ALMA — Alma punched its ticket to the Class 5A playoffs Friday night with a 34-10 win against Siloam Springs in Airedale Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Panthers saw their own postseason hopes take a crushing blow.
Alma finished with 309 rushing yards and overpowered the Panthers with four touchdowns in the second half in the pivotal 5A-West Conference game for both teams.
The Airedales (7-2, 5-1) can win the conference championship next Friday with a win at Greenwood and earn the league’s No. 1 seed entering the state playoffs.
“That (win) got us in, but we don’t know where we’re at yet,” Alma coach Todd Dilbeck said. “We’ll know more next Friday night.”
Siloam (5-4, 3-3) not only faces a must-win game at Morrilton next week, it needs to have Vilonia win at Greenbrier on Thursday in order to qualify for the postseason.
A Greenbrier victory, however, would eliminate Siloam Springs from postseason contention.
“We blew chances,” Siloam coach Bryan Ross said. “We had opportunities, and we didn’t take advantage of them. You just can’t do that against good football teams.”
With a 7-0 lead, the game changed for Siloam in the second quarter when Panthers quarterback Braden Pippin was stuffed on a fourth-and-one, giving Alma possession of the ball.
Alma capitalized by driving 92 yards for a touchdown, aided by a 17-yard fake punt by Brooks Mauldin and a 34-yard touchdown pass from Brady Bradley to Ethan Brewer. Alma’s kick failed and the Airedales trailed 7-6 at halftime.
Alma got the ball to start the second half and Bradley hit Corey Savage for a 75-yard pass down to the Siloam Springs 2. Isaac McCoy, who rushed for 144 yards on 21 carries, finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
“In the second half we stepped it up,” Dilbeck said. “We told our kids at halftime we started clicking in the second quarter. Our defense stepped up and had a couple of great stops, but offensively we did some great things.”
Bradley, who starting in place of Austin McCourt, completed 4 of 9 passes for 112 yards.
5A-West Conference
ALMA 34, SILOAM SPRINGS 10
Siloam Springs 7 0 0 3 — 10
Alma 0 6 8 20 — 34
First Quarter
Siloam — Frabotta 27 pass from Pippin (Castillo kick), 7:19.
Second Quarter
Alma — Brewer 34 pass from Bradley (kick failed), 4:30.
Third Quarter
Alma — McCoy 1 run (McCoy run), 9:15.
Fourth Quarter
Siloam — FG Castillo 36, 11:55.
Alma — Hensley 4 run (McMurray kick), 10:24.
Alma — Hensley 4 run (McMurray kick), 8:41.
Alma — Saunders 11 run (kick blocked), 4:09.