Lions catch, run off from Badgers

5A-CENTRAL

LR McCLELLAN 54, BEEBE 21

There are teams like like to take time off the clock and there are teams that don't care about time of possession.

Little Rock McClellan is that second kind of team.

The Crimson Lions ran one play in the first quarter and nine in the first half, but took advantage of a long touchdown run on their first offensive play, ran an interception back for a touchdown and scored on a three-play, 81-yard drive en route to a 54-21 5A-Central come-from-behind victory over Beebe on Friday at Bro Erwin Stadium.

Beebe ran 62 more plays (88-26) than McClellan, but it didn't matter to the Lions.

[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]

"I think we played much better this week," McClellan Coach Maurice Moody said, a week after he had his team running sprints after he wasn't pleased by a runaway victory over Little Rock Fair at Scott Field in Little Rock.

"We cleaned up of a little bit, our penalties were down and we moved the football," he said. "I think we had three offensive drives in the first half, scored on two of them then had a pick-six. It was tough sledding against those guys, but we played much better ball."

Beebe took an early 7-0 lead on a 15-play, 61-yard drive that ate up almost eight minutes. Taylor Boyce scored from the 1 with 4:36 left in the quarter.

McClellan's Tyrse Lair and Andre Campbell collided trying to catch the ensuing kickoff, and the muff gave the Badgers a first down at the McClellan 33.

A four-play Beebe possession ended on an incomplete pass, and the Lions finally got to run an offensive play, which turned out to be their only play of the quarter.

Bennie Kemp III made it count, going 70 yards for a score, and after a two-point conversion, McClellan led 8-7.

Before the night was done, McClellan converted six two-point conversions.

Beebe took some more time off the clock on its third possession, a 15-play, 61-yard drive that ended when Boyce scored on a 8-yard run for a 14-8 lead with 7:31 left in the half.

The Badgers forced McClellan to punt on its next possession but Lair intercepted a second-down pass from C.J. Cauldwell and returned it 55 yards for a 16-14 lead.

The Lions forced a Badgers punt and took over at their 19.

Kemp passed to Kyreek Lair for 15 yards, Tommy Crumpton III went for 10 yards, then followed that with a 46-yard touchdown run and a 24-14 halftime lead.

McClellan extended its lead on an 8-play, 78-yard drive with Kemp going over from a yard out and a 32-14 lead.

Beebe picked up two first downs on its next possession, but couldn't score from the McClellan 28.

The Lions needed four plays to score again, the touchdown coming on a 59-yard pass from Kemp to Crumpton for a 40-14 lead.

McClellan took over at the Beebe 30 after a bad snap.

Campbell's 13-yard touchdown run on the second play increased the lead to 48-14 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

Beebe muffed an McClellan onside kick and the Lions had the ball at the Beebe 47 with 1:10 left. A second-down pass from Kemp to Jaylin Cunningham took care of the 47 yards and a 54-14 lead after a failed two-point conversion attempt. It was the last time McClellan's offense could be on the field.

Beebe, with the sportsmanship rule in effect, used the fourth quarter to run 15 plays and score on a 1-yard run by Ahmad Nelson for the final margin.

Kemp supplied three touchdowns for the Lions, running for one and passing for two more. He ran the ball nine times for 118 yards and complete 6 of 6 passing for 115 yards.

Sports on 10/14/2017

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