PRAIRIE GROVE — Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier has said all season he never knows who is going to make the big plays for his team.
Last week, it was senior Colby Elkins.
PROFILE
Colby Elkins
SCHOOL: Prairie Grove
POSITION: Running back, receiver, and defensive back
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 175
NOTEWORTHY: Has over 300 yards rushing and three interceptions on the season. ... Scored two touchdowns each against Nashville and Lincoln. ... Had 76 yards rushing against Lincoln and a season-long 47-yard catch against Elkins. ... Transferred to Prairie Grove from Farmington after his sophomore year.
Elkins contributed on offense, defense and special teams to lead Prairie Grove to a 41-34 victory over Nashville in a Class 4A state playoff game at Tiger Stadium. The victory advanced the undefeated Tigers (12-0) to tonight’s semifinal game at Stuttgart (11-1), which beat Warren 27-6 last week.
The winner will face either Highland or Ozark for the Class 4A state championship in Little Rock on Dec. 8. Ozark and Prairie Grove are both members of the 4A-1 Conference.
“Each week there’s somebody else making big plays for us,” Abshier said after the Tigers advanced to the state semifinals for only the second time in school history. “It’s this person, that person, these two, those two ... it’s nice when you have a lot of different aspects to your team.”
Elkins sealed last week win when he fielded an on-side kick and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown. The play put the Tigers ahead 41-34 and Nashville was only able to get to near midfield on its final possession.
Elkins’ standout performance against Nashville began on defense when he intercepted a pass at the Prairie Grove 12-yard line. A touchdown would’ve given Nashville a 14-0 lead after the Scrappers scored minutes later on a 13-yard run by quarterback Joel Hendry.
“Colby splits time with other kids at that cornerback spot, but we saw a good opportunity to put him in the game at that point,” Prairie Grove defensive coordinator Craig Laird said. “When he came in and made that play, it was evident he was going to stay in the game the rest of the night.”
Elkins was also a factor on offense against Nashville with six carries for 63 yards. He had a long run of 29 yards and scored on a 3-yard to put the Tigers ahead 35-28 with 1 minute, 45 seconds left in the game.
“Colby is extremely athletic and he’s one of the fastest players we’ve got,” Abshier said. “He can catch, he runs the ball well, and he’s been shining lately.”
Elkins, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, came to Prairie Grove from Farmington, where he transferred after his sophomore year. He said he enjoys playing different positions and displaying his versatility, including lining up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation.
“I like to play all over the place,” said Elkins, who has three interceptions and nearly 300 yards rushing on the season. “It’s fun and it seems like I can help the team better that way.”
Elkins is also a member of the Prairie Grove 4x100-meter relay, but his focus on football and tonight’s game with Stuttgart, which owns four state championships. The Tigers are hoping many of their fans will make the drive to help offset the Ricebirds’ home-field advantage.
“You see Tiger prints all over everything when you go downtown and there’s a lot of people who want to shake your hand,” Elkins said. “It’s been a lot of fun and, hopefully, we can keep it going.”