It is a beautiful day at War Memorial Stadium as we get you set for today's to a state championship football game.

I'm R.J. Hauck, along with Westmore and West.

You've got two teams in Bigelow and East Points at County that are almost identical.

They come on different sides of the state, but boy, this ought to be a fun football game.

525 and one.

You got Bigelow with 13 A.C. and 12 and one very similar teams both looking for the first state championship in school history.

Both have head coaches that went to school there and take a lot of pride in being the head coach.

And it would mean so much to those head coaches to win the first state title.

Heck, it would mean a whole lot to the team, the community to win that first state title.

Think about Bigelow and the road, the years that it's taken for them to get here in 2019.

This was a team that did not win a football game.

Since that point, they've won.

They've gone 32 and four since that point.

It's just an amazing turnaround.

Yeah, I thought it was funny when coach Luke Starks was asked about that turnaround and the job that he's done in turning this program around, he said, Well, I can't really say much about the former head coach because it was my dad.

Yeah, exactly.

He did.

He didn't want to, you know, take a lot of credit because I'm the guy who gets around.

He was quick to point out his dad did a lot of great things at Bigelow.

And you look, since 2019, this has been one of the best teams in the state to A, they finally get their chance to win the state title today.

They're a bunch of winners.

Steam won the basketball championship.

Some of these players won a basketball championship earlier this year.

They've got golfers that won a state championship.

They got some kids who played on the baseball team that lost in the state championship game.

So a lot of guys who know how to win playing today.

On the other side of these points, that county, this is the team that has made the semifinals year after year.

They just can't get over the hump and they've got a good one who we'll talk about a little bit later in tennis games.

And we're going to hit on him.

But it all starts it ends with Dennis Gaines.

This is a two way game.

He plays defense, too.

He's their leading tackler.

He's their leading rusher.

Let's take a look at how these we will take a look at how these teams got here in a few minutes.

But it's an impressive path for both.

Well, we'll take a quick break.

When we come back, we will go across the brackets and check out the keys to the game.

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For all of life's moments, member FDIC getting you set for the two AFC Championship game between these points at Danny and Big Alone, let's go and check out the brackets for both.

These two teams will first start with Big Wall Bigelow and West.

How'd they both get here?

Well, Bigelow had a tough path to get to the state championships, but you see, the first game, no problems with Mount Ida winning 4113 and then desert.

You know, desert's got a tough team and they're tough to prepare, prepare for.

But 3414 a 20 point victory.

And then Mark Tree, a very good team from northeast Arkansas that Epic's very familiar with, knocked them off by 16 points.

And, you know, really this offense is really run through Rhett Newman Neumeier the quarterback to senior quarterback West he is a do it all quarterback It's to a level I look at that 27 touchdown pass passes 2170 yards keep an eye on number five today on the other side his point said county 12 and one on the season their path to the finals was it it was not as hard as big load but they still had a few tests along the way and knock off Bearden 5214 Burton's up and coming that not there yet, but they're getting there.

Then they knocked off Conway Christian come on.

Christian's good team.

They they had a chance to win their conference, but they win that game by two touchdowns 30 for 20 And then Carlisle, a team that was in the finals last year 2621, Carlisle was leading at the half APC, comes back to beat them on their home turf, 2621 tested in the semifinals, no doubt about it for East Point Zach County and we talked about Dennis Gaines just a moment ago.

There he is, 258 carries over 1800 yards west.

This is a guy in his junior year.

He set the single season rushing record in the state.

Yeah, almost.

What was it, 3000 yards, 3000?

232?

Yeah, only 1800.

I'm laughing at the 1800.

He hasn't had to carry the ball as much.

They've had some blowouts this year that they've been able to rest him up a little bit.

He is ready to go.

Defense You're going to see him.

Also, he leads the team in, tackles 85 tackles on defense from his linebacker spot.

Well, let's check in with a third member of our broadcast team today, Tyler Carson, standing down on the sidelines.

Tyler, it's probably good you weren't here last night because we had monsoon rains much, much better situation today.

Yeah.

Guys, look, it's dry down here.

The sun is cracking through the clouds.

It's kind of perfect.

December football weather.

And you can tell from the crowds as well that these are two programs just hungry for that first state championship.

I know big oil, what, about 25 miles away.

The whole town might be here.

See, they had to go over 100 miles, but both have been really loud.

They just had the field goal kicking competition beforehand and both student sections and cheering bases, cheering real, real loud just for that.

So they're ready to get this game, go and ready to crown someone.

A first time state champion.

Thank you, Tyler.

As the captains were at Midfield East Points at County, they won the toss.

They're going to elect to receive the football to start this to a state championship game.

West before we get things going, keys to the game for both these two teams.

for Bigelow they've got to get the offense going early.

You know, this is a team that they can basically put up the points quickly, but you want to get off to a good start.

There are a lot of nerves in the state championship game.

You want to get off to a fast start and then of course, they got to stop games.

Everyone knows Epic's going to run the ball.

How can you stop this rushing attack?

Bigelow's offense gets a lot of attention.

Their defense is really good.

And you know, we talk so much about games, but this run of rushing attack is more than just games because COOPER Argo, the quarterback, he's run for 800 this year as well.

But he'll throw it a little bit too 1400 yards, passing 14 touchdowns.

He does have eight interceptions.

Got to take care of the football today.

As for his point, said County the keys to the game for them and it's pretty easy you got to stick to what you know yeah give the ball to games you know you're going to sprinkle it around and give some other guys some carries just so that the defense can't focus 100%, 100% of the time on games.

But you also on defense.

You've got to be able to stop this Bigelow attack.

Well, both these two teams have made their way onto the playing surface as Bigelow wearing that all white uniform with black helmets trimmed in black.

And then these points that county got the mixture of the black and red with the white helmets.

White numerals were just about set and ready to go here at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Class two state championship game.

These points that county 12 and one on the season Bigelow 13 and no on the year as we said his points that county going to receive the football to start they come in this ballgame averaging 42 points per game they average 110 passing per game 302 rushing a game for a total of 413 in total offense per game.

Bigelow is lined up and ready to kick this off his work just about set and ready to go.

Very impressed with this Bigelow crowd.

It is nice they broke.

They brought everybody from Bigelow last person out of town, lock the doors and turn off lights because they're all here at War Memorial Stadium.

As they'll put a foot into it.

The man will take it at the 29 yard line and he'll bring it up left side, bringing it up for eight point set.

County.

That was Jacob Gaines, who will take it past the 40 yard line and he'll be down at the 41 yard line.

He is the brother of Dennis Gaines, the sophomore.

And so East points that county will have great field position as they'll start at the 41 yard line.

Gaines will carry it from time to time throughout the season.

He's gotten some carries.

He's also a safety for ABC 37 tackles.

So this is a kid young man that can hopefully one day follow in the footsteps of his older brother.

This is points that county team made to the semifinals last year, lost to Hazen, lost declared, and the year before that in the semifinals, they finally made it here to Memorial Stadium for their first appearance.

Here's a hand off to Gaines and a strong runner.

But right there, Big low.

That's why their defense has been so good this year.

They were able to stop him for a one yard gain.

Ryan Hobbs, he lost his helmet.

He was there leading the way.

Was there any doubt Gaines was going get the ball in the first carry of the game?

Go ahead and said send a message right there.

We're coming at you, Bigelow responded.

They sent a message.

We're going to be there all day long.

This defense for Bigelow was the fourth best defense in class to way this year.

So now they're going to work from the near hashes.

There's going to be three wide receivers set to that nearside and Cooper Argos going to throw Argo has a big arm and it's going to get intercepted down at the 24 yard line.

Coming up with the interception for Bigelow, it was flat.

Yes, he's in flat with his sixth pick of the season, just sitting back there and coverage playing that safety position.

Ball floated on Argo and Platte was there to make the play.

More pressure on Argo may have caused him to float the ball a little higher than he wanted to.

But look at play.

He's just sitting back there reading the quarterback.

Watch him, watch and reads the ball, picks it off.

First turnover of the game and Western have called a lot of state championships.

You see nerves no matter how experienced you may be.

You see nerves if you've never played at this stadium before.

And we saw that a little bit right there.

So now Rhett Newman, the quarterback, is going to hand it off on his first play as he'll give it all to corner Alexander the senior.

Alexander's run for over 1100 yards this year, 14 touchdowns.

He's actually committed to play baseball at UK next year.

One of those great athletes at Bigelow.

We talked about this team being full of winners.

Carter Alexander is one of those three wide receivers in the formation, This time as Alexander's going to line up to the right of Neumeier and a pass across the middle of the field going to be incomplete as he's trying to hook up with Alex Shelton is wide receiver he had it until he got hit Well two men game that time and the other wide receiver ran off the cornerback almost set like a screen for him.

That's why he was so wide open.

Had the ball in his hands.

You'll see it right here.

Catches it, can't put it away, gets hit Great play that time for me.

P.S.

Tyrus real to knock the ball out so it's third down and six with the ball at the 27 yard line for wide receivers in the formation for Bigelow Neumeier looking to throw his first option was no, not there but his second was as coming up with reception.

It was Wilson Bennett who picks up the first down and gets Bigelow to the 50 yard line.

That time the defensive back had his head turn.

It was a scramble drill and Wilson just starts running.

Cornerback has his back turn, never sees the ball until it's too late.

But Wilson's able to catch that ball over the shoulder of the defensive back and pick up the first down.

So a fresh set of downs for big long as we're in the first quarter of this two state championship game.

Fred Neumeier, who we've talked about so much, comes in with 2170 yards passing, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Neumeier will look to throw again across the middle of the field.

He had a man just over through him trying to hook up that time with his wideout.

Brant tipped in the senior Eli Black came free and the defensive end had a shot on Neumeier.

If it's not for Black, Neumeier completes that, passes the touchdown.

That's what pressure does to a quarterback.

Can't set his feet, has to rush the throw.

Probably had to throw it a hair sooner than he wanted to.

But give credit for NBC for bringing the pressure that time and that disrupted the play.

This epic defense I don't think gets enough credit.

They came in averaging 21 points a game given up, but they've really ratcheted that down in the postseason.

Here's Newman throwing behind his wide receiver.

It's a completed catches he hooks up with tipped in that time as he'll pick up four yards to bring up a third down and six.

Now he picks point man to man across the board.

This is going to come down.

Can they cover these wide receivers, man to man or can Bigelow exploit this.

We've already seen them exploited a couple of times.

But look down at the bottom of the screen.

You got man to man all across.

No deep safety.

They got a chance to make a play if they can find one of these receivers that's across the middle.

He's got it completed.

As working his way as Hobbs.

Hobbs is going to go past the five walk into the end zone for the first score of the ballgame.

And Hobbs from a dual threat guy he'll run it He'll catch it six touchdown reception of the year.

That time he broke across the middle, beat the man to man coverage and then you saw little speed ran away from the defense and scores easily so it's six to nothing Bigelow and on the kick is going to be Brett Neumeier the extra point is up and it is good and with 941 to play in the first quarter Bigelow they lead epic seven to nothing as you're watching the Centennial Bank state football championships on Arkansas PBS sports.

You know I think sports are really big to a lot of people and because it is so important part of our fabric and our community and the one good thing about what I've seen is it's high quality production.

You know, you think of small communities all over Arkansas, it's a big deal that they can turn on the TV or DVR or whatever and know they're going to get a quality product.

And so I think it just expands the the focus of what PBS is doing.

So PBS is doing a great job, and I think it's part of education seven and nothing zero score Bigelow leads these points that county 941 to play here in the first quarter as both teams have had the football once now so these points that county are going to get their second shot and it was a little surprised by that defense for east points that county playing man the entire drive that time.

a lot of cover zero and that's just man to man across the board.

No deep safety no safety help Newman got to be licking his chops as is his wide receivers.

They're thinking, hey, if you're going to do this to us, we're going to throw it all day long and we're going to make you pay.

The key will be the offensive line.

Can they give Neumeier enough time to get rid of it?

That time he came with the Blitz, they but they weren't able to get there.

And so Neumeier was able to just pick his receiver.

Cutting across the field hits him in stride.

It's game over.

That's too easy.

Touchdown.

Bigelow will take that all day long.

So I'm curious to see if Epic sticks with that or if we'll see a little change in their defense the next time around.

Well, and let's talk about these points, that county offense for a minute.

You know, they had the turnover on that first drive, but boy, didn't get much running lanes opened up.

What did they got to do to really open things up offensively for them?

They got to do what they do best and that's run the ball and stay a little patient, Stay patient with gains.

It's one of those deals where it might not happen on first down, it may not happen on second down.

Heck, it may not happen on the first drive, but you got to stick with it.

The problem could be if the defense doesn't stop Bigelow, they may get in the hole, too, where they can't keep running the ball.

They're going to have to try something they're not comfortable doing.

Here's the kick off that's going to go out of bounds for our first penalty of the ballgame on the way.

Today's officials, we will get that for you.

Here is Jason Harris is our head referee.

Mark Wall is the center judge.

Umpire is Mark Gay linesman.

Mark Johnson, line judge is picking tasty Bobby plays 35 yard on first down on judge is Trey peer and back Judge Sam Richardson So those are the championship officials for class the class to a state championship game watch Bigelow right there they're going to try to attack the box They want to make it difficult for games.

They're going to do everything they can to take the run away and dare to throw it.

There's Gaines with a handoff, has nowhere to go, actually going to lose a yard on the play and west I mean you got two three guys for Bigelow right there.

They're just everywhere Gaines goes, they go with him.

It was the defensive line Dawson McCollum Silas Schick to say that, right You bleep so you gave me the pronunciation earlier is still g still freestyle.

I tell you what, they were all over.

I'm gonna have to learn how to say it because he's going to be in the backfield all day long.

Here's Gaines once again.

He's retreating, loses more yardage, and that's going to bring up third down Carter Alexander blew up that play.

We've already called his name out today on the offensive side of the ball, but he was in the backfield just about the time Gaines caught it, then got a little help there from Martell making Macon with 100 tackles on the season.

They combined for another tackles for loss, so it's third down and 12 with the ball at the 33 yard line.

Argo going to look to throw now pulls it in and right there that Bigalow defense warms him up.

He picks up a yard on the plane and brings up fourth down.

So south the defense did exactly what they were supposed to quarterback rolls out the linebacker steps up, takes the quarterback and then the defender The safety came over and took who the linebacker had out of the backfield.

There was nowhere to go with that ball.

So it's fourth down and 11 and Epps is going to kick it away and it'll land right at the 36.

Take a good roll free P.C.

and come to a screeching halt at the 30 yard line.

And that's where Bigelow's going to get it first and ten with 757 to play here in the first quarter.

Hobbs was playing for that quick kick from the quarterback.

He was backing up, but the quarterback did a good job of kicking it away from Hobbs.

Hobbs wanted his second big play of the game.

He was trying to field that punt but just couldn't get over there quick enough.

So it'll be first and ten is Neumeier brings his guys back onto the field after scoring on their first drive.

It's seven or nothing, and the Rhett Neumeier show on that first drive and his receivers were loving the single match ups on the outside.

Numerous was three, four, five on that first drive 72 yards and of course the big play of four six yards on that touchdown There's another pass plays deflected at the line of scrimmage coming up thrown his hands up was Eli Blagg who the linebacker stepped up threw his hands up and deflected that one to bring up a second down like a big play of the game for Black.

He was the one who put pressure on Neumeier to force an incomplete pass on the first possession.

This time he could get there, so he just jumps up, gets his big hands on the ball, knocks it down.

So second down and ten.

There's three wide receivers in the formation.

Neumeier slings it out into the flats.

Coming up with the reception for Bigelow was Brandt Tipton Great tackle by Cooper Argo the quarterback also playing cornerback gets in man to man coverage Couldn't get there quick enough, but he makes a good tackle in space if he doesn't make a tackle there, that's going to be a first down.

They move the sticks, but instead he makes the tackle third and four.

Grant Tipton is the leading receiver for this.

Bigelow team, came in with 767 yards of offense and 11 touchdowns across the middle Overthrows is intended target trying to hook up with Martel Macon and now that's going to force a fourth down and four for Bigelow Just rush that throw that he may have gotten excited because that was going to be the second touchdown for him in the game that that's a touchdown if he makes the throw just overthrew him you see the corner slipped on the cut from Macon making catches it he he could literally walk in the last 20 yards but Newman just kind of rush the throw and got a little excited and threw it high lay low trying to make the defense for ABC jump off as they're lined up to go for it here on fourth down and and then Bigelow is going to jump off as like the left tackle Jacob Harris you got to start a little too early and that'll back him up five yards.

I think the plan backfired on Bigelow by Hook.

They almost got the jump.

Well, they got him to jump, but they didn't come across the offensive line, just barely saw the defensive lineman just toeing the line didn't cross it.

They tried the hard count once again.

Second time the hard count got the left tackle.

This time Lamar will have to punt fourth down and nine with the ball at the 30 yard line as here's a quick kick that will be a high ball that hits down at the 34 yard line.

Takes a good Bigelow role inside the 20 and down to the 18 yard line.

And that's the way to flip the field if you're Bigelow is epic he'll get through the third drive here in the first quarter.

Newman won the battle of quarterbacks punting the ball.

Yes, he helped flip the field a little bit and forced these points that counted to start inside their 20 yard line to make it 82 yards.

They'll have to go on this drive.

This Bigelow defense is two for two.

You know, any time you can stop SPC, make them go three and out twice, you're doing your eye for the first time.

You've got a turnover on the interception.

But the Bigelow defense has done their job so far on first and ten as Cooper goes in the shotgun with three wide receivers and a wing back up the left side, Argos going to look to run with it and he has nowhere to go.

He's going to pick up about a yard and a half, but that's it.

And this Bigelow team, they are sniffing out the run and any chance again I'd like to call I do I like that call he had room to run up the middle if he gets past that defensive line but give credit right there that is Silas help me again he's still she still needs to feed store man.

She stole two times now we're going to get it as Argo going to keep it himself on the quarterback keeper picks up the first first down for EP as they get it out to the 30 yard line play calls.

Okay.

We know about Dennis Gaines and we've told you about Argo and he can throw it, but Argos got 800 yards rushing this year.

So he can he can run the ball, too.

If you're going to focus on Gaines, you got do something else right now, they're letting Argo take over three wide are going to be set to the near side of this formation as Argo will be in the shotgun.

Argo going to keep it himself, works up the middle of the field, picks up about a yard on the play.

That'll bring up a second down.

And nine Jaden Dunlap was waiting that time.

He was at his linebacker spot.

He's got 123 tackles on the season second leading tackler to Carter Alexander.

He was not fooled that time.

He was sitting at home waiting for that quarterback draw.

Argo is a good passer.

I mean, 1400 yards this year, 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions.

He does little he does a lot on the ground, 126 carries for 800 yards rushing.

We're going to hand it on the games on the jet sweep.

And Gaines is going to get his biggest gain of the day as he'll take it, pass the 35 out to the 38 yard line.

Great play calling for APC.

They're changing it up.

They've seen they're going to stack the box.

It's going to be tough for Gaines to run it just by lining up and attacking the box.

So they're doing some different things.

Quarterback draws Bring Gaines in motion, finding different ways to attack this Bigalow defense.

So that brings up third down and two with the ball at the 38 yard line.

Three receivers in the set to the near side going pass comes right side and Bigelow's right there.

They got it into the hands of their wide receiver D.B.

Buchanan.

But boy that Bigelow defense sniffed it out early but they had them outnumbered there.

They have three wide receivers and only two defensive players.

I thought they had a little something there, but there was nobody blocking for it.

And so I wonder if that pass was supposed to go on outside to the far wide receiver and let the inside receiver block That play didn't have a chance.

What?

You threw it in to the inside receiver with no one to block.

Here's another quick kick That is a short kick that is going to bounce at the 38 and take a Bigelow bounce back one to the 45 and that's where they'll have it first and ten big a little offense.

I know they're excited to get back.

Hey, remember you guys got a chance I got you by.

Felt like he missed one right there now and he's excited to get back out there and attack this defense.

We'll check in with Tyler Cass here in a moment.

As Voltage James making their way back onto the playing surface as new monitor as one wide receiver set in the formation.

Going to look to throw has a wide man, wide open man across the middle field.

He's off to the races as he'll walk into the end zone for big all that Easton block who goes in for the touchdown.

Now we've got Billy Flag down for celebrations but boy, they got to sleep in that time.

Just to Boston coverage.

I'll be curious to watch the replay on this.

For some reason, no one went with Platt.

They just left him unguarded.

I don't know if it's a mix up in the two quarterbacks, but Platt just broke free.

No one went with him after the play for the touchback.

After the play.

But sportsmanlike conduct, the offense, that 15 yard penalty being assessed on the kickoff drop.

That's when he spun the football.

Hey, at the very end, the play spun the football down.

And I mean, he was wide open.

There was nobody between him and the end zone is new Meyers going to come on to kick the extra point?

Newman threw the ball and left his hands up in the air.

He knew as soon as he threw it that was a touchdown on Newman.

Like how you just do it.

Just a little soft toss out there to make sure it was completed.

We're going to have an epic jumping offsides defensive end on the high side of the linebacker coming after Rush.

Just got a little dancing jump to cross.

Now they're going to go for two.

They're taking the tee off the field, coach on the defender.

They have a distance of the goal drop, so they bring the offense back on the field.

They'll move it half the distance, put it on about the one and a half yard line, and they want to try to make this 15 to nothing because he sees the team, they go for two all the time.

So this this could be a very important play for both teams.

APC needs to get a stop here keep it at 13 in the backfield.

This time it's Carter Alexander and he took the direct snap, was not able to get the two point conversion.

So with 405 left here in the first quarter, it's 13.

Nothing in this game hadn't been able to get it going on offense.

You got to go with that time on defense came from his linebacker spot shot the gap watch 24 No one ever blocked him.

Lamar never had a chance.

Hey, let's head down to the sidelines and check in with Tyler Kass.

What's up, Tyler?

Yeah, guys, you can see that Bigalow crowd.

You already talked about just how great it is the entire town making its way out here.

And in talking with Coach Starks earlier in the week, he said that's really been a big difference.

This year has been the buy in from the community for their home games.

They started shutting down the street in front of the stadium hours before the game.

So the whole community comes out to do a little tailgating.

They have a different theme for the foods every week, and this week they brought that to war.

Memorial Stadium.

The theme was Super Bowl Foods, because of course, they're playing in what can only be described as their Super Bowl going for their first ever state title.

A lot to cheer about so far for the Big Little Faithful.

We'll see how the rest of this one shakes out.

Now, Tyler, you're not doing your job.

If you didn't go down there and try the food, try to go out there and get a little piece of that, bring it up at halftime.

Hey, I was out there a couple of weeks ago, and this is when the theme was finger foods and they do a great job.

So I'll see what I can do.

Okay, Tyler, thank you so much.

Bigelow set to kick off big as Hernandez is going to put a foot into it.

And after the heat, they had to back him up the cup because of the penalty.

And it'll be taken at the 31 yard line and brought out to the 40.

And that's as far as he gets it, as Tyree Harris reel is going to bring it up to the 40 yard line.

Yeah.

The penalty cost them there.

That's going to give Epic their best field position of the day.

I think it's very smart.

They're not kicking the games real can go but he's not Gaines obviously and the kicker is doing a good job of aiming his kicks away from Dennis Gaines.

So these points that county are going to come out with their best field position of the ball game as they'll have a first and ten from the 40 they give it a game's right side and they'll pick up three maybe four yards to bring up second down.

Well quick hitter that time couple of their running plays up the middle been slower developing plays that Tom Gaines got it hit the hole quickly and picked up three officially a three yard gain slip brings up the second down as they're going to line up three wide receivers set to the left side dangle line up to the right of Argo and Argo keeping himself straight up the middle and got a yard and the timing was little.

RPO with games and games broke free and he was 15 yards in the open kind of put his hands up like Blitz you two handed it off to me.

They didn't come after me.

You see Gaines going right through.

He had a huge hole.

It's kind of supposed to serve as a lead blocker after he didn't get it.

Nowhere for Argo that time for his third down.

Now, Argo going to hand it off on the jet sweep, comes right side and has nowhere to go, as they put it, in the hands of Buchanan again.

And he got back to the line of scrimmage.

But that was it.

Aden Dunlap fought off the blocker, did a great job of keeping the blocker off of him.

He pushes away the blocker right there at the bottom of your screen that makes the tackle and then you got help coming from the backside.

So big oil is going to put a man back.

We've seen quick kicks out of VPC at this point, but they're going to line up with three wide to the left side.

They're going to go for it, cross the middle and pick up the first down after the completed pass.

As they got into the tight end, that time coming up with the reception was Tyler Moore for his point set counting.

Thomas Moore only had nine catches on the season, three of them four touchdowns.

So it shows you when they go to him, it's usually in the big situation.

That was a big situation on fourth down blitz first and ten for his point set counting.

It made it into big little territory as the ball's at the 45 yard line.

Now we've got whistles and timeouts charged to Bigelow timeout Bigelow the first of that so we will take a break with them 201 left here in the first quarter as Bigelow lead these points it down to 30 to nothing.

You're watching the Centennial State football championships in Arkansas.

PBS sports.

We all know the best ways to take care of our teeth, like brushing twice a day and flossing once a day.

But there's another small thing you can do that protects your teeth in a big way.

If you or your child is involved in contact.

Sports wearing a mouthguard is important to protect.

Teeth, mouth guards, cover teeth and gums to prevent and reduce injury to teeth, lips and gums.

There are several varieties of mouth guards, so you can find one that is affordable.

If these it is a mouth guard, should fit properly, be durable and easy to clean and not restrict speech or breathing.

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Thank you.

One Memorial stadium 13 and nothing Bigelow lead these points at county it's a first in ten for ESE points that county at the 45 yard line.

This is a huge drive for NBC.

They need some points they need to get going offensively.

I like the time out from Bigelow.

They want to get a stop here in this first down they give it to James.

James gets it out to the 40 yard line, picks up five yards and not very often today has that middle of the field been open but that time he got a little bit of a running line.

You saw the juke there you see a commit.

That's the first time we saw Flash.

Yeah.

He is the college running back.

Sounds great.

Move left the lineman there just left his shoes behind back and in five as our go goes straight up the middle for a couple of yards and that'll bring up a third down and short three points that county Dunlap Dunlap again on the tackle he comes in comes in kind of low 20 tackles for loss this season very active from that linebacker spot third down and three Argo takes the shotgun snap gives it to gain straight up the middle.

He'll get it out to the 35 yard line that's very near a first down.

You start to see a little push from this offensive line.

That time, Jesus Peel was able to get a nice push with Gaines just got right in behind him you see right there.

Lost his helmet, but he got a nice push and was able to pick up first down well, first settle down, score East points head count is they're getting closer to the end zone with the ball at the 35 yard line, 48 seconds remaining here in this first quarter zone.

People with Argo, he'll get past the 35 down to the 33.

But we we've got penalty flags down right there at the line of scrimmage came in from that backside that back judge got to think that was holding holding on the offense it's a ten yard penalty from the spot repeat first down when you have a team that's predominantly running ABC can throw it but they're more comfortable running the ball.

That's just a killer.

Just so difficult to overcome.

First in 20 to lasting these points that county want to see happen on first down.

So it's first and 20 clock rolls at 35 seconds give it a game's right side They just get it able to get it past the 40 yard line down to the 37, picked up eight on the first down.

You're starting to see this offensive line get a little confidence, the running attack getting a little better and you're starting to see some positive yards from APC.

It brings up second down and 13 now Argo going to look to throw with it as you're pull down and run did the pass the 35 steps out of bounds at around the 29 saw the speed that time that's the end of the first quarter and so that's going to do it for the first quarter of play.

Bigelow they lead these points at counting the two state championship game 13 and nothing.

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Kids in Arkansas and the Arkansas PBS student all star.

And we want to recognize Myles Dickinson from Conway Christian.

He was a wide receiver outside linebacker with a 3.9 GPA plans to go study biomedical sciences at Washtenaw Baptist University.

Congratulations to all Arkansas to our Arkansas PBS student, all star.

Here is Dennis Gaines, the all star for EP as he's stretching the play out.

Pass the 30 yard line and he'll take it down to the 29.

Dawson McCollum blew up that play.

The defensive lineman was in the backfield and that caused games to retreat.

He was able to break that tackle and bounce it to the outside.

But Dawson McCollum took away that play and forced Gaines to go deep into the backfield and then the rest of the Bigelow Panthers was there to make the tackle.

It was a one yard loss.

And so that brings up fourth down and Oregon is going to look to throw he'll come back the left side finds his man it's his wide receiver Omar McCutchen and McCutchen comes in and gets the first down goes up and gets it, throws a little high Sailed on him but he goes up, makes the catch.

Defensive back was closing trying to get there but a good route.

They pick up a first down a much needed first down remember they overcame first and 20.

Great job for epic to make up the yards from the holding call.

It is the 32nd reception this year for Omar McCutchen.

As this ball is over the quarterback's head, Dennis Gaines falls on it all the way back at the 34 yard line.

Well, they were able to overcome first and 20 can they overcome second?

And probably 2122.

That was a another bad play on first down.

27.

I mean that's that's what the scoreboard says anyway so it's second and 27 now and gains the lineup to the left of Go Argos going to work it left side gets it to the 30 yard line four yard pickup Martel making coming up from his position to make the tackle keep it from being a bigger play than it was just a quarterback draw with Gaines leading the way blocking for Argo so it's third down and 18 now as Cooper argues in the shotgun he's going to look to throw Ozil stretched wide, has a man down at the 24 yard line.

But quickly, the big low defense comes in and makes the stop.

Bennett Wilson was there playing give a little cushion.

You know, you don't want to give, but you know where the sticks are.

And he had the cushion, but he makes the tackle.

That's the key You give up some yards, forced the fourth down.

Just don't let him get the big play.

That's just smart coverage right there.

Knowing the situation, knowing where the sticks are.

The ball's going to be spotted.

The 23 yard line, it's fourth down and 11.

And now we've got a timeout.

It's going to be charged.

The East Point's that counting.

Time out.

These points that count it now, it's the first of the half you know, Argos made back to back good throws.

He made a good throw on fourth down or it was a little high but he he completed the pass that one that was a much needed completion to give him third and somewhat manageable.

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The first half is points that counties got a fourth down in 11.

Argos going to take the shotgun snap and look to throw and he'll be swarmed under back the 34 yard line.

Guess who it was it was the big man, Silas Silas.

She still came in to make the sack and the turnover on downs big is going get the football.

They were trying to run the same play that they converted on fourth down.

They were looking to do the same exact play, but that time the Bigalow Defender was there.

So Argo had to pull it down.

And when he pulled it down, Silas was there for the big play.

Bigelow gets the stop now their offense is back on the field.

Bigelow's were on ten plays on all fours who were huge plays.

Only the second running play of the game.

They decided you know what, if you're going to play us man to man we're going to throw it because our wide receivers are going to beat your corners.

And it's happened twice for big plays, only the second carry of the day.

Carter Alexander was being pulled down by the back of his jersey, but he still was able to pick up three yards.

And so that brings up a second down and seven.

Yeah, that's a pretty crazy ratio.

Nine passes to one carry if that's not typical of Bigelow they dual you know they'll run it they'll throw it but today it's been about throwing it here's Alexander with a running lane out pass the 40 and very near a first down Let me pick give it to it I think he has it up there moving the chains Carter Carter probably went over to say coach don't don't forget about me You know I got 1100 yards rushing this year, 14 touchdowns.

I'm still over here, Coach.

You need to give these receivers break.

They may be tired from running 60 yards for a touchdown.

And they have they have shown so far that both the passing game and running game is going quite well against this epic defense.

Well, Epic does have a safety back and this is the first time we've seen that in a while.

So that's what Bigelow said.

Well, if you're going to have a safety, we'll run it.

Now, here's Alexander got hit in the backfield, was able to fall forward for a couple of yards to bring up second down.

That was just as impressive as his previous two carries.

He was tackled or hit in the backfield.

Two yard loss right there.

Bam that was Moses Penalosa.

That's a big man that just hit him in the backfield, but he was able to break that tackle and then keep his legs moving, pick up a couple of yards.

So instead of losing two, he picked up two.

That's, that's a four yard, that's a, that's a big play.

So that brings up second down and eight.

Now the safety help is gone Now for you.

We see his safety slid up.

That was Omar McCutchen and now a receiver on the left side trying to run that ball down is incomplete.

Is that was Martel making that a flag down right down to the 40 yard line on the EBC sideline?

I don't think that play would have counted, even if Neumeier was able to complete it for the touchdown, they brought that back.

Now the decision is you want second or third and eight or do you want to push them back?

Illegal formation.

Bob Moon In the back yard in the five yard penalty repeat second down with that one of the receivers didn't check in close enough with that side just to make sure he was on the line of scrimmage.

And so that's why you have the illegal formation.

So that brings up second down now and 13 for Bigelow with the ball at the 40 for three.

We're going to see it's going to be at the 39 yard line.

They have declined that and brought up third and eight.

Here is Neumeier.

He'll look to throw those right side and overthrows the intended target trying to hook up with Brandt tipped him just let tipped in too much to the sideline.

It was a good route by Tipton.

Looked like he was going to go deep and bam cuts it off, go straight to the sideline.

He was open and tipped and just Mr. Tipton's missed or I'm sorry, new missed on a couple of throws.

You can see he was a little upset with himself.

That's three throws now.

But you know, he's not perfect, but he feels like he can be better and make better throws.

Maybe a little hard on him since he's got two long passes for a touchdown.

But look, he was upset.

He wants to complete that pass.

Here's Neumeier again.

Going to look to throw up six rolls left, still looking, still looking and has no one to get it to as he was trying to find his receiver that just ran a bit too far as he was rolling out.

And that'll bring up fourth down.

But to your point West, I mean it all works out now, but had you declined that penalty value, you would have still forced him into a plodding situation where he did a good job that time.

They got pressure on Neumeier, He went to throw it early and the defensive line jumped up, took away the pass.

He didn't want to get it back, but batted down.

So he rolled to his left, being chased and just couldn't put enough on it to find Hobbs way down the field.

Here's Neumeier with the quick kick that'll hit down to 29 a Bigelow roll inside the 25 and goes to the 21 yard line.

And that's where he'll have it first and ten with 705 to play here in the second quarter.

And Bigelow leading 13 to nothing.

That was a huge stop for East Point that county they had to have that Bigelow goes down scores makes it 2021 to nothing.

You're in a big hole that we've already seen Epic wants to run the ball Can they throw it?

Yeah they can but they want to run the ball at 13 to nothing.

You can keep running it, but if it starts giving a bigger lead, then all of a sudden you've got to start throwing it around a little bit more.

So.

COOPER Argo is going to bring the offense back out with four wide receivers and he'll just make the defense jump offsides for three five yards, encroachment on the defense.

It's a bigger penalty.

First down right now, if you see any free yardage they can get, they'll take the bigger.

Got it.

Got to refocus, get back in it.

They got to that lead two quick scores, got to get back into this game, get where they were.

Long pass goes right side into the hands of his wide receiver for AP.

See that was his big wide receiver deep Buchanan and Buchanan got a nice run after getting hit a couple of times, number one.

Then number two, Bennett, Wilson and Martel making couldn't make the tackle Could have been a loss, right?

There could have been another loss.

But he keeps on his feet.

Finally, Carter Alexander brings him down, but he was able to pick up six yards.

So it's second down and four under 7 minutes to play here in the first half.

Argo fake pass goes left side and he'll put it in the hands of Thomas Real and real picks up the first down for VPC that looked like the play they wanted to run earlier had a couple wide receivers out there, threw it to the one in the middle, but the wide receiver the one out wide, you see him there blocking Omar McCue stunt.

He gets the block that frees him up to pick up the first down.

Tom Before they ran the play, nobody blocked for him and so he got hammered right there.

When he caught it though, it's first and ten with the ball at the 32 yard line.

Argo swings that left side and Bigelow is right there coming up with a big stop Was Brant tipped in for Bigelow well tipped him for the epic quarterback Argo he was thinking they were playing man to man and then tipped him would run with the coverage to the other wide receiver but he was actually playing zone.

He stays right there at the line of scrimmage and when he gets rid of it, he's there to make the tackle.

I know exactly what Argo was thinking.

He thought Tipton was going to run with the other wide receiver and that area would have been vacated or yard loss.

They handed off to Dennis Gaines and he has nowhere to go.

He loses yardage and AP sees going backwards.

Carter Alexander won't be credited for that tackle, but Carter Alexander blew up that play he took on the offensive lineman stood him up, and so there was nowhere for Gaines to run.

Then one of Alexander's teammates comes in from behind and is able to make the tackle.

And there you see it.

That's Dawson McCullum.

The McCullum might have gotten there anyway, but once Alexander blew up the play, McCullum was there to clean it up.

It's third down and 16 and Xhaka's going to look to throw step up in the pocket, still looking and find anybody who got dragged down.

Coming up, drag dragging down was the defensive end.

Jaydon Dunlap.

Dunlap's been all over the field early in this game.

You see him just stay where he's supposed to and then he comes up, makes the tackle, grabs him by the jersey, is able to sling him down.

Argo is looking deeper down the field and it just didn't have anybody.

He made the right decision by not throwing it.

If he throws that up, it may have been his second interception of the game.

So good decision from Argo.

Try to scramble for it, but a better play by Dunlap Quick kick is going to be a short one that's going to get and go or go out of bounds at the 40 and say at the 49 yard line.

Great field position.

Now for Bigelow.

Epix's defense is going to have to step up one more time.

You do not want to go into locker room down three scores.

And not to mention Bigelow gets the football to start the second half.

See what epic does here defensively last time out they dropped a safety play to little help.

It looks like they're going to have a safety back this time to they try going zero coverage man to man it did not work now you got Omar McHugh Stone sitting back there a little deeper to help out four receivers in the formation for Bigelow all to throw has a man across the middle of the field that time it is Brandt Tipton who comes up with the reception out to the 45 yard line and APC territory.

Everybody coming in after the quarterback that leaves the middle wide open and Tipton sees that open area catches it.

I think he was trying to use that referee right there in the middle as a screen.

He got out of the way and so the defender could come in and make the tackle go at second down and four with the ball to 45.

Same play again Newman Newman throws in low and coming up with it was Bennett Wilson it was a wobbly pass that was low and Wilson went down and got it.

I think it was tip It was it was tip.

That's why it was wobbly.

It came out of his hand really well.

But the concentration for Bennett Wilson after its tip to go down and catch it and get the first down, that'll take it up to the 36 yard line.

It's now first down and ten.

And really, if you're Bigelow, you don't want to score immediately.

Just use some of this clock so that he doesn't have a whole lot of time.

If they do score, that's exactly what they're doing.

Newman going to throw going big ball left side and it's intercepted at the 12 yard line coming up with it for his point said Kelly.

It was Omaha Mcquiston Well make Houston did what the deep safety supposed to do he's back there don't let anybody get by ball floats a little bit in the air a long time.

He keeps and comes all the way from the middle of the field, gets to the sideline and makes the play, just takes it away.

I it was going to be completed to Bennett Wilson, but Mike Houston just takes it away from the wide receiver and now Epps he's got another opportunity with three six team left here in the first half and they've got it at the 12 yard line Ran a little double move that time.

They kept running that little in route and Bennett Wilson faked the in route and then went deep.

He was open.

Newmar just had to let it go a little quicker.

Argo has the ball deflected and it was deflected and went backwards.

And so that'll be an incomplete pass to bring up second down and ten.

Just a quick throw it for Bigelow to get back there that quickly give them credit for that they're in the backfield disrupting plays that's that's supposed to be an easy throw just a little quick almost like an extended handoff but they're back there putting pressure on the quarterback so quick they're disrupting simple plays.

Right now.

I'm really impressed with the size and speed of this defense.

I mean, they are all big guys have spent time over the last three or four years just getting bigger and they've been a more physical team defensively.

Here's Argo looking to throw, still looking, and he's going to go out of bounds and he got a fake look like a big low defender, got a handful of facemask that time and I was watching Martel make and he played that exactly the textbook.

He sat in coverage, he sat covered.

He was covering up the receiver that Argo was looking at.

He was patient.

And as soon as Argo took to tuck the ball and started running, here he comes and he just gets his hand up a little too high, gets the facemask, personal foul face, man on the defense.

It's a 15 yard penalty result.

Was that not that gives it gives them a fresh set of downs with 305 to play here in the first half.

A big break for FBC Argo was going he was going out of bounds.

So you didn't even really have to tackle WOOP but got the hands up just a little too high.

Caught the facemask.

APC gets a second chance here first in 10th at 25.

Got 75 yards to go in 3 minutes They score here huge be huge.

They're going to go with a tight formation at the line of scrimmage is Argo going to hand it off as he gives it off to Jacob Gaines and gains that Gaines has nowhere to go.

he came with a run blitz that time.

They were right over the center, bringing the pressure once again.

Broke through Medium in the backfield.

No game, maybe.

Yeah, they lost the yard they had to bring up second down and 11.

Now as the clock is rolling at 240 and counting they have both games in right now.

Little double dose of the Gaines hoping for a big game.

Here's the second down attempt as Argo is running for his life going right side.

He found a man but he's out of bounds.

He might've hit the ground, but Argo just happened to run for his life.

That's just a little sprint, right?

Throw it out and looks like there's a penalty.

Flag down 31.

They didn't catch that cleanly.

Ball hit the ground.

See what this penalty was.

So in the middle of the field, maybe defensive holding is a strange area for the flag field receiver downfield.

Yep.

On the offense that penalty is decline third down how many times in this game west has ABC just hurt themselves with a penalty or a turnover?

I mean it just seems like they can't get any type of rhythm going.

But that's what Bigelow's pressure is doing to NBC.

It's it's really forcing them into some mistakes.

But you bring the heat like that, you get some you make you make mistakes happen.

And that's what Bigelow's doing.

They're forcing the issue in this game.

So it's third down and 11 at the ball at the 24 yard line.

Argo is going to look to throw those on the left side.

There's a penalty flag down, multiple flags down as the ball falls incomplete.

With Houston ran a double move.

They tried to run a little stop like the quarterback is going to stop it.

The chains try to pick up the first down but he stopped them went and when he went the corner bit and he grabbed him and then it was easy to see on the defense.

It's a 15 yard penalty result.

First down that gives him new life right there digital.

If you get a fresh set of downs with 212 remaining the Bigelow was thinking we get a stop here, we're going to get the ball back for 2 minutes.

And with their offense they go the length of the field easily in 2 minutes I feel like.

So this drive started the 12 yard line.

I feel like NBC has about three yards of total offense as they've got it all the way out to the 39 on a penalty.

That was a big play.

That was a big penalty for them first and ten as Argo handed off two games that is Jacob Gaines as he'll take it to the 41, got a little push from his offensive lineman, fell forward, picked up a couple of yards, clock stopped momentarily.

I'm not sure why, but now it's going again.

So it's second down and eight for FC.

Good pass left side got deflected at the line.

Carter Alexander no leading tackler for the team Very smart player He recognized the quick pass got up in the throwing lane, got his hands up, knocked it down it would have been a completed pass The big cushion on Mike Houston, the wide receiver there giving him that short throw just gambling will come up make the tackle The Carter Alexander was there to keep that from being completed That brings up third down and eight now as three wide receivers are going to go to the right side Argo he'll take the snap and roll left throws up a prayer left side it's batted away Two defenders went up to intercept that.

That was Ryan Hobbs and just Brandon Tipton.

They knocked it out of each other's hands.

That was a once again I don't know how many times, but Argo has been under pressure and that time he throws it up for grabs.

And the only two there were Bigelow Panthers and they knocked it out of each other's hands.

So now you've got a fourth down and eight minute 54 to play here in the first half.

Bigelow is going to line somebody's back all the way at the 22 yard line.

Hobbs has been going back up at that team and it'll take a bounce at the 30 and overturn it.

It's his hobbs and he'll take it out to the 40 yard line and that's where Bigelow will have it with a minute 42 to play here in the first half.

You know that's about where if they had intercepted that ball, where they would have gotten it.

So it all kind of works out for Bigelow.

Now they need to go about 60 yards, a little less than 60 yards and a minute 42.

I don't think the clock's a problem for this offense.

Once I tell you, it could not be a better day for football.

I'm get a light breeze.

The sun is out.

I mean, complete 180 from what we had last night.

It is December 1st up.

We have the windows open in the booth.

I've taking my jacket off, rolled up my sleeves.

You could not ask for a better day for December 1st.

It is a great day for football.

So it's first and ten at the 39 yard line.

Now we've got whistles and a timeout charged to AP.

Somehow these points that counted.

So for second of the half.

So each point set counting takes the time out.

They'll have one left with a minute, 42 left here in the first half.

And while they take a timeout, we will as well.

You're watching the Centennial Bank state football Championships on Arkansas PBS Sports.

We all know the best ways to take care of our teeth, like brushing twice a day and flossing once a day.

But there's another small thing you can do that protects your teeth a big way.

If you or your child is involved in contact.

Sports wearing a mouth guard is important to protect teeth.

Mouth guards cover teeth and gums to prevent and reduce injury to teeth, lips and gaps.

There are several varieties of mouth guards, so you can find one that is affordable.

If it is a mouth guard should fit properly, be durable and easy to clean and not restrict speech or breathing.

Talk with your dentist about which mouth guard is best for you or your child's needs.

At Delta Dental of Arkansas, we're proud to be the champions of your smile.

For more helpful oral health tips and information, visit w WW delta dental air dot com war Memorial Stadium as we've got a minute 42 to play and this to a state championship first half and big loads got the football at the 39 yard line VPC with two deep safeties now they may want to go ahead and let loose see if Carter Alexander can run the ball.

Neumeier throws it right side into the hands of Tipton and Tipton's going to be taking it out.

The 39 no gain pass is a little behind him.

Had to stop, reach back, catch it.

By the time he did all that, that allowed the defense to close and make the tackle good.

One handed catch though the defender was there to slinging to the ground so that brings up second down and ten safeties are playing 12 yards off the ball.

They're deep middles, wide open, deep middles, open safeties are out wide.

Carter Alexander If he breaks through the front five, he's got a lot of room to run.

Newmar are going to look to throw, gets deflected and falls to the turf and that's him around third down now pressure from APC starting to step up as we've got 59 seconds left here in the first half.

It's a couple of batted balls.

Newmar didn't see what he liked the first time, so he pulled it down, rolled left.

But when he rolled left there was a defender waiting on him.

So you try to get rid of it.

And the defender did a good job jumping up and putting it down.

So third down and ten to go, they're going to come out with four wide receivers in the formation, three to the left.

There's a guy that is within two feet of the sideline on that top side, Newman looking the throw and he'll be taken down coming in to make the stop for his point said County was Dennis Gaines the running time out these points they're counting down it's the third and final of the half Yeah the running Carter Alexander came over and Chip Gaines Gaines busted off of that tackle and then came in and made the sack.

Big play for Gaines epic.

You call time out and see if they can get some kind of offense going.

This last 50 seconds, I really thought Bigelow might try to run it there.

But, you know, couple of big plays and, clock stops after a first down.

Those two deep safeties were taking away the deep pass.

Just couldn't find anything in the passing game.

The coaching staff just didn't feel like there was enough time to run the ball, but they had a couple of timeouts left to play.

And, you know, I mean, here's the deal.

At least run it once on that that drive to roll the clock some because he knew that he only had one timeout remaining.

I mean, try to get that score before the half knowing you're going to get the ball back as well.

I know exactly what they were thinking.

They wanted to right there.

Two for one.

That's exactly what the Seattle Seahawks did.

The Cowboys last night scored right before the end of the half to take the lead.

They get the second half kickoff, go down, score another touchdown.

All the sudden, Dallas was controlling the first half and they're down 28 to 20 in the third quarter.

You know, both cowboy fans, I was I was actually calling that eight man game.

I had it on my phone and going, what are we doing as the kids play hard?

That was a spiral punt that's going to go out of bounds at the 26 yard line.

That was a really good point.

Yeah, that was a low line drive away from the punt returner.

Never had a chance to get over there.

So that'll push his points.

That county inside their own 30, around the 27 yard line.

And that was key part.

You know, if you don't get a good punt off and let's say they take over at the 50, you can go 50 yards in 50 seconds, it's going to be lot tougher now.

So they'll have it at the 27 yard line.

It's first and ten for East points.

That county.

But the Bigelow defense has pitched a shutout so far.

They need you to hold serve one more time.

Argo is going to take it straight up the middle and he'll be spun down at around the 33 yard line.

Dunlap again, Carter.

Alexander, those two linebackers have racked up a lot of tackles and both them were there.

Bring Argo down a fish.

We're going to spotlight the 32 Argo is going to look to throw on big ball left side has a man down at the 33 yard line flip the field APC Omar Mcquiston does it again beats his quarterback but the safety was there.

Safety was going up to make the interception but Omar just takes it away from him just like he is the safety earlier took it away from the Bigelow wide receiver looking to throw again and getting out of bounds that time was real with 7 seconds remaining in the quarter as he will go out of bounds just shy of the 25 yard line.

So a heads up play from real.

You know, sometimes you want to get greedy and try to get a little more Bigelow But that's that's situational football to know how much time is left in the half and know that you cannot get tackled inbounds because you do not have any more timeouts left.

So he got out of bounds and that gives him a chance to throw this ball in the end zone with 7 seconds.

So that's exactly what Bigelow took that time out.

They're going to talk about the situation, guys.

Look, there's only 7 seconds left.

They're going to throw something in the end zone.

His back up.

Our safeties keep an eye on number two.

You've already seen him twice.

Now take balls away from us guys.

You got to get in front of him and knock that down.

Don't intercept this.

Don't try to go up with two hands and let him out.

Jump.

You go up, reach up with one hand and knock it away.

Now, I mean, you've got 7 seconds.

If you're epic, though, you could essentially get two plays.

If you go with something quick to the sidelines, you could.

Yeah, you could do.

And they've done that several times today because there's been a big cushion from the cornerbacks and there's going to be a big cushion here.

You could run a little five yard, seven yard play, get out of bounds, have 3 seconds left on the clock to make it a little shorter, throw for the quarterback to where maybe he could zip one in there instead of having to loft it up.

Give Bigelow a chance to knock it down.

Three receivers in the formation, Argo all alone in the backfield Gonna look to throw under pressure rolls right Still looking throws it towards the end zone wide open man Touchdown That's Dennis Gaines on the left side the end zone for the score Roll right throwback left You see that play in the NFL you see it in college row right Intentionally everybody goes right stop throw back across the field.

Argo shows off his arm, good arm enough to get it there.

He gains is wide open And it's such a huge play.

I mean for ABC to get in there go to the locker room feeling good about themselves.

Bigelow had multiple opportunities to make this a 20 to nothing, 21 to nothing score.

Instead, we're going to go to the locker room with it, 13 to 6 or 13 to 8. and and that was by far west.

The best looking drive Epic's had all day the entire half doubt final.

They're going to go for two is chargers in the shotgun bunched receivers on the right side go under pressure throws it two point conversions good it's the end of the first half.

The two point conversion was too real and Tyler Kass is down on the sidelines with Bigelow head coach Luke Starks in courtside.

Yeah, guys, we got Coach Starks coming over here in just a second.

This definitely has changed though.

Bigelow up 13 nothing.

It looked like they were about to strike for that interception.

Now they go in the locker room just up one star score.

How much does the locker room atmosphere change after that?

What can happen overnight?

Be more efficient on offense and we've got to get lined up correctly defensively.

And you can't allow them to go apart many minutes.

What changed offensively?

What were they doing defensively in the second quarter?

They're slowing you guys down.

I mean, we're just not getting the ball to our playmakers.

All right.

What is the message now to the team as you go into the locker room?

Clean things up, please.

Football.

Perfect.

Thanks, Coach.

Thanks.

Coach Starks from Bigelow as he takes his team into the locker room leading by five in their first ever state title game.

But a big touchdown by FEC to cut this into a one score game just before half.

Thank you, Tyler.

As we send you to the break, we'll hedge it.

We'll send you back to the Arkansas PBS studios for our halftime show.

We've got a great show lined up for you, so stick around.

As is points at County, they cut into that lead.

Bigelow leads at 13 eight in the two state championship game.

You're watching Centennial Bank state football championships on Arkansas PBS sports, the electric cooperatives market for over 2500 team members, 17 distribution co-ops.

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War Memorial is more than just a stadium.

It's very much part of the culture of Little Rock 75 years of history lives here.

Jones Walking Steps Throw to the end Zone.

Touchdown.

So you grew up coming here watching your heroes play football, But the stadium stands for straight, built in 1948 to honor those who gave their lives.

The flags of freedom fly all over Europe, a reminder to always keep going.

The stadium is more than just a memorial.

It's a monument, a monument to the sacrifice of the past.

The stadium stands for street sacrifice, for the drive to always keep and always keep pushing for a better Arkansas or a better tomorrow, you know, it's called The City with a Smile.

Whether it's a Friday Night Football game or it's a family in need, it's going through a hard time, of course, a community going through a tornado.

The people that we can rally around each other, we have a serious situation.

A new tornado warning.

I have to say, they are a win win here.

Mean you need to be here.

Tornado safe spot right now.

There's pop.

I grew up here, graduated from here in 2000.

A lot of memories here when high school.

There's a lot of tradition here.

I've been here my entire life.

All my family's.

When you're this is very big.

The school year was going really normally.

I was actually in the middle of, like, classes and stuff, not expecting anything to change.

You know, we were excited because it kind of felt like it was the first post Kobe.

My senior year, I went for college football.

I was an off season for football.

I was playing soccer too, and we were really excited.

Things were going along all the way up to the March 31st, and the last thing in the world in our mind was have a tornado destroy our school and our kids yet again, not having a normal year.

That radar is showing you the hook echo that just now went through when that is a debris ball just to the east of when one of my maintenance guys got his that you got to get down here.

These are the schools go you know, the tragedies happen, you know, in the storms here.

We we can't we had our moment of, you know, just breaking down.

We can't stay in that moment.

What do we do to help our community?

I got a call from one of my buddies and he told me the turf was in his front yard from the football field right out there here, that the tornado hit the field and there is no football.

And I'm thinking, okay, what's next?

What's the next deal Like?

What are we going to do?

We were right out here on that field and there's debris everywhere.

There's tile far.

First time we really got to meet with the team there, got bulldozers behind our bulldozing their school.

You know, the kids look on her eyes.

It's like, what kind of nightmare?

If I woke up to it was a it was a surreal feeling, something I'll never forget.

We have to find a way to make sure our kids don't lose anything.

They don't lose prom.

They don't lose graduation.

Obviously, the field being nothing but gravel.

We went to a church field for spring football practice because we didn't have turf.

We've been out on the grass.

We just kind of made the most of what we had and we could have easily sat back and just said, Man, what do we do?

But that's a testament to our leadership and it's a testament to our teachers, our students to put in the extra work it took to get us to that point.

Once the temporary camp has gotten done, it was a easier transition.

It was more of like a normal school feeling.

They did a great job getting our facilities back.

I was in pads.

It was it was an amazing feeling to, you know, turf farm, the difference from turf to grass.

It was it was a amazing feeling.

The hours you live through the kids and, well, they were teared up.

You know, it was it was it was a big, big deal for sure.

Looking in that stance in.

The wind clearly all of that together, Right?

State university, it was all a very come together when it's an awesome community.

We're living here.

We're playing pretty good.

So many fans packed out every game.

And it's just not that they show up when there's loss, when there's when there's grief, they show up for everything.

That's what they do.

And y'know, Mr. Dawes, our superintendent, then brought him in.

You know, you think that someone that played in the NFL and big star quarterback, but he didn't come off like that at all.

You could tell he was getting ready, he was ready to get to work, and he was excited to be the head football coach.

He just comes in and he introduces himself and he immediately flashes this huge smile and corrects a joke.

And it's his laugh.

He always had this laugh.

It was a working relationship, but then it turned into he was literally my best friend.

Well, you who he was when he got here, but he didn't want that.

He wanted to just be Ryan.

What he brought was a big heart for kids, a huge personality, just a simple, humble man is what I saw.

He won't get back to the kids and get back to the sport that he loved.

Coach Mel always said being was the first football player that he met.

When he came to the house he ran.

It was right across the street from Ben's house.

He knew that Beam was going to be special.

He said, Man, I love that kid.

Please join me in a moment of silence.

As we remember Benjamin Britten here to accept all of this.

His mother woke up that morning with some text messages and calls, and a couple of those calls were from Coach Mallett.

When Ben passed away, that's when I really found out how close they were because of how bad it wrecked him.

It changed him.

I really, really did care reform of the law.

He's like my son.

Basically.

It's just it's tough when you lose a kid like that and know that he was going to go off and do great things and that when that will hit me hard.

It's just sad seeing Coach Mallett react the way he did even on the field and how they about on the field.

So crying and tell us all that he loved us we all use each other to kind of piggyback on try to look to each other for comfort Everybody was there for each other.

Mallett being the name that he was, you know, fake media or whatever, post stuff, and he takes it route.

Yeah, you know, it was this real.

I was like, there's no way.

So I called him.

I was like, There's no way.

Sure.

Let me call him here, pick up.

I was like, Wow, this is real.

I was in shock.

I just talked to him for about an hour and a half before I just melted to the ground.

The feelings and the emotions were so raw.

You can't hardly describe it unless you're in that moment.

To be honest, it didn't seem that it could possibly be real.

Our district lost students.

We had lost a coach that our kids adored.

It was more than what we could handle as a district, as a whole community.

I think they came together to help us football players out.

They had counselors from every school, even elementary schools there, knowing that they were there for us, helped out a lot.

It's just the outpouring of affection and and love that they show in this community for years.

It was awesome.

It was about what you expect from.

Well they they were there just that outpouring of love that was felt in not just our community but surrounding communities in the state, just the love that was shown to us.

It's healing.

And we as a community can get through this.

We've gone through all these things and every day we are moving forward.

The electric cooperatives of Arkansas, over 2500 team members across 17 local electric distribution co-ops, powering homes, farms and industries somewhere across Arkansas.

We are the electric cooperatives of Arkansas Power and people.

I celebrate my fifth birthday and it was a few weeks after that.

The soldiers came.

We saw two soldiers marching up our driveway and literally at gunpoint.

We were ordered out of our home.

And so you end up in a place called raw r0hwer Arkansas locked up.

And the amazing thing is thousands of young Japanese-American men and women went from behind those barbed wire fences, leaving their and imprisonment to fight for this country, those that perished on those bloody battlefields and had their coffins covered with the American flag.

Those flags were brought back to their wives or their parents still behind American barbed wire fences.

Those incredible, crazy young men who fought and died for this country.

They were the greatest generation.

They made my America possible.

Sports is so important to this state and the fabric of the state.

And I appreciate Arkansas PBS doing all the state title games that makes it available for not just the fans in central Arkansas, south Arkansas, but fans around the entire state.

I can only think of the kids in small towns and this is the biggest moment maybe in their sports careers.

And they have that keepsake of having that game on TV to have with them the rest of their lives back here at War Memorial Stadium, as it's to a state championship game between Bigelow and East Points, that county Bigelow leading 13 to 8 right now RJ Hawk along with Westmore Tower cast down on the sidelines and West.

It wasn't a lot of scoring, but there was a lot of action there in.

The first half, Bigelow came out firing, jumped out to a 13 to nothing lead.

Looked like they were about to run away with this thing.

They had a couple of opportunities to get up to 22 nothing, 21 to nothing.

But ABC did a good job of stopping it, getting those stops.

They needed it.

Here's how it all started.

A turnover on the first drive, second play of the game.

Easton Platt with the pick that set Bigelow up and they went to work.

Rhett Neumeier throwing the ball around.

That was Bennett Wilson with the first down.

He gives us the signal and then the big play going across the middle to Hobbs.

He takes it in for the score and it was seven to nothing.

BIGELOW But they weren't done.

Later on, Neumeier finds Platt all alone.

Platt takes it in.

It looked like they were about to make it 20 to nothing when Omar MC Houston playing safety picks it off.

And then the next the last play the first half Gaines with the touchdown Cooper Argo with the throwback play to Dennis Gaines two point conversion was good It's 13 to 8 at the half What a momentum shifter for EBC and I bet they're feeling a lot better about themselves.

Now let's go down to the field, check in with Tyler Kass.

Hey, guys.

Yeah, I'm here with Coach now.

Coach, we were just talking about this, but how big?

I don't drive impact now all, you know, miserable first half rushing but getting those points on the board out there for the have you know ton momentum going into halftime you give us a bit of confidence come out and play good second half defense.

Well you guys kind of shot them down there in that second quarter.

What adjustments did you make?

You know, they kind of got a couple of plays where we broke down on execution, but the game plan stayed the same.

The gas we execute a little bit better for us on offense just to make what, hey, they got a lot of guys in the box, you know, they're really taking that away.

So, you know, we're going to find a different solution to using the ball in space.

And you know, that loaded box is tough running games, but we'll give it our best shot the second half.

All right, guys, good luck out there.

Thank you.

Tyler, as he was here with head coach Brandon Powell for East Point Set County, both teams back out on the playing.

We've got about 2 minutes and 40 seconds until we start this one and get things going.

And let's go and check out the first half stats for both these teams west and on total yardage.

Bigelow had 155, but these points, that county really got a lot of their yards there at the end of the half and went 82 I believe, on that last drive.

So just think about what it was before that first drive won 55 to about 40, Bigelow's defense was dominating epic until that final drive passing yards for Bigelow 148.

They pretty much abandoned the run.

They ran it one time in the first quarter because they were throwing it so successfully.

They tried a couple of runs later on and picked up about ten yards or so APC, 58 yards rushing nine first downs to five.

A little deceiving because Bigelow's hit two huge plays, so they haven't had first downs, they've had touchdowns, time of possession, as you would expect it with the running team east that county.

They've dominated it though in the big plays like we said and Bigelow's only had the ball for 6 minutes and 54 seconds.

So you know one thing that we came in this game thinking was Dennis Gaines is going to be able to run and run a lot.

He's not been able to so far what these points that count got to do to get him going.

Well, a lot what they did in that last drive, they got to throw the ball and we saw a different Cooper Argo that last possession.

COOPER Argo made two huge plays and that was the last two plays, but he made some plays before that.

COOPER Argo changed this game from his quarterback position.

If COOPER Argo can throw the ball like that in the second half, EBC has a chance to win this game.

I thought this game was very close to being over, honestly, when Bigelow had the ball and moving it up 13 to nothing, I'm thinking they're about to blow this thing open and run away with it.

And a couple mistakes here.

A couple of big plays from APC and all of a sudden you got a ballgame.

This is a ballgame.

I mean, very well.

This Bigelow could should be, in my opinion, in control this game.

Instead.

ABC has all the momentum now for Bigelow.

They're about to receive this kick.

They need to reestablish their offense and take control of this game and the momentum get the momentum back on their sideline.

This is a very important drive for Bigelow in talking about reestablishing their offense and that really to your point, Carter Alexander, there are 1100 yard running back.

They've got to get him more involved.

It all depends too on what he's going to do with their safeties.

If they want to drop their safeties back like they did there at the end of the half, then yeah.

Ron Carter.

Alexander But they're going to play.

Man zero coverage.

No, throw the ball.

You've, you've already burned them twice.

I just can't imagine.

I know that we just heard from Brandon Powell and he said we're going to keep doing we've been doing I think he means we're going to keep our safeties back and we're going to make them.

We're not going to let them throw it on man to man coverage.

I watched before the game ABC practice the onside kick a ton.

I wouldn't be surprised at this.

They may do that.

You know, I have not watched enough.

I've seen a ton of ABC highlights.

They may they may kick it deep, but I watched them practice a lot on site kicks.

There is real kick the onside and it is recovered by Bigelow at the 50 yard line.

So they're going to have great field position to start their first drive here in the second half.

Glad to have you along, wherever you may be across the state of Arkansas for this class to a state title game.

Don't forget, coming up tonight, 30, you've got the six eight title game and then we've got a whole host of action tomorrow with the seven eight game at noon and then the five eight game tomorrow night.

And can catch all those games right here on Arkansas PBS sports a fun it's just starting it I mean, last night was a marathon.

You know it was a marathon last night.

And then when we come in today and we're having some great football, we got a ballgame here.

Neumeier, going to hand it to Carter.

Gardner's going to make it past the 45 yard line.

Ben Carter.

Alexander.

And so he'll take it all the way down to the 41.

And that's a way, a great way to get the running game going.

On that first play, he got deep safety.

You know, they're not populating the line of scrimmage.

They're they're giving you some running lanes.

And they took what they were giving them.

You know, Meyer takes the handoff, gives it to Carter Alexander again he falls forward to the 40 yard line, a one yard pickup, still about a yard shy.

The first down ABC was a lot more aggressive on second down.

They blitz in their linebackers a little run blitz.

They met him at the line of scrimmage, wasn't able to pick up the first down third down and one that was under way here in the second half for those two state title game.

Back to Carter Alexander, he picks up the first down as he goes on the left side of the formation and he'll be taken down at the 38 yard line.

But fresh set of downs for Bigelow three carries, they get the first down.

That's what I wanted to see if they would be patient enough to just run the ball if he drops back into coverage, drops back to safety.

First indication is, yeah, we'll run it.

If that's what you want to give us, then we're going to run it first down and ten with the ball at the 38 line, three wide receivers in the formation for Bigelow, they're going to line up Dunlap to the right of Neumeier.

He'll take the handoff and get that nice running lane out pass the 35 take him down at the 33 yard line start pounding away, pounding away, pounding away.

And then all of a sudden that does get the defense to take a step forward to come up, try to stop the run.

That's when bam!

Hit him with the play action pass, throw it over the top, get you a big play.

Dunlap stays in the ball game at the running back position.

He'll line up to the right of Newman, take the handoff sidesteps a defender gets a nice running line pass the 30 to the 25 all the way down to the 22 yard line broke a tackle.

That's the key to that play not another blitzing linebacker met him in the backfield but Alexander is able to sidestep right there missed the tackle as Dennis Gaines coming in from his linebacker spot.

Once he misses that breaks the line of scrimmage.

There's plenty of room to run.

Dunlap now lined up to the left of Newman.

No safety now see what the running did.

Did everybody bunched up within seven yards of the line of scrimmage.

We can beat them deep.

They're going to look to throw back across the middle has the man at the five touchdown that's Brant Tipton who goes in for the score Great play call I mean exactly what you should do right there.

Run, run, run, run.

Bring the safety up.

What do you do?

Throw it.

Bam!

Touchdown!

Grant Tipton on the crossing pattern was able to take it in and Bigelow strikes in their first drive to make it 19.

I got to give some credit to that offensive line because if he can't run it you can't force him to bring the safety up and bring everybody in the box.

But because they were able to run it, Epic got the position to where we've got to stop the run.

We're going to bring low the box, then bam will hit you over the top.

Scored the touchdown numerous to be on two kick as the kick is away and it is good It's 22 eight with 927 to play in the third quarter.

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Well, Bigelow is on to kick as Ryan Hernandez is going to come on in as games back deep along with Tyrus real as Bigelow leads at 22 eight as Hernandez is going to kick a short kick that'll be taken at the 25 yard line and give it to Gaines on a flip back and he'll take it down to the 29 yard line.

They won't kick it to gain.

So Epic does the next best thing.

You take it, give it to Gaines.

But he's actually pretty smart because his momentum was taking it back towards the end zone.

And so they flip it back to him.

And so now epic.

Can they build off the momentum that they had at the end of the first half?

Newmar, now nine of 17, 170 yards and three touchdowns.

The three touchdowns to three different receivers hit Ryan Hobbs for 46 in the first quarter.

Platt for 55 in the first quarter.

Now in the third quarter it's Tipton, three different touchdowns to three different receivers.

And for Neumeier that's the last touchdown was touchdown number 30 that he's thrown this year three wide in the formation as he picks going to look to throw and Argos got it out to Tyrus real and real is going to be taking down the 32 yard line.

I got to say I was very impressed with Argo late in the first half.

Some of the throws that he made, he he showed a different side of himself.

And that's what they're going to need the second half, because Bigelow has shown they have the ability to stop the run.

They need Argo to throw it to loosen up this defense.

They're going to run with it this time as he'll walk right side, stays on his feet and he'll get past the 35 and be taken down at the 37 yard line.

Games gets a lot of attention.

They want to win a state championship.

They need Argo to step up in the big way, loosen up this Bigelow defense.

Not saying you ignore gains.

He's too good to ignore it.

You get him involved here in a minute.

I want you to loosen up this defense.

It's third down and two with the ball and 37 to give it to Gaines this time spin, move up the middle of the field, stays on his feet out past the 50.

What a run by Dennis Gaines.

Best run of the game for Gaines right there.

He was going to get the first down, but he kept his feet moving.

Once he gets in the hole, spinning, breaking tackles, slugging, it keeps, the feet moving, running backwards, falls backwards, which is forward.

Huge game for Gaines.

First and ten is there in Bigelow territory and give it a Gaines again.

Cutback in the middle of the field.

Gaines will pick up a couple of yards on the play to bring up a second down.

All starts with the Bigelow defensive line.

They're winning the line of scrimmage.

Dawson McCollum How many times have I called his name from the defensive line spot?

He gets in there, disrupts the play not a great lane for Gaines.

He has to stop and cut back.

Any time you lose your momentum like that as a running back, that's just giving the Bigelow defense a chance to come in there and make the tackle second down and eight.

There's Argos in the shotgun.

He's going to keep it himself.

Works left side has a nice running line as he gets past the 40 yard line stays on his feet down to the 35 yard.

Another first down for APC and you can see a rejuvenated offense.

That momentum from the first half is really playing into this drive.

The block that sprung that run was from Dennis Gaines.

Gaines came in, took out the linebacker and that allowed Arco to get the first down to, give it to Gaines right side as he'll take it down to the 30.

He's running a little bit different than than he did there in the first sense of urgency.

You're down 22 eight in the state championship game.

You don't have a sense of urgency.

You're never going to have it.

You're seeing that out of him.

Five yards there.

That was hard running second down and five Argo going to keep himself straight up.

The middle has nowhere to go.

May have gotten a yard on the play the time Jaydon Dunlap just shuck off the block from Gaines and made the tackle Gaines got him a few minutes ago that time Dunlop got Gaines was able to make the tackle.

The officials are going to say that he got back to the original line of scrimmage.

So it's third down and five from the 30 Argo going to throw under pressure, throws it across the middle incomplete and he took a big hit that time has in was Martell Macon from his blindside make it hammered him he came in never saw him until the last second had a unload it was sure if Tyler Moore was open or not probably pass.

He threw it a little high and got rid of it.

Moore was covered.

It would have taken a perfect throw if, but if he's off a little bit on that throw, it could have been picked off.

So it's fourth down and five three wide receivers on the near side Argo going to look to throw roll throws across as he's got to man he fumbled it into the hands of Bigelow coming up with it was Jaydon Dunlap and he'll take it out to the 37 yard line a turnover three times it was a great rally tie was real found the open spot little pump fake helps get him open delivers the pass and then the big hit thinking that was Martell make him with the hit drug jars it loose pops right up in the air right there Scoops it up with one hand and Dunlap We saw him running the ball a few minutes ago.

He's a running back.

He it and he wanted to go the other way with it all the way he takes it back to the 36 yard line.

Right place, right time, is it.

Look what I found.

But when he swarmed to the ball like that, that's what happens.

That's what Bigelow does.

They swarm to the ball, try to get as many hats as possible to the ball carrier.

And when there's a ball loose, you should have plenty of guys there to pick it up.

Carter Alexander running it gets it past the 40 to the 41.

I think that was Gaines tripped him up.

If Gaines doesn't trip him up, it's not a four yard gain.

It's probably a first down and more so it brings up a second down and six from the 41 yard line.

Gaines let him in, tackles all season long.

He also led them in tackles in the first half for four.

Give him another one.

You see, Bigelow's doing the same thing again.

Nick Houston dropping back at safety.

They see that, Well, we'll just run it, hand it to Carter.

Alexander He'll stretch it left side, it'll break one tackle, He'll get it all the way out to the 45 yard line.

that was tough running right there from Carter.

Alexander, Alexander.

I thought he was going to take it all the way to the sideline.

He breaks it back, takes on the hit, lowers his shoulder, keeps pushing forward.

Almost got the first down to go to bring in Dunlap now the bigger back on third and two they'll work it from the far hash mark plenty of time on the play clock as we're down to 25 seconds arc rolling at 433 and counting.

Newman gives it to Dunlap straight up the middle, fighting off Defenders picks up a yard.

It's not enough for the first down that'll bring up down and one Now this is interesting what do you do here He punt put it back deep Your kicker your partners neumeier what he's hit in the backfield by Michael Collins keeps moving his feet dragging guys picks up a yard and a half and he probably shouldn't had any he probably should have lost a yard when Newman just went to the sidelines as we're going to bring in a big formation Carter, Alexander's going to receive the snap he'll take it left side gets the first down That's their version of the Wildcat.

You know what out the quarterback even though they didn't want to run Neumeier to snap it to your running back he's got big Dunlap there to be his lead blocker He just follows Dunlap right there zero goes in right behind him picks up the first down call the Wild Panther and Bigelow call that a first down.

So it's and ten with the ball at the 48 yard line about running the ball they're running the clock yeah don't forget they're winning this game they're up 22 eight and this clock is ticking in the third quarter.

Newman takes the snap going to hand it off once again as they make it into epic territory running the football.

That time for Bigelow was Easton Platt.

First time we've seen Platt running the ball.

We've seen that steady, steady dose of Carter, Alexander and Jaden Dunlap.

Let them catch their breath and let Platt run it.

So that brings up second down and five.

After a five yard run by Platt and Bigelow's going to line up to wide to the near side, all sweep goes left side to Platt.

He has nowhere to go trying to fight off ABC players and that'll be a loss of the play.

Michael Collins broke through met him in the backfield is able to get past Collins but that allowed deep Buchanan to get in there and make the tackle that'll make it third down and ten now for Bigelow with the ball at the 48 yard line APC starting to break through, get some penetration, get a negative play coming on that run blitz and that's making all tougher for Bigelow to run the ball.

Carter Alexander lines back up in the backfield as you've got a third down and ten Newman going to look to throw going left side in and out of the hands of his intended target trying to hook up with Bennett Wilson that time with Bennett Wilson low move fake coming in then broke out and kind of threw a little back shoulder looking like he was going to go back shoulder led him just enough cornerback had his head turn, never saw the ball It was a good throw Quarterback may have accidentally got a hand in there.

Neumeier is going to be the punter for.

Bigelow as real will set back at the 20 yard line.

Jake is going to come up because a 25 real spin move and he'll taken down at the 36 and that's where ABC will start their second drive here in the second half with a minute 41 to play in the third quarter.

I love the aggressiveness real to run up and catch that ball.

It irritates me as a fan to watch the ball bounce and roll and roll and roll and you lose all this field position.

He was aggressive, ran up, caught it full speed ahead, then was able to pick up some more yards.

That was that was a good play from real football Argo the quarterback's got wide receivers said to the near side as Dennis gains comes in motion Argo going to keep it himself and he'll take it all the way out to the 45 yard line he'll be about a yard shy of the first down know the defense these gains coming in motion you're thinking Gaines is going to get it on that sprint sweep and Argo keeps it and cuts it back up, catches the defense right there, keeping their eyes on Gaines second down and one Argo.

Is it on an inside handoff this time gives it over out to Buchanan and he'll pick up the first down and much more as he gets in the Bigelow territory down to the 44 yard line.

Once again, they use Gaines as a decoy.

They fake the throw the Gaines, and then come back on the backside and get it to the receiver.

Coming in motion for the first down first and ten Argo wonder run with it has nowhere to go got swarmed under bag the 45 at the one yard loss.

I'm not sure who made that play on the outside.

It may have been Carter Alexander, but he was on the top side and he kept that outside wall.

You don't want to lose containment there and did a fantastic job of keeping them from bouncing it outside.

That was Carter.

Alexander, just a fantastic play second down attempt by Argo throws the Dennis Gaines left side and he gets swarmed under picks up a yard on the play and that's third down and nine now great open field tackle that time from Bigelow that was Martel making that wraps up gains the legs gains in space can be scary but making did a great job that time and making an open field tackle.

We're going to have a timeout at the end of the third quarter.

Well, we've made it through three quarters of play in the two state championship game.

Bigelow, They lead 40 today.

If you're watching this video by state football championships and Arkansas PBS board looks like action high and the error with everything you can see I think you do the work out here fine standard.

How about you do it.

Family and customer.

Friends.

Family I know three times it's a big DNC.

All right, Gary, I can't help it, but my sports is is so important to this state in the fabric of the state.

And I appreciate Arkansas PBS doing all the state title games.

And that makes it available for not just the fans in central Arkansas, south Arkansas, but fans around the entire state.

I can only think of the kids in small towns and this is the biggest moment maybe in their sports careers and they have that keepsake of having that game on TV to have with them the rest of their lives.

Getting ready for fourth quarter action.

Bigelow leads 20 to 8.

Here's how we got here.

Second play of the game and it's Bigelow, East and Platte with the interception.

They turn that into points when Ryan Hobbs goes 46 yards catching the Rhett new Meyer pass it seven to nothing later in the first Eastern player we saw him on defense now we see him on offense 55 yards for the score 13 nothing Bigelow Bigelow was looking for more when Omar McHugh's ten comes up with the big interception keeps Bigelow off the scoreboard and right before the end of the first half Dennis Gaines a 26 yard touchdown pass catch from Cooper Argo.

But Bigelow scores in the third quarter.

Brant tipped in 22 yards to make it 20 to 8 and that's where we as we start the fourth quarter well we start the fourth and it's 28.

I just got a text from a friend of mine, Chief JP Jordan, who's the fire chief over at Bryant, but his dad, John Jordan, created the football program at Bryant Bigelow in 1992 and they're watching the broadcast right now as he's watching this Bigelow team with a 22 eight lead right now.

All the emotions that he's going through right now zone here's a big pass from APC as Argo throws it down field to the five yard line and it's incomplete, no flags down and that is going to bring up fourth down.

Now for APC, little contact.

It was kind of incidental contact, at least in the opinion of the referees.

I'm sure those down here and those watching pulling for APC, they didn't feel like it was incidental.

4358 people here for the two day state championship game.

And that's really good.

I mean, I don't remember years past, but the two game came out.

But this is a really good crowd day for a midday game on a Friday.

Here's Argo looking to had a man in and out of his hands on fourth down and it's a turnover on downs as Bigelow is going to get the ball back.

Yeah Argo was rolling out he had a receiver open kind of open but he wasn't going to get the first down.

So he checked off of him, threw it to the other receiver that was breaking back.

But if he catches it, he wasn't going to have the first down either.

Honestly, those were two bad routes that weren't going to pick up the first down.

They weren't deep to pick up a first down.

They had to catch it, break a tackle to pick up the first down and the the deep route was covered.

So there just wasn't much of an option.

If Argo would have tucked it and run.

There were so many Bigelow Panthers back there in coverage watching him, it has been difficult for him to pick up the first down first and ten the ball at the 43 yard line.

Carter takes the handoff and he may have gotten back to the line of scrimmage Carter on it's so contrasting the difference in the epic different defense from first quarter to now.

When we started this game it was zero coverage man to man.

No safeties now the safety Omar Mike Houston he was 50 yards that was the deepest I've seen him play.

They must have thought that Bigelow was going to go for it here.

They wanted you know sometimes after a turnover on downs or a turnover you go for that deeply was very deep.

They faked a handoff to Carter Now swing it left side Nice one handed catch that time by Bigelow is coming up with the reception that time Platt it was Platt and he went up with one hand to pull that thing in.

And look at this catch overthrows him a little bit, goes up with that hand, brings it in we've seen Platt with the interception we've seen Platt with the touchdown and Platt running off the field right now.

He got a little dinged up on that play, but Platt come up big for them several times.

Not a huge play.

he picked up two yards but Tom Allen these points that county they're telling for the ruling on the field the runner being down so we got our first challenge of the state championship weekend okay with the naked eye I thought they had it right.

We'll take a look at the replay but I didn't see anything but you.

What?

This happened right in front of the epic bench.

So they had a great view of this.

All right.

Platt makes the catch.

He's got it.

Knee's down.

Ball's out.

I think.

Unless he was from another angle.

If the ball's loose and he's fumbling it before the knee touches, here's Hill.

This will be a great angle.

Now he's down.

He's down.

I mean, at this point, being in the fourth quarter, you know, you see the ball pop out like that.

You.

Let's let's go now to Tyler Cash real quick.

Cass was down there to to take a look Tyler, would you see.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Like you guys said, it was right in front of that EBC bench and it looked like they got the call on the field, right?

You didn't see the epic coaches jumping and pointing right away like you thought they would.

So I don't know if they got radio down saying, Hey, challenge it.

Or just maybe thought, Hey, we need some kind of momentum swing.

May as well give it a look.

But Liv, I don't think anyone really thought it was a fumble, but hey, we'll see what they see up there.

So rolling on the field, the runner being down.

Just convert third down now.

And look at this point in the ballgame west.

You see the ball pop out.

You had 1044 remaining.

Worth taking the shot just to look at it.

Yeah, you're down 20 to 8.

Why not just take a look at it and it also stops the clock.

They're getting to the point to where time is going to be an issue.

And if nothing else, on 30 to stop the clock.

They use it as a timeout just to prevent another, you know, 25, 30 seconds running off the clock.

So ABC is charged a timeout.

They've got two remaining as Bigelow's going to line up three wide to the right side.

It's third down and eight as Newman look the throw and he'll be a loss on the play to bring a fourth down deep He's played so much man to man coverage you think this is going to be open but the corner out there just stayed home and it was able to come up and make the tackle I'm sure they were thinking he was going to run with that wide receiver down the field and the flat would be wide open.

But the corner stayed home there to make the easy tackle.

So it's fourth down on 11 as they do the quick kick and it's a good kick that goes all the way down just just outside 20.

Let's see where they're going to walk it up.

Two They're going to walk it all the way up to the 27 yard line.

You know, Newman did a great job of getting the kick off.

I mean, because they brought pressure and they've gotten kind of close a couple of times.

A block punt there would have been huge.

But Newman just kind of sidestep angled his kick so that it would not be blocked.

So get Newmar a little credit there for just getting that punt off.

We want to thank the electric cooperatives of Arkansas.

As you know, if you are if you are a member of the cooperatives and ever need some help, call or go online to atcc dot com.

And they are supporting student athletes all over the state of Arkansas.

Well it's first down and ten as go with an inside handoff for a two yard gain you know after the last fumble for epic games I was watching him he came over to the bench and was pleading with the coaches.

Obviously I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I had a feeling he was saying, please give me the ball, get me the ball, I can carry this.

I'll take us, give me a chance.

Second down as they go with a pass play left side in the hands.

Michael Mcquiston and the accused is going to take it very near the first down.

It'll keep the clock moving as they're going to say.

It's a first down now.

Great tackle.

Bennett Wilson.

Look, he's a man to man coverage.

If he doesn't make that tackle, Mike Houston takes it to the house.

He's got no help there.

That was a great open field tackle.

I don't think Dunlap would have been there in time.

If he breaks that tackle, I think he outruns Dunlap to the endzone first and ten.

They hand it off straight ahead and Dennis Gaines is going to be able to take it in for two yards to bring up second down and eight.

Dawson McCollum has played a heck of a game called his name a lot tonight from the defensive line spot the offensive lineman making ten look at him breaks breaks free right there gets off the tackle gets into the backfield, stops Gaines for a small gain second down and eight it's a reverse on the inside This time they give it over to Buchanan and Buchanan is going to pick up a first down as he'll take it very near the 50 yard line.

They're going to mark him down, the 48, fake it to Gaines.

Everybody's looking at Gaines.

Nope, Gaines doesn't have it.

It came back the other way.

That's the second time we've seen Buchanan run that play.

Both times.

He's picked up first downs first and ten from the TPC 48 yard line handoff to Gaines once again and he has nowhere to go.

May have gotten a yard on the play.

Silas Silas back in action.

Been calling Dawson out a lot that time.

It was Silas making the tackle the defensive line.

That's been the story for Bigelow defensively.

So now they're going to say he got back to the line of scrimmage.

So it's second down and ten Argo going to look to throw has a man wide open left side that time it's Mcu's Ayton who's able to get another first down just in the open space short passing let the receiver do the work.

Bennett Wilson's playing soft and I get it.

There's no reason to give up the big play right here.

He's given him a huge cushion, simple pitch can catch Mike Houston picks up the first down that's their if they want to take that Argo going to hand it off to Dennis Gaines Gaines works right side and he'll get about four yards on the play to bring up second down both teams being very patient here.

Big Bigelow can be patient you know they're playing, like I said, soft coverage saying, hey, if you want to run it, we're going to try to stop the run, but that clock's going to run me pieces.

Being patient to Houston on the motion.

And now Argo is going to run it straight up the middle and we'll be able to get about three, maybe four yards on the play.

Alexander Helmet came off of one of the offensive linemen.

That's when they blew the whistles.

That wasn't that wasn't a lineman do that was the Argo.

Argo lost his helmet.

He said he has to come out of the game.

Yeah.

And so now you've got a third down and two without your quarterback.

It looks like Tyrus Real is going to play quarterback for him right here.

I think Gaines will get this.

I would I would venture to say that's probably good guess.

Real's in the shotgun.

Got to hand it to Gaines.

Gaines straight up the middle, and he's got enough for the first down as he takes to the 30 yard line cargo coming back sat out the one play after losing his helmet real goes back to his wide receiver position.

I love real, though.

I mean, he just nonchalantly goes, okay, he's out.

I'm a walk over here and we'll be the backup quarterback for a minute.

Sure.

It's not the first time he's come in and played a little backup quarterback this year.

Now Argo is going to look to throw going big ball in zone, has a man in and out of his hands and he.

Hold on.

Yes.

Touchdown, Omaha!

Nick Euston, we've seen the same route from him with a lot of cushion.

Will they fake it that time?

And the corner bit double move wide open.

He's open by five yards Argo with the throw on the money The hardest part of that was looking back into the sun.

Yeah Houston staring back in the sun trying to catch that ball Brings it in and there's life on the sideline and in the stands again APC the first time they attempted a two point conversion they got it.

Now Dennis Gaines is going to take the snap and we've got whistles.

The result was the last play of the touchdown.

The previous play is under review.

How they came in there at the very right before the snap.

And so now the but just so folks at home are clear we saw the review from the APC sideline but on a scoring play the booth can can buzz down and challenge a score to look at it again and make sure he got down.

He bobbled the the play as he was in the back of the end zone and so now we'll see what the officials see.

He was around on the TV.

It was close to the back of the end zone.

So that would be the only thing I thought.

He pulled it in and caught it.

But could he have been out of bounds, out of the back of the end zone when he finally had possession of it?

And our crew is going to try to get that replay in here.

It is so he bobbled it right there and you just can't see if he hit from that angle.

That's a bad angle at review.

Throw it on the field stance.

Touchdown.

Well, it's that APC crowd, boy.

Hey.

Hey You think that they weren't on the edge their seat going.

boy, for now, APC is going to attempt the two point conversion.

They tried one earlier and got it.

And here's the thing if you get it's a four point game.

Well, no, it's this is huge.

If they don't get it, it's a six point game.

I don't think I haven't seen on their stats that they've kicked any extra point all year.

So if they happen to get the ball back and score again and don't get this it's a tie game, the next two point conversion could be for the league.

So so let's go Argos is going to be in at quarterback he'll roll right we've got a penalty flag down they throw it and it's going to be incomplete but hold everything is there's a penalty flag down at the 12 yard line it's in the backfield that may be an alignment issue for APC illegal formation on the offense.

That penalty is the clock though.

Without the play, it's no good.

So you've got a six point game with 628 to play here.

The ball game is big old leads it 20 to 14.

That's it's so huge.

I mean right now it's a six point game.

If they happen to score tied up somehow, that next two point conversion could be huge.

Well, they're going to take immediate timeout on the field.

We'll take it with them.

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All right, This is going to be epic.

You know the onside kick.

They tried it once and Bigelow fielded it cleanly.

All right.

I think he does this a lot.

So this is a big play for Bigelow.

If they recover it, they're going to have great field position.

They've got the hands team out there.

I see a lot of their wide receivers and running backs up there close to within about 10 to 20 yards of the line of scrimmage.

There's the onside kick.

It's off the hands of a Bigelow player who's going to come up with it.

They're going to say this big low football hit and does it again.

Emptiness had several big plays in this game.

Of course, he had the touchdown reception in the third quarter, bounced off the initial Bigelow player mass of bodies.

I couldn't see who it bounced off of but tipped and recovered it.

And Bigelow can breathe a sigh of relief if you're if you're Bigelow you see it bounce off that first play boy that was Carter Alexander running back just bounced off of his hands was a tough one to field so it's first and ten at the 49 yard line for Bigelow Carter Alexander can make up for it here he's going to get up to look bringing him back in the box.

If they want to throw it, they've got an opportunity mark in the ball right side and with the football that time is Ryan Hobbs and Hobbs had nowhere to go.

He's going to lose.

It's going to lose two yards on the play.

Bigelow trying a little something different there.

They knew the box was going to be stacked.

He wanted to pitch it to Alexander, but Epic had the pitch defended the feet pitch, it could have been knocked away and I think it had been a backwards pitch at that bad angle.

So smart him not to pitch it out to yard loss, but it keeps the clock rolling as we're down to 445.

I think they can take a shot if there is nobody deep.

They got bunched whom are going to look to throw as a man crossing pattern that time it's Bennett Wilson and Wilson's going to run out of bounds at the 28 yard line.

And there are so many really good receivers on this team.

It's hard for Epic to cover all of them.

And that time Neumeier had time to throw.

He was looking and it had plenty of time for the crossing route to come all the way across and deliver that.

That was a good pass.

Led him with it, picked up the first down so it's first and ten as well.

Spot the ball to 28 yard line and movement.

Going to give it to Carter Alexander Alexander brings it out to the 25 down to the 24 yard line Doug real on the tackle for Epps but not before they picked up four yards and I think he sees he's going to start burning some timeouts now we have an injured player yeah it's actually got to two warriors down on the field what may be just taking a break.

Yeah He is he looked at the official, put his hand up and told him I'm okay.

I'm just resting it.

Look, most of these guys are going both ways.

All right?

We're getting late in the game.

They're worn out.

He just took a seat and took his helmet off, and he looked at him and checked to see if he was okay.

And he said he's okay.

All right.

So just one injured player that they're tending to right now.

I cannot see a number 57 possibly.

Is that black, Eli Black.

Yeah, I can't quite tell, but yeah it is Eli.

It looks like they're looking at his ankle right now.

But Tyler Kass is down there, and he can kind of see Tyler, can you get a better look than what we.

What we can see?

Yeah, guys, it is number 57 for east points that count.

And he went down kind of right away grabbing the the lower leg, the knee, the ankle.

Yeah.

They were rolling his ankle.

Ran a little bit there.

He's being helped off now.

Really not putting any weight on that leg, though.

He's got a guy on either side of, him helping him walk off the field.

Like you guys said, both of these guys are going both ways, offense and defense.

And at this point in the season and they've played so much football on those legs.

You hate to see it in the title game, though.

Thank you Tyler.

I've 33 to play it's a second down and six now for big fella they think about an injury when you're going to waste you don't just hurt them defensively when they get the ball back.

If he can't get back in there, that's going to hurt them.

Offense out too.

So the official puts Brock into motion they go patient.

They still got 30 seconds on the play clock No reason to get the hurry I don't think he signaled it.

Yeah there's a signal now they're going to get to work the 20 seconds Brett Newman in the shotgun quarter Alexander said to his left being patient he's looking at the play clock.

Malik ten.

I love it.

He's milking it.

It's great job.

I give it to Alexander Straight ahead is he'll take it down to the 22.

Buchanan came in from his linebacker spot and it got a little penetration and made the tackle blocked down for Big 34 hits.

I got to think it's four down territory for Bigelow.

So to me they're going to run.

They I would think they run it here, keep that clock running and see if they can pick up a couple of yards, may run it again.

They're bringing in the big back Dunlap's in with Dunlap, who you and I were talking about him on the break.

He is a I mean, he's a tank when he runs and he's been over the sideline.

Got a little break for playing defense.

Lee Alexander took the snap and he's going to get a great run.

He's just carrying the pile inside the ten down to the seven yard line.

I did not see Neumeier come out.

That was Alexander with it.

The direct snap he follows, Dunlap gets a little momentum, and then he just keeps legs.

Turn right there Behind Dunlap ends off It's a that was low H back in there follows those two guys all the way inside the ten first down clock running and they're going to keep Newman on the sidelines with Carter, Alexander and Jane Dunlap in the backfield.

If they bring in some extra offensive linemen, they're lined up like H-back.

So just get in behind them and put their head down.

And Rod Alexander hit a wall that time got it to the line of scrimmage.

That second down epic.

Load it up.

They said, All right, you got us once.

You're not going get us again.

Down to 325 left here in the ball game at a player lose his helmet he's coming off the field so they stop the clock momentarily.

Now they'll put the clock back in motion.

And now we've got time.

C he's going to call a timeout.

Their second timeout these points that counting of going to happen, they have to get a stop here.

They have to get a stop.

If Bigelow scores they go up by two two possession game.

So This is this is important they want to stop the clock.

They also want to regroup and get a stop.

Well, as they take a break, we will as well.

323 to play in the game as Bigelow leads it.

2214 you're watching the Centennial Bank state football Championships on Arkansas.

PBS Sports this month on Arkansas PBS.

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A lot of fun got kids you're going to really want to go and check it out Here's Carter Alexander walks it right side takes it past the five down to the four yard line with backside that time epic loaded up on one side.

And they said, all right, we'll just take it to the other side.

Now, Epic is going to call it another timeout He's point County that's their final time out of the half You can't park on the line.

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Well, we've got 311 left in this one west and then we'll take a little bit of break when this one's over.

And then tonight we got a big one at 630.

It's the six eight championship game as Greenwood and Little Rock Christian, they're going to battle for the second time this year.

The last time they played it was up at Greenwood.

And they're going to do it again right here in the state finals.

It's a heck of a ballgame in the first half.

And in fact, Little Rock Christian scored late in the first half to take a 2421 lead.

And then Greenwood hit a big play in air play to take the lead.

Still had time on the clock.

So little Chris Luck.

All right.

Well, we'll go down the score before the half.

But they threw an interception and Greenwood scored again.

And then Greenwood got the ball to start the second half and scored again.

That game flipped right there in the two minute section.

It's going to be fun tonight.

Here is Carter Alexander rolling with the rook with the run right side walks in the end zone.

Touchdown.

Bigelow caught him.

He picked it a little roll that time on the defensive line, maybe hoping they would get Bigelow jump in.

They were in the mid row when they snap the ball and he Carter just took it outside and almost went in untouched and if you'll if you'll take this play from the very beginning we're getting it right when they snap it Epix's linemen are rolling on the ground doing a roll.

A lot of times they'll do this to get the offense to jump.

Bigelow their first of the half well and it kind of threw me off for a minute because they were rolling right when the ball was snapping and Carter Alexander got his got his touchdown but yeah, I'm not sure that even if even if they don't roll if it matters but still you know we can't get any penetration from a defensive lineman when he's rolling on the ground.

Great point.

Great point.

Either way, Bigelow leads it 26 to 14 307 to play in this one.

I want to know from the Bigelow coaching staff if they were prepared for that and had seen Epic do that from time to time in a situation like this and they had coached him up to snap it as soon as they Yeah.

Or if it was just a little lucky on the snap count and they caught them.

you know, a lot of times you'll see a defensive line shift like but they're not going to like roll barrow roll over to the side.

Here's the barrel.

I mean, they were just trying to get up out of the barrel roll when they snap that.

Ball is you're right.

They may have not they the lineman may have not been able to get out there anyway because they called the outside play.

But there was no chance that they could get any penetration to stop it.

It looks like Bigelow is going to go for two.

Yeah, they're up 12.

They want to make it 14.

Meyer in the shotgun.

He's going to roll right here.

Run.

It just flips it in the end zone for the touchdown.

you just toss it that Ryan Hobbs gets the two point conversion and they make it a two score game.

That's when, you know, you call it a good play with the quarterback could have jogged in or he could just flip it in to the receiver.

That's a quarterback that likes to share the love right there.

He said, you know what, I'm not going to run this.

I'm just going to put I'm a quarterback.

There it is for the two point conversion, that's 28 to 14 307 to play here in the two state championship game.

You may have seen games the UK commit running down the line of scrimmage.

And you know what that guy may be able to outrun me to the corner.

Let's not take any chances.

I want to show that off.

He's going to be a good one at UK though, to score game 3307 to go, he needs a big play.

We saw one from Nick Houston earlier.

Now they need something else like that right now.

Bigelow I kind of think is going to back up a little bit not worry as much about stopping the run half a safety back to help but they need a big play a chunk play of some kind to get back into this game.

But of course Bigelow I mean Epic, they do the onside kick.

They're going to have to get the score and give them the Ryder Cup.

That's their only way back into this game.

Here's a kick by Hernandez that's going to hit down to 25.

You know roll off of reel and reel going to be taken down at the 1933.

Yeah.

Some time when you see that kick returner bobblehead, guys get out of their lane and all of a sudden you hit up for a big play.

And I saw that thought, Man, this could be a good thing.

Give credit to Bigelow and the coverage of Tyrus know it was Brandon Tipton tipped it, Tipton's made plays.

All the Bigelow's guys.

I mean they have gotten plays from Tipton, from Bennett Wilson, from Carter, Alexander Martel, Macon.

I mean, these guys have made plays all over the field and I can't leave off Easton Platt Platt's played a heck of a game, too, and not forget your guy, Silas Sheets to Silas as here's a play that's going to carry epic out to the 29 yard line.

And with that play for Epic, it was Omar McCoy Houston Omar came into the game 31 catches for 708 yards and nine touchdowns.

He's had a very good game with Houston that's going to put him up I can't find there he is.

It's going to be a six catch of the game, over 100 yards for him.

Now.

Daines is going to take it on the left side, get about three yards on the play, ends up second down and seven.

ABC has no timeouts remaining as the clock rolls to 35.

Argo going to look to throw on the right side.

It's intercepted he'll be taken by Bigelow's Martel making Macon fumbles it but right there to pick it up was Dunlap and Dunlap goes down and Bigelow gets another turnover Hey Carter Alexander so aware of the situation as soon as Dunlap got it he was yelling that he pointed that and go down Go down.

And then he went over to Macon and said, Dude, you should have gone down.

There's no need to run, just go down.

Dunlap was telling him to Dunlap I'll say it.

Go down, go down.

Thankfully came back to the play.

It was tried to help BLOCK but look that time go under throws the ball because he's under pressure.

He got smacked when he hit it.

Once again, Bigelow's defense putting pressure on Argo.

They have been the difference in this game.

Bigelow's defense, their offense has been great.

He got a lot of attention coming into this game.

It's second have explosive playmakers new Meyer good quarterback Alexander the thousand yard rusher I tell you what their defense was very impressive today and you said it earlier fourth best defense statistically into it I mean and they've proven that they came into this game only giving up 14 points a game.

Well, I mean, think of it.

You put up 14 points a game.

I mean, you know, and I think the more impressive thing about this Bigelow team is that what we talked about, the pre game, this was a team in 2019 that did not win a game.

And so when these kids were eighth graders.

Yeah they didn't win a game they not win went to they didn't go to a high school game where they left that stadium.

Yeah.

Celebrating a victory and Luke Starks in his fifth year has turned this team around since 2019.

They are 32 and force in 2019.

That's a heck of a run.

It is a lot of wins.

And they are 2 minutes and 20 seconds from a state championship.

Yeah, they're one one first down away from taking a knee, although they're already getting into that kind of victory formation.

Neumeier is going to put his knee on the ground and the clock is going to roll.

Do I want to?

and here's the thing for these points that counter, you know, I mean, this is a team that's made it to the semifinals the last two years.

They finally punched their ticket to the state championship game.

And look, they they left.

It's just they run into a game where, you know, you give me by a better team.

Their goal has been to be a better team in this one.

And we need to get a cameraman on Luke Starks over there on that Bigelow sideline.

I got to think the gallery bash should be coming here pretty soon.

Neumeier takes the snap, puts the knee on the ground.

He's down to a minute.

30.

You got to think, though, this is the first state championship and big world history and football history In football history.

Yes, but you said that.

But this has been a football program that's only been around since 1992.

Well, we talked Coach Starks.

We just had a good look at him, very proud of the community, this team.

He said he's been relying a on his assistant coaches this week.

He's been relying on some of those assistant coaches that played in state titles in baseball, basketball to just get a feel of what to expect this week.

And he's been relying on the community and he was so proud and happy of this community.

We've sent our camera photographers, reporters, Fearless Friday to Bigelow, I think three times this year.

And on the highlights, you can just see the stands packed, people lining the sideline just all around the stadium supporting this team.

And all you have to do is look over that big alongside the stands and see how many people are sitting over there that.

Does not look like a two way crowd.

RJ looks a for a crowd and look, we're going to get attendance figures for all these games and this is going to compare to the third and final countdown to how this will compare very favorably with some of these other games coming from larger schools in larger towns, especially the three eight game and possibly even before.

Again, I mean, and look, epic.

He's got a good crowd that came.

They made the long drive down here.

But it's impressive how the entire community of Bigelow is showing up for this one.

And they're 14 seconds away from from winning their first football state championship here there, Gatorade cans over there.

I'm see see, like I was look, I see the the automatic water jugs over there.

I see that there's a group of football players over there.

They're all kind of like they're hiding something up under Coach Starks.

He's looking behind him now.

There's two or there's a gate.

It's right there.

You can see it on their helmets.

They're getting ready.

Okay.

Guards is looking for it here.

Guy.

He knew it was coming.

So it's fourth down and 26.

He's trying to catch his breath.

You know what the temperature is right now, But still pretty chilly.

They could that Gatorade bath while in right hander in this game 14 seconds left on the game clock and put opponent to it as coming up with it was Cooper Argo and Argo is going to go out of bounds is 6 seconds remaining and BPC will have enough time for about one more play the epic heavy, huge drive before the end of the half.

They cut it to a one score game, 13 to 8 at the half.

It was a half that you felt like Bigelow, but somehow Epic was within five at the half and had all the momentum going into the locker room.

We heard from Coach Starks at the half.

He wasn't happy.

Usually the the coach was leading at the half was in a better mood, but he knew they had just squandered away a great opportunity with a bad second quarter.

And Bigelow responded.

I mean, he rallied those guys at the half.

They came out in the third quarter after receiving the kick off, marched down the field, scored the touchdown and look it's been Bigelow since and that's going to do it over here to a state champion the Bigelow Panthers they win it 28 to 14 for their first football state championship in school history as both coaches make their way across the field to shake hands and give them congratulations.

We'll take a time out.

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Back here, one Memorial Stadium, 2814 Big low, they two feet.

And these points that counted to claim the 2023 to a state championship game.

Let's take a look at final stats real quick.

As West.

You know, I Bigelow just pretty much controlled this entire game and you look at the final numbers they were outgained in total yards.

It was big place for Bigelow.

They hit Hobbs for 46 plat for 55.

They brand Brant Tipton had a 22 yard reception to so three touchdown from Rhett Newmar who was the MVP of the game.

He finished 12 of 21 494 yards three touchdowns, had one interception.

But this a total team effort.

I mean, the receivers tipped in six catches for a touchdown.

Platte had a catch for a touchdown.

Hobbs The catch for a touchdown and Bennett Wilson had three catches.

So you can't forget about Carter.

Alexander came in with 1800 or 1100 yards rushing.

He had 67 yards.

And really the game sealing touchdown just effort several great efforts from then.

That's what makes him a good team.

I mean, it's not a one man show.

They've got or five good players.

Well, sir, while they're waiting on Coach Luke Starks, the highlights of this ballgame, I mean, is we had a bunch of them, didn't we?

Yeah, we got started early Eastern Platte with an interception on the second play of the game.

And then there's Ryan Hobbs, 46 yards and just like that.

It's seven to nothing.

Bigelow Later in the first quarter, Bigelow gets back on the scoreboard That's Easton Plack going 55 yards 13 to nothing looking for more Omar Mack Houston makes the big play into the first half Let's get Dennis Gaines with the touchdown but the third quarter the big play to Brant Tipton 22 yards then another fumble that was the third turnover for East Point.

Zach County.

They did get Mike Houston to make it 20 to 14 a one score game right then.

But Bigelow then writes Carter Alexander Alexander just carrying guys and he would get the game sealing touchdown over the corner of the end zone 2814 that is your final score.

Well, there's the Gatorade bath with the head coach, Luke Starks.

Let's head down with Tyler Kass now, who's got the winning head coach?

Yeah, Coach, you just said it a little happier than when we talked to you right before halftime.

How big was it for you guys to come out and score on that next possession?

Yeah, absolutely.

I apologize for that.

A little know it.

You know, we talked about some things in the half and you know, just kind of try to be more efficient.

We got to establish a run game.

I feel like we did that on that opening drive and kind of set the tone a little bit for the second half.

Bigelow Panther football has been a part of your life for a long time.

What does it mean to you just to bring the first championship home?

it's great.

You know, not just for me.

I mean, not just for this team community and and everybody involved with everything.

It's it's an awesome deal.

Match the community.

I mean, you see probably the entire town of Bigelow out there.

How big are they?

Yeah, I think we got half the county here.

I'm Pretty sure I'm not really certain on that, but yeah, great show out here.

Great turnout for for all these guys.

And it was great.

The kids really loved it and it really it really made a difference.

We talked a couple of weeks ago and you mentioned that this group felt special this year.

Felt special to send these seniors off a state champions.

What does that mean to you?

it's an outstanding group.

I mean, not just seniors.

I mean, sophomores, juniors and West and freshmen move up, You know, just to get to experience something like that is it's a little remember it for a long time.

All right.

Congrats, coach.

Let's go celebrate with the team.

Thank you, Tyler.

And now, as Tyler is going to turn around, he's got the MVP standing right there.

Rhett Neumeier is the MVP of today's title.

Take it away, Tyler.

That's right.

Rhett down here now, he's got the MVP trophy, a man just to bring home Bigelow's first state title in football.

What does that mean to you guys?

It's I'm just so thankful for everybody, everybody that showed up, everybody.

It's been there all season for us.

It just I mean, the community, the cheerleaders, I mean, all the all the fans that just came out in support there is, you know, maybe a little bit angst there at halftime, giving up that touchdown right before, but then coming right out and scoring.

Just how big was that for you guys?

that was a huge momentum shifter there.

But I mean, our defense, they've been great all season.

I mean, given up 14 points in the in the state championship game is unbelievable being out here at War Memorial Stadium and getting to line up in victory formation, taking a knee just what were those emotions like?

that was that was great.

That was great.

I love that.

I love that.

Obviously, the big trophy is important one, but getting game MVP, just getting vote on that, what does that mean to you?

I couldn't do it without any of these guys.

Any of these guys, the players and the coaches.

I mean, I just all thanks to them and then see and probably all of Bigelow out there in the stands just how is them cheering you guys on?

I love it.

I love it.

I mean, they they've been huge this year just cheering us on.

And I mean, they've been in every ball game.

All right.

Congrats, man.

Let's go celebrate.

Congrats, Low state champions.

Thank you, Tyler.

As big little wins at 28 to 14, well, we're take a little break, but tonight we've got a big one.

It's a six day state championship game between Greenwood and Little Rock.

Christian features the two best quarterbacks in the state of Arkansas, Walker White and Kane, definitely the highest recruited quarterbacks.

I mean, you know, there was a quarterback up in Fayetteville that was thinks he's up there in that conversation and the Lindsey kid.

But I tell you what the offers have already come in for Walker White.

But the offers will just continue to come in in Greenwood.

They're fun to watch.

I tell you what they are.

It's like a clinic they put on offensively and defensively, kind of like Bigelow.

They don't get the credit that Little Rock Christian, I've seen a lot of their games.

Walker White is fun to watch.

He's got a couple of good wide receivers.

He'll take off and run with it.

It's going to be a great get turnovers My predict big prediction right turnovers will decide that game like he does most games Bigelow won the battle today they win the state championship.

Well you and Bobby Swafford will have the call tonight of that six eight title game but your winners of class two, it's the big Little Panthers as they win it 28 to 14.

Until we talk to you tonight you've been watching the Centennial Bank state football championships on Arkansas PBS sports.