PINE BLUFF 33, WEST MEMPHIS 7
PINE BLUFF -- A dominant defensive effort Friday night gave Pine Bluff the inside track to its first 6A-East conference title.
The Zebras held previously unbeaten West Memphis to just 145 yards of total offense and 9 first downs to roll to a 33-7 victory at Jordan Stadium.
"I tell you what, we played really well in all three phases of the game, especially on defense," Pine Bluff Coach Bobby Bolding said. "We did a good job of stuffing the run and got after their quarterback in the passing game. A lot of the credit goes to our coaches because they had a great game plan both offensively and defensively.
"So it was just a good game all the way around for us, and that's what you want at this point in the season."
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
Junior running back Braylon Moody carried 27 times for 137 yards and 1 touchdown for Pine Bluff (8-1, 6-0), which gained at least a share of the conference title with the victory but can win it outright next week by beating Jacksonville. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Foots went 6 of 11 for 115 yards with 1 touchdown and ran the ball 12 times for 81 yards and 1 touchdown, while senior wide receiver Diaundre Ellison caught 4 passes for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns. The victory also gave the Zebras homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, which Bolding said bodes well for a team that's won eight games in row since a season-opening loss to Cabot.
"That's huge for us because we get a chance to play in front of our home crowd," he said. "We're playing well right now and with a lot of confidence. The defense has truly stepped up over these past couple of weeks."
Pine Bluff's defense made things tough on West Memphis (8-1, 5-1) and its senior quarterback Michael Troxler, who was sacked seven times and pressured virtually every time he dropped back to pass. Troxler completed just 7 of 23 passes for 61 yards, and rarely had time to find open receivers.
"You've got to give credit to Pine Bluff because they came out and got after us," West Memphis Coach Billy Elmore said. "We had a hard time moving the ball, and they had a lot to do with that. They had a good game plan, came out and executed it.
"They've gotten so much better throughout the season."
The Zebras took the opening kickoff and drove 66 yards in 11 plays, with junior running back Kylen Williams scoring on a 1-yard run, to grab a 7-0 lead. Pine Bluff then used trickery to add to its cushion two series later. Foots tossed the ball to senior wide receiver Jyrimee Thompson, who then hit Ellison in stride for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 2:16 left in the quarter.
After totaling 23 yards on its first three possessions, West Memphis finally got on track behind running back Guren Holmes on its fourth trip. The senior carried the ball 8 times for 36 yards on the drive to help the Blue Devils move 61 yards in 9 plays. Holmes finished off the march with a 1-yard touchdown to pull West Memphis to within 14-7.
Pine Bluff, however, needed just three plays to get back into the end zone. Foots found Ellison streaking down the left sideline for a 19-yard touchdown on the ensuing series to give the Zebras a 20-7 lead at halftime. Moody later added a 4-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left in the third quarter before Foots put the Blue Devils away with a 1-yard score with 4:16 remaining in the game.
Sports on 10/28/2017