Note to Our Readers: The following story was sourced in its entirety by Mr. Glenn Parrish, Communications Director, Booneville School District.Mr. Parrish is a contributor to RNN Sports, and we appreciate him bringing Booneville sports news to RNN for our readers!
The Booneville Bearcats opened the season the same way they have since Doc Crowley was named head coach, with a win. This one at the expense of Dollarway, 36-6,
That’s not to suggest it was an ordinary night.
With eight minutes to play in the first half at Dollarway Cardinal Stadium the Bearcats took a 21-0 lead.
They also lost a second two-way starter to an injury on the scoring play.
After the kickoff, Dollarway picked up a pair of first downs and had reached the Bearcat 42-yard line with 3:40 to go in the half.
From there Demari Poole and Dax Goff made a stop for no gain, Poole and David Hicks made one of the 10 plays the resulted in a Cardinal loss to bring up third down.
Chase Plymale then recorded the season’s first sack and Dollarway was forced to punt giving the Bearcats 2:24 with which to work.
That would be more than enough.
Quarterback Peyton Tatum got loose for a good first down gain but a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 14-yard line.
Trace Hall bolted 86 yards from there and Goff ran for a two-point conversion and it was 29-0.
It was Hall’s third touchdown of the night. He finished with just five carries but gained 144 yards.
Before the half ended Goff and Dunn Daniel made stops for 16 yards in losses and Dollarway had totaled 49 yards in the half.
Out of the intermission Goff and Cody Elliott made another stop for negative yardage and, after a zero yardage play, an entire light bank on the Dollarway side of the field went dark, eliciting talk of a 1977 game from grandparent age fans.
After a stoppage, an agreement was reached to play the rest of the second half as if the sportsmanship rule was in effect.
It would be soon enough. Three plays to be exact.
Jace Washburn broke up a third down pass, Dollarway punted, and Goff ran 52 yards for a touchdown.
It would be Goff’s final carry and he finished with 109 yards.
Marcos Mullor added an extra point for a 36-0 lead.
Things got a little chippy after that with offsetting unsportsmanlike flags after one play on which Frank Gil had his helmet removed.
There was also a snafu with ball placement with the Bearcats ending the third quarter with a false start before a first down snap.
After another pre-snap penalty to start the fourth quarter it was first-and-10 again, essentially making the two penalties cost free.
From there Garrick Barr and Dakota Mattson ran for first downs and the Bearcats were eventually at the Cardinal 6-yard line.
Rather than try to surpass the 40-point mark, the Bearcats sent on the field goal unit on a second-and-4. Mullor, freshly in uniform after arriving from Spain as an exchange student, just missed the 23-yard try.
Dollarway got on the scoreboard on a 67-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left but Barr and Trevor Katowice prevented a try for two on what would be the final play.
The game began with Dollarway opting to defer after winning the toss.
It took the Bearcats four plays to score. Hall went 39 yards for the touchdown — he actually lost 3 yards on his first carry of 2022.
Tatum kept the ball for a two-point conversion and it was 8-0 with 10:10 left in the quarter.
On their first possession of 2022, Dollayway’s found itself in a third-and-31, then a fourth-and-31 after an incomplete pass.
The Bearcats were backed up due to a penalty on an ensuing punt return but needed only four plays to score again with Hall getting to the end zone again on an 8-yard carry.
Mullor added the PAT for a 15-0 lead with 5:26 left in the opening quarter.
Dollarway appeared to have answered with a 69-yard run but the ball carrier was marked out of bounds at the Bearcat 47.
A first down later the Bearcats took a time out but Dollarway went on to move to the 9-yard line ad had a first down.
The Bearcats got the ball back at the 14.
It took the Bearcats eight plays to go 86 yards with Rylen Ray scoring from the 13 to make it 21-0 with 8:00 to go in the second quarter.
Ray ran for 68 yards on his five carries.
The Bearcats will play their home opener on Friday against Ozark. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
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