You better believe the Jaguars are the talk of the town today in McCrory.
Senior running back Kaigen Rogo rushed 21 times for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns and intercepted Rison quarterback Seth Crouse with 1:21 remaining to seal McCrory's 26-22 victory Friday night in front of 6,633 in the Class 2A state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The victory was McCrory's first in three trips to the championship game.
"Everybody in town is here," said McCrory Coach Chris Kennon, pointing toward the stands on the stadium's east side, where Jaguars fans were decked out in orange and black. "We love it for our fans and what they do for our kids and letting us coach and mold those kids."
McCrory (13-0) won even though it didn't score in the second half. The Jaguars, ranked No. 2 by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette heading into the game, gained 350 yards and forced three turnovers.
Not bad for a school that disbanded its program for the 2003 and 2004 seasons because of low numbers. The Jaguars returned to the field in 2005.
"We've had some great teams throughout the years but have never been able to get a state championship," said quarterback Cade Campbell, who also played defensive back Friday night. "For us to bring it to the town and the community and the way they support us, it's just awesome."
Kennon, a 1997 McCrory graduate who played football for the Jaguars, credited his senior class for helping the Jaguars break through in the title game.
McCrory played and lost in the 1973 and 1979 state finals.
"That group of kids has been special since I had them in seventh grade," Kennon said. "They refused to never not be special."
McCrory was forced to punt with 1:45 left in the game, but Trevor Williams' 48-yard kick placed Rison at its 30 with 1:31 left and no timeouts.
Rison's Crouse attempted his ninth pass of the game on first down, but Rogo intercepted it at the McCrory 43 and returned it 4 yards to the 47 before a personal foul against the Wildcats gave McCrory the ball at the Rison 38.
It was a disappointing ending for Rison, the 8-2A Conference champion that was trying to win its ninth state title but was making its first championship game appearance since 2004.
"They came up here to win," Rison Coach Clay Totty said. "Playing in it is no big deal. I'm proud of the way they handled themselves and the way they fought."
Senior running back Bryson Marks ran for 191 yards and gave Rison an 8-6 lead with his 78-yard run with 9:02 left in the first quarter, but McCrory scored the next 20 points to take a 26-8 lead.
McCrory took a 12-8 lead with 5:12 left in the first quarter when the ball bounced its way.
Rogo fumbled at the Rison 1 and the Wildcats' Jordan Brown picked it up in the end zone and was attempting to run it out when McCrory's Williams hit Brown and jarred the ball loose. McCrory senior offensive lineman Ty Alumbaugh recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
McCrory made it 20-8 early in the second quarter after Campbell intercepted Crouse at the McCrory 23. Rogo broke loose for a 77-yard touchdown run on the next play and Campbell added a two-point conversion run with 10:57 to play in the half.
Rogo added another touchdown on a 1-yard run for a 26-8 lead with 6:16 left in the opening half.
Rison made it 26-16 with 29 seconds left in the half on Crouse's 23-yard touchdown pass to senior Gage Roberts and Spencer Trail's two-point conversion run.
A 2-yard run by Rison's Marks with 1:53 to play in the third quarter made it 26-22, but neither team would score again.
McCrory had outscored opponents 474-99 in its first 12 games, but Campbell said he knew the Jaguars were in for a tougher matchup against Rison.
"It's not supposed to be a 70-60 game," said Campbell, who passed for 153 yards and one touchdown. "That's a state championship ballgame. That's a four-point game. That's what you play for."
Sports on 12/12/2015