The game was a blur of fast-break touchdowns, but a fourth and goal from the 1 decided it.
The Little Rock Christian Warriors' defensive line stripped the ball from Sylvan Hills senior running back Deon Youngblood an instant before he crossed the goal line in his attempt to tie the score in overtime, allowing the Warriors to hold on for a 41-35 victory at Blackwood Stadium on Friday night in Sherwood.
"It was a battle right to the end," LR Christian Coach Eric Cohu said. "It literally came down to a game of inches there at the end. Hats off to Sylvan Hills for really taking it to us on many, many plays."
Sylvan Hills junior kicker Tito Mendoza missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt at the end of regulation to leave the score tied at 35-35.
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LR Christian (5-0, 2-0 5A-Central) took the ball first in overtime and scored on a 10-yard pass from senior quarterback Jackson Bowersock to senior running back Ladarius Burnes, but senior Trey Harris missed his extra-point attempt to leave Christian's lead at six.
Bowersock completed 23 of 36 passes for 417 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Sylvan Hills (2-3, 0-2) responded by grinding out its overtime possession. It started from the 10 with a 6-yard run by senior running back Ty Compton. Youngblood ran for 1 yard, then Compton for 2 to set up Youngblood's final attempt.
To that point, Youngblood had rushed for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns on 32 carries and also caught a touchdown pass. But on the deciding play, the ball was knocked from his hands and rolled through the end zone to ensure Christian's victory.
"Youngblood is a war daddy," Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said. "He never gave up. Our kids never gave up. Now we have to build on this. It's a tough deal for us, but we have a resilient bunch."
The Warriors took a 14-0 lead early in the game and appeared ready to march away, but Bowersock -- under pressure from senior defensive lineman Brenann Shelton -- threw a wobbly pass that was intercepted and returned 68 yards for a touchdown by Darius Waddell that put Sylvan Hills within a touchdown late in the first half.
"They stepped it up," Bowersock said. "We underestimated them after that 14-0 start, and they took advantage of it."
An exchange of touchdowns in the second half was highlighted by a 71-yard pass from Sylvan Hills senior quarterback Ryan Lumpkin to Youngblood, followed two plays later by a 52-yard touchdown run by Harris that gave Christian a 35-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
A 40-yard run by Youngblood tied the score with 5:40 left in regulation.
"I'm really proud of our kids," Withrow said. "They have fought and fought, so this is kind of tough."
Sports on 09/30/2017