In a game hindered by the weather and field conditions, Central Arkansas Christian stopped Lonoke at midfield when the Jackrabbits couldn't get a play off as time expired to nab a 7-6 victory Friday night on Mustang Mountain.
"These were really tough conditions, and I'm really proud of our guys." CAC Coach Tommy Shoemaker said. "We just challenged them to embrace the conditions. We're excited for the win. We're back in the playoffs, and I'm excited for our seniors."
CAC (4-4, 3-2 2-4A Conference) moves into a tie for third with Lonoke (4-4, 3-2) with two weeks remaining in the season, but the Mustangs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Lonoke travels to conference leader Stuttgart next week, while CAC heads to Bald Knob.
"At this point, it's all about the seeding," Shoemaker said. "We're going to enjoy this one, then worry about Bald Knob next week."
Despite the weather, turnovers were few and far between.
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Facing a second and 17, Lonoke turned the ball over at its 36. The favorable field position quickly deteriorated with four consecutive penalties, three of them for illegal procedure and one for illegal substitution.
A sack and incomplete pass followed, and the Mustangs were forced to punt. CAC's Eli Garrison hit a 46-yarder, pinning Lonoke at its own 8.
"The MVP of this game was Eli Garrison, our punter," Shoemaker said. "He flipped the field for us."
Three times Garrison punted for more than 50 yards, mainly because the Jackrabbits did not put a punt returner deep. Another punt went for 46 yards.
CAC forced a Lonoke punt after Garrison's 46-yarder, putting the Mustangs in business at the Lonoke 40. Another procedure penalty moved them back 5 yards.
It didn't bother the Mustangs. Quarterback Palmer Gilbrech hit Seth Crews in stride over the middle, and Crews took it the rest of the way for the touchdown. Eli Jenkins hit what proved to be an important extra-point kick for a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.
CAC almost put another touchdown on the board early in the second quarter when Gilbrech passed deep to Jenkins, who was headed to the end zone when he fumbled the ball out of bounds in the end zone for a touchback.
The Mustangs kept the ball for most of the third quarter, but Lonoke did stop CAC on downs late in the quarter and took over at its own 23. After a couple of good runs, the Jackrabbits had a first down at their 35.
Running back Anthony Parks took a handoff over the right side and didn't stop until he was tackled at the CAC 4. Quarterback Braidon Bryant went over from there. Nick Tate's extra point was blocked to keep the score 7-6.
Sports on 10/20/2018