RISON -- Lamar's defense made the mistake of focusing its attention on Rison athlete Malik Chavis during the first half, and it opened up the opportunity for Jamarien Frye to get more carries.
The sophomore running back responded by scoring two first-half touchdowns and propelling his team to a 53-15 victory in the Class 3A quarterfinals Friday night.
Rison 53, Lamar 15
Rison 7 32 14 0 — 53
Lamar 0 7 0 8 — 15
First Quarter
Rison — Frye 39 run (Jacobs kick), 5:18
Second Quarter
Rison — Henry 26 run (Frye run), 10:39
Rison — Frye 62 run (Chavis run), 7:11
Lamar — James 3 run (Grace kick), 3:48
Rison — Henry 33 run (Frye run), :47
Rison — Martin 66 run (Martin run), 0:00
Third Quarter
Rison — Chavis 49 run (Jacobs kick), 11:07
Rison — Keese 20 pass from Henry (Jacobs kick), 7:43
Fourth Quarter
Lamar — Parmenter 47 run (Pelts pass to Grace), 10:28
"There was just great blocking, and when you see the hole, you've gotta go," Frye said. "Once I get to the outside, it's just off to the jets. When they focus on (Malik), I'm the other option."
Frye's 11-carry, 139-yard performance led the Wildcats' attack, which also had big games from Chavis and junior quarterback Jaylon Henry.
"His dad played for us in 2000, so he comes from a long line of tradition here," said Rison coach Clay Totty. "He's got a lot of ability, and he sure keeps people from keying on Malik. If you key on Malik, you're in trouble with (Jamarien)."
Once Lamar's defense began reacting to Frye in the second half, it gave Chavis the go-ahead to rattle off the exciting plays he's known for at Rison, including a 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
"Coach was saying we need to come out of the locker room and put the opposing team away, so we couldn't look sluggish," Chavis said. "With that touchdown, it gave us some momentum to know we're still here."
Chavis carried the ball nine times for 102 yards, and he also played a big role in his team limiting Lamar's offense to 15 points. He was a lockdown corner, which is the position he's expected to play at Arkansas. The aggressive coverage forced the Warriors' passing game to be relatively nonexistent.
"I like defense, and I was moving to the ball really well," Chavis said. "I was covering the passes well, too, so I would say I played well."
The victory moves Rison to 14-0 on the season and further cements the winning mentality the Wildcats' players continue to display. Chavis said that will translate to the Razorbacks during his freshman campaign next year.
"We don't like losing around here, especially the class of 2019," Chavis said. "It's a bold statement, but we're Arkansas. We're gonna turn it around."
Preps Sports on 11/24/2018