Blytheville overwhelms visiting Westside 40-7

By STEVE KNOX

Sports Connection Team

BLYTHEVILLE - Blytheville High School celebrated Homecoming Friday night at historic Haley Field with stands full of Chicks fans past and present. On the field the current version of the Chickasaws gave fans plenty to cheer for as they raced to a 20-0 lead after one quarter and went on to post a 40-7 Conference 3-4A victory over the Jonesboro-Westside Warriors.

The Chicks defense came up with three fumble recoveries in the win over the Warriors. (Photos By Steve Knox)

The win, while it was convincing, was anything other than pretty according to Chicks head coach Garrett Howard. “It was pretty, a win is a win... I will take a win over a loss any day,” said Howard.

While the Chicks got a big win, Howard thought his team came out a little flat. “Anytime you have homecoming with all the distractions you wonder how you are going to respond,” said the Coach.

Blytheville would score first after taking the Warriors squib kick at their own 40 yard line. A false start penalty would move the ball back five yards before quarterback Jontavious Johnson would scramble for a big gain only to have a holding penalty move the ball back to the 40. On the next snap, Johnson threw a pass in the home flat which Derick King hauled in and ran around a defender 40 yards to score with 10:50 to play in the first period. The Chicks run was unsuccessful and that left the score 6-0.

Derick King heads toward the end zone after catching this first quarter pass from Jonatavious Johnson, The 40-yard scoring play gave Blytheville a 6-0 lead.

Westside would take the ensuing kickoff at its own 30 and begin a drive which ended with a turnover on downs at their own 49 yard line.

Blytheville would give the ball back to the Warriors two plays later when Westside recovered a Chicks fumble at the 49 yard line.

Westside would roll to a first down at the Chicks 33 yard line before Blytheville’s Courtney Rogers would literally take the ball out of the arms of a Westside ball carrier and race 70 yards to score. Rogers defensive gem and Johnson’s two-point run made it 14-0 Chicks with 5:52 to play in the first quarter.

Following a Westside punt, Blytheville would reach the Warriors 27 yard line but would come up short on a fourth and five play and give the ball back to Westside. The Warriors would get a 34 yard run by 13 moving the ball to the Chicks 35 yard line. Two plays later the Warriors would knocking on the door of the Blytheville red zone when the ball was fumbled and the Chicks Rogers, in the right place at the right time, scooped up the loose football and rambled 80 yards to make it 20-0 Chicks with three seconds left in the quarter. “It looked like lightening strikes twice,” said Howard of Rogers’ two long fumble returns for scores. “I looked at one of my coaches and said. “I guess lightening strikes twice.’ I am proud of him and the guys who were out there with him when those happened... and seeing the benefit of their efforts.”

As for Westside, they moved the ball all night, they just had some unfortunate things happen at the wrong moments. “We moved the ball fine. If we didn’t put it on the ground so much or not putting it up in the air trying to make a play,” said Warriors head coach Bobby Engle. “We played hard from the first snap to the final whistle and that is what I like about our guys. We just put the ball on the ground too much. I don’t care who you are playing, if you do that you are not going to win.”

Blytheville would take advantage of a lapse by the Warriors defense to get its next score. Johnson would hook up with King on a 42 yard catch and run which moved the ball inside the Warriors 25. After a Chicks procedure penalty, Rogers ran for seven yards. An incomplete pass and a Chris Hatcher run left the Chicks facing a fourth and 3 at the Westside 13 when Johnson scrambled 13 yards for the score making it 26-0 Chicks with 9 minutes to play in the half.

Westside would take the ball over at their own 22 yard line with 8:38 to play but their 13-play possession would fail to yield any points as negative yardage plays would kill what was a promising drive and the half would end with the score 26-0 in favor of the Chickasaws.

In the third quarter, Westside would have the ball first but turned it back to Blytheville on a quarterback sack at midfield with 8:45 to play in the period. Blytheville would move the ball inside the Warriors’ red zone but would come up short when Johnson’s fourth down pass would fall incomplete returning the ball to Westside.

Following a Westside punt, Blytheville put together a seven-play 40 yard scoring drive with the touchdown coming on a 40-yard pass from Johnson to Michael Terry who caught the ball in stride and walked into the end zone to make it 32-0 Chicks with 2L17 left in the third quarter. Rogers two-point run was successful and the Blytheville lead was 34-0.

Blytheville would add to its lead early in the fourth quarter when after stopping the Warriors on downs at the Blytheville 34 yard line on a second and 10 play from the Chicks 48 yard line, Rogers took a pitch from Johnson and raced 52 yards around the right side to score to make it 40-0 with 11:15 to play in the game. Rogers long run and score set the “sportsmanship clock” in motion.

Westside would avoid the shut out by putting together a seven play, 34 yard scoring drive which saw quarterback Gavin Dodson score on an 11-yard run. Cason Stinson’s point after kick with 3:30 to play set the final score of 40-7.

Blytheville out gained Westside 348-229. The Chicks ran for 131 yards on 23 carries, with Rogers picking up 88 yards and a score on seven attempts. Johnson ran for 38 yards and a score on 13 carries.

The Chicks had a huge advantage through the air with Johnson completing 9 of 15 passes for 217 yards and two scores. King had five catches for 104 yards and a score. Terry had three catches for 108 yards and a score.

Westside completed only one pass in five attempts while suffering a pair of interceptions.

Westside suffered five fumbles losing two, while the Chicks also had five fumbles, losing three.

Blytheville was penalized 15 times for 135 yards while the Warriors had three penalties for 15 yards.

“We have lots of things to clean up this week,” said the Chicks Howard. “We put the ball on the ground too many times and we committed too many penalties Some of those penalties were nit picking and maybe shouldn’t have been called, but it was good that we were able to rally and overcome those and put points on the board. But now it’s back to the drawing board and we must get ready for the next one. But we do have a lot of things to address. I am proud of our kids and the effort they gave and any win is a good win.”

Westside (1-4, 0-2) returns home to face Southside-Batesville (5-0, 2-0), while the Chicks (2-2, 2-0) travel to Highland (4-0, 2-0). Kickoff for both games is set for 7 p.m.