FARMINGTON — Mike Adams figured his Farmington football team had a tough assignment Friday, trying to slow down Gentry quarterback Jarod Cousins and his ‘Johnny Manziel-like’ ability.
While Adams was worried about Cousins putting on a Johnny Football act, it was his own quarterback who displayed the best impersonation of the Heisman Trophy winner.
Keaton Austin, Farmington’s junior quarterback, scrambled wildly and avoided numerous Gentry defenders just before half and found Chas Turner just beyond the Pioneers secondary. Turner then turned Austin’s wild scramble play into a 71-yard gain down the sidelines, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Josh Blew for a late score before intermission as Farmington had the breathing room it needed in a 21-11 victory at Allan Holland Field.
“That was one of those plays where you’re like, no ,no, no, no, oh yeah,” Adams said. “Keaton made a great play there and that was probably the play of the game.”
Gentry had it’s chances even after Austin’s heroics, pulling within 14-11 on Jarod Cousins’ 9-yard QB keeper on the final play of the third quarter. But after taking over possession with 5:42 left still down by three points, the Pioneers (2-2, 0-1 4A-1 Conference) had to punt back to Farmington then couldn’t hold off a late drive by the Cardinals as the game clock wore down.
“As a coach, you look at those penalties,” Gentry coach Brian Little said. “We come out in the second half and move down the field. But then there’s a holding. It’s third-and-one here in the fourth quarter when we’re backed up, and boom, another penalty.
“We have a good football team, but those are the mistakes that we can’t have. We can’t beat ourselves.”
EXTRA POINTS
Justice Hobbs led Farmington with 108 yards on 19 carries and Josh Blew added 85 yards on 14 rushes, 63 of which came in the fourth quarter for Blew. Jon Brown led Gentry with 95 yards on 17 carries and quarterback Jarod Cousins also finshed with 41 yards on 15 carries.
Both teams scored on their opening possessions of the game. Farmington drove 64 yards in 11 plays on its first drive. Gentry countered with a six-play, 63-yard drive that resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Enrique Zamora.
Blew scored all three Farmington touchdowns, and he did so in the same way all three times with three one-yard TD runs.
UP NEXT: Farmington returns to Allen Holland Field for the ‘Battle of Highway 62’, facing rival Prairie Grove next week. Gentry returns home next Friday to play host to Gravette.
HOW THEY SCORED
GENTRY^11
FARMINGTON^21
Gent^3^0^8^0^—^11
Farm^7^7^0^7^—^21
First Quarter
Farm — Blew 1 run (Flores kick), 8:28.
Gent — FG Zamora 24, 5:21.
Second Quarter
Farm — Blew 1 run (Flores kick), 1:32.
Third Quarter
Gent — Cousins 9 run (Cousins run), :00.
Fourth Quarter
Farm — Blew 1 run (Flores kick), 1:38.