Pioneers Rally Late To Defeat Prairie Grove

Gentry was trying to beat Prairie Grove Friday night, but was most successful at beating the clock.

The Pioneers qualified for the Class 4A playoffs for the first time since 1998, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final four minutes to stun Prairie Grove 21-17.

Gentry (6-3, 4-2 4A-1 Conference) could barely move the ball for most of the game — except for the waning minutes of each half, when quarterback Austin Millsap guided them on three furious touchdown drives.

“They’ve displayed that kind of character more than once this year and it certainly came through when we needed it,” Gentry Coach Brian Little said. “That’s what you’ve got to do to win the big games.”

It looked almost hopeless when Weston Bartholomew scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes, 17 seconds remaining, putting the Tigers ahead 17-7.

At that point, Gentry had four possessions in the second half — three going three-and-out, and the other ending three plays on an interception.

But the Pioneers, who had just eight yards of total offense on those four possessions, quickly began moving the ball. They drove 74 yards on just four plays, scoring on a 37-yard reception by Justin Stewart, his only reception of the game.

After stopping the Tigers (4-5, 2-4) on three plays, the Pioneers took over on their own 40 with 2:25 left. Again, they found success in the air, and Dylan Ochs caught a 9-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds to go.

“One of the great things about being in the spread game for all those years is that when we (have to) go back to it, the kids remember it,” Little said.

“It’s kind of like riding a bicycle.”

Prairie Grove led nearly the entire night. After stopping the Pioneers on three plays on the game’s opening possession, the Tigers took over on the Gentry 49. They converted a fourth-and-1, and one play later, Landon West hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Winters — the only completion of the night for the Tigers, who finished 1 for 11 in the air.

Gentry had virtually no offense until late in the first half. Tanner Morgan caught a slant pass, got a break when his defender slipped and sprinted 37 yards down to the Prairie Grove 1. Eathen Ramsey followed with a 1-yard touchdown run, tying it at 7-7 with 45 seconds in the first half.

The Pioneers couldn’t make the tie last, though. They were flagged for a late hit on the ensuing kickoff, which set up a 35-yard field goal by Landon Allon on the final play of the half.

“We didn’t make things happen like we should have,” Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier said. “We played good defense the whole game, but good job to Gentry.

“They took it right down and they scored when they needed to.”

4A-1 Conference

GENTRY 21, PRAIRIE GROVE 17

Gentry 0 7 0 14 — 21

Prairie Grove 7 3 0 7 — 17

First Quarter

Prairie — West 36 pass from Winters (Allon kick), 8:04.

Second Quarter

Gent — Ramsey 1 run (De Milla kick), :45.

Prairie — FG Allon 35, :00.

Fourth Quarter

Prairie — Bartholomew 11 run (Allon kick), 5:17.

Gent — Stewart 37 pass from Millsap (De Milla kick), 3:55.

Gent — Ochs 9 pass from Millsap (De Milla kick), :27.

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