Tigers Rally Past Apaches

Prairie Grove Gets Key Fumble Before Go-Ahead Touchdown

— The Prairie Grove defense collectively fought to catch their breath.

With the clock ticking down to just over two minutes left in this Class 4A state playoff game, the Tigers’ perfect season hung in the balance.

Gamebreaker

PRAIRIE GROVE 34, POTTSVILLE 28

WHY THE TIGERS WON

The Prairie Grove defense made a huge fourth down stop to get the ball back trailing 28-26 with just over two minutes left. The Tigers held Pottsville to minus 8 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.

WHY THE APACHES LOST

Pottsville gave up a ton of big plays in the game, but the Apaches could not move the ball offensively in the fourth quarter, and gave up 125 yards of offense to the Tigers in the fourth quarter.

Pottsville led 28-26 with 2 minutes, 38 seconds left, and faced a fourth-and-three at the Prairie Grove 43. A first down would likely seal the win for the Apaches.

But Prairie Grove’s Jared Murphy grabbed Pottsville quarterback Michael Perry behind the line of scrimmage and stripped the ball. Tiger linebacker Dalton Faulk recovered the fumble at the Apaches’ 34.

Five plays later Prairie Grove’s Weston Bartholomew crashed in from the 2 to give the Tigers what coach Danny Abshier called the biggest comeback win in his long coaching history.

Bartholmew’s third touchdown of the game, and a 2-point conversion pass gave Prairie Grove a 34-28 win and kept their season alive in front of a packed stadium.

The Tigers (11-0) rallied from a 28-12 deficit in the third quarter to secure the win. To that point the Tigers had not completed a pass and did not have a first down in the third quarter.

“It certainly looked like they were going to take it to us,” Abshier said. “But we stood up and got the job done.

“We had to quit thinking about how far down we were. You just have to push that aside and keep coming,”

Pottsville coach Bryan Rust said he did not consider punting on the key fourth down play after Prairie Grove partially blocked the previous Apaches punt.

“The last two drives we hadn’t stopped them,” Rust said. “There was still a lot of time left. We thought the only way we could seal it up and win the game was by getting that first down.

“We decided it was the best thing, to try go for it.”

Pottsville (10-2) came out of a 7-6 halftime lead and torched the Tigers like no team has done this season. The Apaches scored three third quarter touchdowns, unleashing a passing game led by quarterback Michael Perry, who was 5-of-5 for 65 yards and pair of short touchdown passes to Corey McKown, and running back Corey Campbell, who had 11 carries for 123 yards.

Prairie Grove whittled the lead down when it drove 70 yards, capped by Cooper Winters’ 36-yard touchdown to Colby Elkins in the back of the end zone with 11:46 left in the game.

That play seemed top swing momentum back to the Tigers, who scored again with just under five minutes left on Bartholomew’s short touchdown run. The Tigers’ try for two points to tie the score failed, leaving them still trailing 28-26.

Prairie Grove tried an onside kick, but Pottsville recovered at midfield and were poised to put the game away until the Tigers’ defense dictated otherwise.

Bartholomew finished with 18 carries and 127 tackles for the Tigers, who will host Nashville next week. Murphy had 12 tackles for the Tigers.

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