The Little Rock McClellan Lions followed senior quarterback Bennie Kemp III to pull away late for a 40-16 victory over the Sylvan Hills Bears at War Eagle Stadium on Friday night.
Unplayable field conditions at Lion Stadium in southwest Little Rock forced McClellan to host the game at Little Rock Fair's stadium, but the neutral field was set up to serve as a home game for the winner.
"We got some new contractors in, so our field should be ready for the next home game," McClellan Coach Maurice Moody said. "We need it, and our kids deserve it."
"We need to get back there," Kemp said. "It means a lot."
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McClellan is scheduled to host Fair on Oct. 6.
An 82-yard touchdown pass from Kemp to junior receiver Jaylin Cunningham gave McClellan (3-1, 1-0 5A-Central) an 18-16 lead with 9:12 left in the second quarter, but a failure by McClellan to convert any of its first four two-point conversion attempts meant Kemp's 62-yard touchdown run with 5:16 left in the third quarter left McClellan's 24-16 lead a one-possession game.
McClellan's defense held Sylvan Hills (2-2, 0-1) scoreless from 9:30 of the second quarter to the finish.
"It was a one-touchdown game, and we just couldn't make enough plays," Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said.
Senior Tyrese Lair's 65-yard tailback-option pass to Cunningham padded the outcome.
"We can't give up big plays," Withrow said. "That's a big deal, and we gave up way too many."
Kemp, who missed McClellan's 63-8 victory over Little Rock Hall last week with a concussion, rushed for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 87 yards, including the touchdown to Cunningham.
"He's a warrior, man," Withrow said. "He is a hoss. I mean, he's a tough dude. He's everything I thought he would be."
Senior Deon Youngblood led Sylvan Hills with 100 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries, most on Wildcat keepers. He also threw a 36-yard option touchdown pass to senior quarterback Ryan Lumpkin, who completed 15 of 26 passes for 126 yards.
"We just couldn't complete our drives," Withrow said. "We'll have to go back to work and try to get better."
Sports on 09/23/2017