle's Devarius Allen pulls away from a Hazen defender for a third-quarter touchdown Friday night. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

HAZEN — For the first time this season, the Hazen Hornets had to play four quarters. However, for Carlisle Bison fans, it was not the outcome they wanted.

Hazen jumped out to a 20-0 lead en route to a 32-14 win over the Bison. It was Carlisle’s third consecutive loss to the Hornets but the first one in that run to not end with a mercy rule.

The Bison are now 3-2 overall and 0-1 in 2A-6 play. Hazen is 4-0 and 1-0 in league play. 

The first half was a defensive struggle with the Hornets leading 8-0 at halftime. 

Carlisle’s second possession started at its own 4 following a muffed punt. 

A few plays later, Carlisle fumbled with Hazen recovering at the Bison 1. On the next play, Hazen’s Ayjon Green scored on a 1-yard run with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Terrell Penn added the two-point conversion. 

The score remained the same until the Hornets took the second half kickoff and drove 55 yards in five plays with Penn scoring on a 2-yard run with 9:42 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion was no good, making the score 14-0. 

After a Bison punt, Green scored on a 50-yard run to make the score 20-0 with 7:21 left in the third quarter. 

The Bison showed some life on their next possession. They drove 66 yards in five plays with Devarius Allen scoring on a 25-yard run with 4:11 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 20-6. 

Hazen responded with a 56-yard, 10-play scoring drive with Green scoring on a 1-yard run with 11:29 left in the game. 

Carlisle wasted no time answering as Bison quarterback Eli Moody found receiver Will Carter with a pass and he tightroped the sidelines for a 64-yard touchdown pass with 10:28 left. Carter scored the two-point conversion on a pass from Moody to make the score 26-14. 

Hazen averted disaster on its next possession. Penn fumbled the ball into the end zone and it laid there for a a second before Blayne Toll pounced on the loose ball for a Hornets touchdown with 7:50 left to make the score 32-14.

The Bison will host Des Arc for homecoming this week. The Eagles are 2-2 overall and 1-0 in 2A-6 play following a win over Marvell on Friday. 

Jackrabbits rally, beat Newport for season's first win

Lonoke's Romel Rankin, from left, Brayden Coble and Anthony Parks celebrate after Parks scored a touchdown on a fumble return to make the score 49-40 against Newport on Friday. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — The Lonoke Jackrabbits finally got over the hump.

After dropping the first two games of the season, including a 45-44 overtime loss to Beebe last week, the Jackrabbits rallied from a  two touchdown deficit to beat Newport 49-40 on Friday at James B. Abraham Stadium. The win was the first for new Lonoke coach Harry Wright. 

“That is, by far, the best team we’ve played, just athletically and what they can do in space,” Wright said. “They are really well coached. It was a big win. I’m excited for them.”

Lonoke's Riley Miller makes a tackle against Newport.

Lonoke trailed 34-21 with 9:34 left in the third quarter following a 62-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Monquell Cox. 

Lonoke scored the next two touchdowns. Spencer Pepper threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lucas and a 91-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Parks, the second coming with 3:43 left in the third quarter. Diego Contreras kicked both extra points to give the Jackrabbits a 34-34 lead.

The Jackrabbits pushed their lead to 42-34 on the final play of the third quarter when Parks scored on a 1-yard run. 

Newport cut the deficit to 42-40 on a 4-yard run by Cox with 10:31 left in the game.

Lonoke’s final touchdown came on a scoop and score when Parks forced a fumble by the Newport quarterback then picked up the loose ball and returned in about 20 yards for a touchdown to make the score 49-40.

Newport had a chance to get closer but Lonoke’s Riley Miller intercepted a pass at the Lonoke 1 with 3:09 left.

The Jackrabbits were forced to punt but only got off an 11-yard punt, giving the Greyhounds the ball at the Lonoke 13. However, the Jackrabbits forced Newport to turn the ball over on downs a the 15 yard line. 

Lonoke took a knee to end the game. 

The Jackrabbits finished with 402 yards in total offense. 

Pepper completed 11 of 20 passes for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also rushed for 48 yards on 17 carries. 

Parks caught 4 passes for 146 yards. He rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries. 

Shawn Lake caught 4 passes for 96 yards. Lucas caught 2 passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns. 

Defensively, Romel Rankin and M.J. White each had an interception.

Newport finished with 421 yards in total offense. 

The Jackrabbits will travel to Heber Springs to take on the Panthers in the 4A-2 opener next Friday. 

“These first three games are like preseason,” Wright said. “They count and they matter. Every game matters but what you do in the conference is important. If you can go out and get better every week, that’s all we’re worried about.”

Jackrabbits play better but fall to Badgers in OT

Lonoke quarterback Spencer Pepper follows the blocking of teammate Ayden Rowton during the first quarter against Beebe. (Photos by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

LONOKE — it wasn’t the outcome that Lonoke Jackrabbits fans wanted Friday night but it was a step in the right direction.

Lonoke rallied from a two-score deficit to force overtime against Beebe but the Badgers scored a two-point conversion to win the game 45-44 in the home opener at James B. Abraham Stadium.

The loss comes two weeks after the Jackrabbits lost at Class 2A Carlisle 38-13 in the season opener. 

In the game with Class 5A Beebe, sophomore quarterback Spencer Pepper accounted for 323 of Lonoke’s 331 total yards. Pepper completed 13 of 22 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 120 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown. He also scored a two-point conversion off a pass from MJ White to tie the game at 37-37 with 6:01 left in the third quarter.

Lonoke's Riley Miller [7] and Chaston Dockery
celebrate a touchdown

After a scoreless fourth quarter, the game went into overtime with each team getting to possess the ball first-and-goal from the 10-yard line. 

Lonoke got the ball to start overtime. On third down, Pepper threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to White. Diego Contreras  kicked the extra point to give the Jackrabbits a 44-37 lead.

Beebe scored a touchdown on second down as quarterback Cade Longing scored on a 7-yard run. After a timeout, Beebe decided to go for the win. Longing threw a screen pass to Seth Howard, who barreled his way into the end zone for the two-point conversion and the victory. 

Lonoke led 7-0 following a 29-yard run by Pepper with 8:01 left in the first quarter. After a Beebe score tied it at 7-7, Lonoke reclaimed the lead on a 33-yard pass from Pepper to Chris Lucas. 

Beebe scored 14 consecutive points to lead 21-14. The Jackrabbits broke the streak when Beebe punter Steven Hemmert had the snap sail over his head and threw the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety, making the score 21-16. 

Beebe led 28-16 at halftime.

Lonoke cut the deficit to 28-23 early in the second half on a 12-yard pass from Pepper to Riley Miller. Beebe pushed its lead to 34-23 before Lonoke scored again to cut it to 34-29. Pepper connected with Miller for a 57-yard scoring strike.

Beebe kicker Jaime Rodriguez kicked a 24-yard field goal to make the score 37-29. Lonoke’s Shawn Lake returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown. Lonoke scored the two-point conversion to tie the game at 37-37. 

Miller caught 6 passes for 119 yards. Lake caught 3 passes for 27 yards. Lucas caught 2 passes for 38 yards. Also catching passes were White and Chaston Dockery.

Lonoke hosts the Newport Greyhounds in the final non-conference game this Friday at James B. Abraham Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Bison rout Johnson County Westside for 2-0 start

Carlisle's Lynn Mills catches a pass for a touchdown (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — For the first time in six years, the Carlisle Bison are 2-0.

Carlisle beat Johnson County Westside 58-14 on Friday night to remain perfect on the season. The last time the Bison started a season 2-0 was 2013 when they finished 12-2 and falling to Junction City in the Class 2A state semifinals. 

Carlisle took an 8-0 lead on its first possession. Eli Moody threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Will Carter with 6:16 left in the first quarter. Kamryn Taylor added the two-point conversion. 

After a Westside punt, Taylor ran 76 yards for a touchdown with 5:40 left in the first. Gage Parker added the two-point conversion. 

Westside’s next possession ended with an interception by Carlisle’s Mikey Freeby with 5:25 left in the first quarter. Eight plays later, Taylor scored on a 2-yard run with 1:27 left to make the score 22-0. 

The Bison pushed their lead to 28-0 on a 65-yard run by Taylor with 6:49 left in the first half. 

Westside got on the board on a 4-yard run with 6:39 left.

The Bison got that score back when Moody threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Mills with 6:19 left. Parker added the two-point conversion to make the score 36-6.

The Bison’s final score of the first half came on a  62-yard run by Collin Jinks with 3:39 left to make the score 44-6, invoking the running clock in the second half. 

Carlisle scored two second-half touchdowns. Tyler Webb scored on a  14-yard run and Will Carter returned a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown. Parker scored another two-point conversion. 

Moody completed 3 of 3 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. 

Taylor rushed for 143 yards on 4 carries. Jinks had 113 yards on 7 carries. Webb had 72 yards on 8 carries. 

Carter caught two passes for 85 yards. Mills caught one for 53 yards. 

Ian Seidenschwarz led the Bison with 7 tackles. Carter had 6. C.J. James had 5.

The Bison go on the road for the first of six away games this Friday at DeWitt. The Dragons are 2-0 with wins over Stuttgart and Riverview.

Bison pull away from Jackrabbits for 38-13 win

Carlisle's Kamryn Taylor [7] scores the Bison's first touchdown in their 38-13 win over the Lonoke Jackrabbits on Friday night at Fred C. Hardke Field. (Photo by Mark Buffalo)

By Mark Buffalo

Staff Writer

@markbuffalo

CARLISLE — The fourth time was the charm for the Bison.

Class 2A Carlisle rallied from a 13-8 halftime deficit to beat the Class 4A Lonoke Jackrabbits 38-13 in the Central Lonoke County Showdown at Fred C. Hardke Field on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Lonoke and Carlisle had not played for 26 years before resuming the series in 2016 with the Jackrabbits winning the previous three matchups in convincing fashion.

“I told the kids this year that we were not going to have any excuses,” second-year Bison coach Caleb Shock said after the game. “We were going to try to be heavy hitters and swing big punched. I knew they were going to bring a lot of big punches. They are a good 4A football team. We knew we were going to have to come out swinging if we wanted to win.”

Carlisle won the opening toss and deferred to the second half. However, Carlisle’s Lynn Mills recovered an onside kick to start the game. That led to them taking an 8-0 lead following a 5-yard run by Kamryn Taylor with 8:32 left in the first quarter. Will Carter added the two-point conversion. 

“We knew we were going to try an onside kick and see if we could get it,” Shock said. “We did. I was proud of our guys. We kept slugging and slugging away.”

Lonoke dominated the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns to take a 13-8 halftime lead. 

Anthony Parks scored on a 3-yard pass with 4:30 left in the first half. After the play was over, Lonoke’s M.J. White was ejected after shoving a Carlisle player to the ground and throwing down his helmet in frustration. Lonoke attempted the two-point conversion but failed, leaving the Bison ahead at 8-6. 

On it’s next possession, the Jackrabbits drove 43 yards in six plays with Davonta Adams scoring on a 4-yard run with 11 seconds left in the first half. The big play of the drive was a 47-yard pass from Spencer Pepper to Anthony Parks down to the Bison 12. 

Lonoke’s Hunter Smith kicked the extra point. 

“Lonoke made a lot of big plays in the second quarter,” Shock said. “I was proud of our guys being able to rebound in the third quarter.”

The Bison took the second half kickoff and drove 55 yards in 14 plays. It was capped off by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Carter to Isaac Monroe with 5:50 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion was no good, leaving the score at 14-13. 

Lonoke turned the ball over on its next possession when Parks was not able to catch a backwards pass from Pepper with the Bison recovering at the Lonoke 32. Six plays later, Carter scored on a 12-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make the score 22-13. 

The Bison added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Carter scored on a 29-yard run with 7:33 left and Taylor scored on a 41-yard run with 28 seconds left. Taylor scored three two-point conversions in the final 12 minutes. 

“Ball control was the game plan going in,” Shock said. “They are explosive. No. 11 [Parks] can go. Their quarterback [Pepper] can go. No. 6 [Adams] can go. We told our guys that we had to move the sticks and we’ve got to win time of possession and keep the clock rolling. 

“When their offense was on the field, our defense played awesome  tonight. We flew to the football. We’ve got guys that run all over the field. Coach [Wes] Rowland does an outstanding job of getting those guys prepared. It showed up.” 

 The Bison finished with 316 yards in total offense. Taylor led the Bison with 139 yards rushing on 15 carries. Carter had 70 yards rushing on 9 carries. He also caught 4 passes for 54 yards and threw one pass for 21 yards. 

Devarius Allen had 49 yards rushing on 13 carries before leaving the game with an ankle injury. 

Eli Moody completed 4 of 12 passes for 54 yards. 

Lonoke finished with 155 yards in total offense. Adams had 45 yards rushing on 7 carries. Pepper had 43 yards 12 carries. He also completed 6 of 17 passes for 76 yards. 

Parks caught 3 passes for 46 yards. Shaw Lake caught 3 passes for 30 yards. 

The Bison had two interceptions. One each by Carter and Drew Sanders.

Carlisle will host Johnson County Westside next Friday while Lonoke has the week off before hosting Beebe on Sept. 14 at James B. Abraham Stadium.