Come down.

It is a gorgeous night for football.

As we are high atop War Memorial Stadium.

It's Dardanelle taking on Elkins in the four state championship game.

I'm RJ Hawk along with Westmore and West.

We've got two teams tonight looking for their first ever state championship.

Yeah, Elkins was here last year but lost to Arkadelphia.

Dardanelle here for the first time ever in school history.

And you can see it with the Fayette basement.

They have turned out to little Rock tonight hoping to get the sand lizards to make a little school history tonight.

Kind of like Mansfield earlier today.

Yeah.

What a school history.

What a great game that was 40 to 30.

The final score there they are.

Whole host of the trophy against Fordyce.

You were on the call for that game.

What a fun game.

Yeah.

Mansfield set the state record for rushing yards in a championship game.

And their running back had the second most ever rushing yards in a game over 300 yards rushing.

For him, it was an incredible performance.

Mansfield goes five for five and two point conversions.

Fordyce zero for five.

That decided the game well, it ought to be a lot of fun.

When we come back we will talk about these two teams.

Dardanelle taking on Elkins as you're watching the Centennial Bank State Football Championships on Arkansas PBS sports.

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Sports is so important to this state and 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.

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Good.

Touchdown!

There are the Dardanelle Sam.

Losers as they prepare to come out here at War Memorial Stadium.

Welcome back.

As we prepare for today's for a state championship game.

I'm RJ Jayhawk, along with Westmore.

And let's first start with the Dardanelle Sand Lizards on how they got here.

And it all started back in week one of the playoffs when they beat Malvern 5614.

Then they took on Hamburg.

A really good Hamburg team won that game by one to advance.

And then they took on Monticello won that 3514.

And that's how one.

Then they got Warren.

And that was a great game between those two 5636 to get here in West.

It all goes through one man and his name is Creed Vega.

Creed Vega headed to, go to the Air Force.

And Tim Horton, one of the guys that recruited him more than 2000 yards rushing, more than 2000 yards passing last week, 327 yards rushing and seven touchdowns and a two point conversion and six tackles.

The seven touchdowns tied an Arkansas high school playoff record for rushing touchdowns in a game.

And let's not forget, he also plays defense, has like 98 tackles on the season.

Here's some keys for this one.

What are they.

Yeah.

You got to get Elkins offense.

Slow them down.

You look at the Elkins last two losses in the state championship game last year Arkadelphia 28.

Nothing than earlier this season at Dardanelle.

Dardanelle beat them 14 to 10.

So they were able to slow down that Elkins offense, which is just awesome.

Well, now let's take a look at the Elkins, Elks and they come in 13 and one on the season.

Their road to get here they took on Forest City won that game 5214.

Then it was South Side.

It was a three point game against South Side to advance in the playoffs.

And they took on Arkadelphia another three point game.

They've had a really tough road when they played Stuttgart.

That's when they really broke away and won that game 5521.

And for them Connor Ham is the do it all player.

Yeah Connor Ham over 2000 yards rushing this season 1367 to be exact 24 touchdowns.

He's also had three touchdown receptions.

You'll have to keep an eye on number six Connor Ham.

Well he ought to be a lot of fun to watch.

Some keys to the game for the Elks tonight was you know they got to stop Vega right.

That's got to be option number one.

Probably option number two.

Option number three.

They can throw it.

They can run it.

But the defense which has been so good for Arkadelphia has to be really good tonight aka Dell Elkins by the way 10.7 points per game.

Arguably the best defense in for a captains here at midfield.

While they do the coin toss.

Let's head down to the third member of our broadcast team Melissa orange stands by down the turf.

What's up Melissa.

Guys great to be with you once again in West mentioned this meeting between these two teams earlier in the season on September 5th and that Dardanelle won that game 14 to 10.

I was talking earlier in the week with Elkins head coach Zach Watson, and I asked him, what do you take away from that first loss?

And he said, we had a lot of young guys who just weren't ready to put their feet in the fire yet.

They have been able to improve, especially up front.

They have to be able to protect Ben Napier.

They got exposed in that area back in September, but he feels like the defensive line and the offensive line for this team has gotten better.

As for the other side, Phil Vega says that we don't even put any stock in looking at that tape because we're two very different teams.

What we're focused on right now is being one.

And oh, and as these teams run out on the field, that is what the Dardanelle sign says, that they will be running through one more time.

Let's go one to know.

It has been their motto all year.

They've been doing it now for 14 weeks.

They just have to do it one more time to try to bring back the state title for the very first time.

To Dardanelle.

You guys mentioned it.

Elkins is trying to do it as well.

So these two teams are going to have a big time challenge ahead of them.

But I think we want to focus on the trenches.

Guys.

That might be the difference in this game.

Thank you Alyssa, and we'll be checking in with you throughout the ball game.

West.

One thing to really look for tonight for the sand lizards.

Rod Chattin the wide receiver got injured last week, injured his arm.

He's going to give it a go tonight and see how he was warming up in pregame warmups.

Going to see how that works throughout the ball game.

A couple of weeks ago he was injured.

He did not play last week against Warren.

Broke his arm right above his wrist.

They had that thing in the cast.

Pat it up.

And you know, he's taken a look at.

Everything's good to go.

I watched him in warmups.

He was catching the ball just fine.

He was their leading receiver this season.

And he also play safety.

So Rod Chapman very, instrumental on this team a big part of this team.

Also a really good basketball player.

But Rod Chatham 57 catches, 1136 yards, 12 touchdowns.

He's going to try to go.

Well, the, coin toss has happened and Dardanelle won the toss.

They elected to defer.

So Elkins they will get the football and start things off here to start the for a state championship game.

And I take that back.

It was actually Elkins won the toss.

And, they they elected to defer.

And so Dardanelle will receive the opening kickoff.

And West, when you look at these two teams, it's really heavily dominated by Elkins with Creed Benga.

But Elkins boy, they kind of spread it out all over the field for you.

Throughout the ball game you talked about their defense but offensively and we talked about Connor Ham Ben Napier.

He's been really fun to watch as well this year.

Yeah well he's a good quarterback.

He's been around for at the Elkins Elks for a while 208 yards rushing five touchdowns.

He's thrown for 1400 yards 28 touchdowns or 22 touchdowns.

So two good quarterbacks going at it tonight.

Well, we're just about ready to go as Dawson Malice is going to kick things off for the Elks.

And he'll put a foot into it to get the for a state championship game underway.

And that will take Dardanelle into the end zone.

They'll bring it out past the 15 yard line out to the 19 yard line.

And that time with the return, it was Jarius West who brought it out.

And so it will be first and ten for Dardanelle.

Here's a look at the win.

Rock automotive offensive starting line up as we talked about Creede, Vega, Ian Branson, Jordan Ernest Corbin Barnes Jr various West Beau Miller those are your wide receivers in the offensive line.

You've got Burress, Davis, Parsons, Poteet and Del Busto is the offensive line.

So it'll be first and ten from the 19 yard line as we're underway here in the four state championship game.

Of scanning the field, I do not see Chatman out there to start the game.

They'll have two receivers in the set with Branson as the running back, Creed Baker with the football going to go right side makes a man miss now.

Comes back left and he'll get tripped up after crossing the 20 yard line.

Takes it down to the 23.

Yeah it's a good thing they got him from behind because he was off and running and had a chance to make a, a much bigger gain on first down.

That was Jim Slaughter who came up to make the stop.

And it was a gain of four on the play to bring up second down and six coming up from his safety spot.

Have to keep an eye on those safeties and see if they start creeping up to the line of scrimmage.

That could open up the passing game.

So second down and six with the ball at the 23 yard line.

Darnell with the ball is.

There going to bring up two receivers in the formation.

And.

Caton is going to be the running back.

That's the brother to Rod at Javon.

And now Creed's going to keep it himself.

And he'll go out of bounds just shy of the 30 yard line at the 28 brought in an extra blocking back.

He was lined up as the H-back, but might as well call him another offensive tackle or guard.

And they were trying to power on the right and, just popped it to the left.

Got outside.

Creed was able to pick up another four yards, bring up third and very short ball is going to be at the 28 yard line as it'll bring up third down and one for Dardanelle.

I think.

Any guesses on who takes this and that.

They're going to go with a tight formation this time is Creed.

Bank is in the shotgun.

He'll keep it himself.

Goes right side is able to get it out to the 30 yard line and up for the first down.

Officially, they're going to spot him down at the 31 yard line.

And so it'll be a fresh set of downs for Darden.

Now that we've figured out the game plan so far three three plays three Creed Vega carries.

And he did that last week.

I mean you look at his numbers from last week.

Over 30 carries 327 yards.

He put them on his back there in the fourth quarter.

So it's a first down and ten with the ball at the 31 yard line.

Three wide receivers in the formation one to the near side come a left side ball incomplete that time trying to hook up with Bo Miller.

Let's take a look at that Elkins defense now.

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Elkins has Lucas Meyer, Hunter Smith, Kason Rhoden, Austin Bourne s all.

Williams, Brooks.

Williams, Tate.

Morton, Joshua.

Ham, Carson.

Rico.

Jeff Slaughter at that safety.

And then Connor Ham as well.

Nice play by the corner that time was Carson Rico.

Tight coverage forcing the incompletion.

Second down and ten ball 31 yard line.

Two receivers to the right side with that wing off the right side.

The formation.

Vega looking to throw.

Going big ball down the middle of the field.

Was it intercepted.

It was coming up with the interception.

Was Joshua Ham for Elkins.

Vega was hit hard on this play.

He was slow to get up.

We'll see a replay here in the second.

He throws up a jump ball for his receiver.

The problem is the DB won this battle down Elkins.

So Elkins gets the first turnover of the ballgame as they'll have it out the 33 yard line Joshua Ham with the interception.

That's his seventh interception of the season.

So Elkins led by Ben Napier who comes out with a 59% completion percentage, has over 1400 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions this year.

As a running back set to his right that's Ham.

And he'll work at left side.

And he'll take it past the 35 and gets it out to around the 37 yard line.

Now I do see rod out there playing defense rod chat.

And you see right there with the club on his right arm.

Did not see him on offense that first series, but.

And at that safety spot Connor hand the running back for Elkins.

Not a very big guy.

Five five 157 pounds.

Brings up a second down and six.

They're going to go three receivers to the near side of the formation.

Napier is going to look to the sideline and get a new play.

And the two seconds on the play clock to get it off now looks to throw has a man into Dardanelle territory.

Coming up with the reception that time it was Isaiah Haywood who made the completion is down at the 47 yard line.

It was Rod Chardon who came in for the stop.

Great throw from Napier.

You see that right there on the money coming across the middle.

Haywood brings it in.

Came into the game.

Is leading target 38 catches 626 yards.

Also had eight touchdowns.

Goes up gets that one in the Dardanelle territory.

They go as they're going to hand it off to him.

Straight ahead out past the 45 and takes it to the 44.

Nice pickup of four yards that time from Connor.

Him.

Here's the wind rock automotive offensive starters for Elkins as we talked about Ben Napier and Connor Ham.

And then you've got Isaiah Haywood Trey Ryan trading window Brad Walker your receivers in the offensive line Bob Blitz Venable Rogers Meyer and Wood.

So it brings up a second down and seven with the ball at the 44 yard line.

Two receivers set to the right side of the formation.

Napier going to keep it himself.

Works right side gets around two defenders.

Crosses the 35 and is taken down at the 33 yard line.

Enough for a first down.

Brooks Williams coming from the fullback H-back spot, pulling around the right side leading the way for Ben Napier.

Got the key blocked.

Allow him to get to the outside.

Kentrell Diggs came in to make the stop for Dardanelle, and so that's a fresh set of downs with three receivers set to the left side of the formation.

Here's a handoff to him.

Right side makes a man miss out past the 25.

Stays on his feet and he'll be taken down at the 19.

Another good blocking play by this line.

Cam just picking his way.

Picks up another first down.

Braden Harden came in to make the stop for Dardanelle that time clock running as we're under eight minutes to play here in the first quarter.

Hamm will line up to the right side of Napier, two receivers to the left side of the formation as they look to the sideline for a new play.

That'll flip him to the left side now.

Hamm's going to get the call straight ahead as he'll take it out to the 16.

Gamers.

Here's a look at the win.

Rock automotive defensive starting line up for Dardanelle, Tolentino, Burris, Poteet and Davis on that defensive line.

Olson, Hardy and Vega are your linebackers in the secondary.

You got Branson, Diggs, Miller, and Barnes.

So it's a second down and seven with the ball to the 16 yard line.

Napier calls for it.

Going to keep it himself as he'll work straight ahead.

Stays on his feet.

Was never fully taken down.

There was Hardy that came in from his linebacker spot.

Took him out low.

It is Hardy.

Good tackle but he's never down.

He's still up.

Oh did the knee touch down right there.

That was close.

Couldn't really tell from that angle.

May have been down but they're giving him forward progress.

And that was actually Austin Bourne who ran with it because Napier came out of the ballgame.

He's back now.

And so they're going to go with five wide receivers in the formation on this third down and seven.

Napier going to look to throw right side.

Almost intercepted.

But it's gone.

It's caught off the deflection.

Touchdown.

Haywood hauls it in the tip.

Pass.

Stays with it.

Juggled in the air by the defensive back.

And Haywood right there hauls it in gets his feet down.

What a score.

You know Elkins last year never scored in the state championship game against Arkadelphia.

First drive touchdown.

They get that monkey off their back early in this game.

That was very near an interception.

But off the deflection.

It's a touchdown.

And now Dawson Malice comes on for the extra point I thought we're about to trade interceptions on the first drives.

House has made 74 Pats this year and make it 75.

Is Elkins.

They take the early lead seven to nothing in the four a state championship game.

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

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Oh, I love this.

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Well, Elkins gets on the board first as they lead at seven to nothing over Dardanelle after a deflected pass in the end zone.

Wesson going back and watching that replay that was a great concentration by Haywood to get that touchdown.

Well what we've seen two quarterbacks throw two jump balls and one of them Elkins came down with it for an interception.

That one Darnell should have come down with it with the interception.

But it bounces out of his hands right to Elkins.

So two jump balls Elkins two for two at last drive eight plays 67 yards and three minutes.

And 50s in this one will go through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

And so Darnell will have it first and ten from the 20 yard line.

I was watching in the pregame, the kickers warming up to what we had two good kickers in this game.

Darnell's kicker made one for 47 to watch the Elkins kicker easily make one from 40.

And you just saw with that leg right there.

Touchback.

Darnell will start on the 20.

So Darnell comes out for their second drive of the ball game as they trail seven to nothing.

And Creed Vega will be in the shotgun.

Fakes the handoff.

Going to keep it himself straight ahead and just gets bottled up as he's able to get about two yards on the play.

It was Cason Rhoden who came in to make the stomp to bring up second down.

And now Elkins defensive lines doing a good job of just keeping big holes from being formed and making it tough on Vega.

Three yards there on first down.

But that defensive line for Elkins holding up to the task so far.

Second down and seven.

They officially gave him three yards.

This time they're going to hand it off to chat.

Canton's going to try to go wide with it.

Stays on his feet but gets slung out of bounds.

He'll lose about a yard on the play.

S.R.

Williams, with the pursuit quarterback, slowed him up a little bit and gave a short time to get there.

He throws in for a loss of one.

Actually two.

They're going to make it all the way back to the 21.

So third and long again for Darnell.

So it'll be nine yards to get the first down.

They'll have two receivers to the left on the formation.

Now we've got a whistle on a timeout.

Charge to Elkins with 513 to play left here in the first quarter.

And Elkins leading seven to nothing.

Lead lined up wrong and had an open receiver on the bottom of your screen.

And the defensive coordinator was right there and he was upset, waving his arms, trying to get their attention.

And finally just call a timeout.

You don't want to have busted coverage lead to a big play and have a receiver running all alone.

Hey, let's head down the sidelines and check in with Alyssa.

She's got something on the Elks.

What's up?

Awesome.

Well, both of these teams really relying heavily on their senior class for Dardanelle.

They've got 17 seniors on this roster for Elkins 23.

And when you talk to head coach Zach Watson, he'll tell you that this is his.

This is a group that got told early on when the season started, that people doubted whether or not they would even get back here to the state championship game or make any kind of run through the playoffs, and they've had to play with that doubt even after that Dardanelle loss, and start to really just try to believe in each other.

And they felt like that chip that they've had on their shoulders all season long has helped them through this postseason run.

And right here at a War Memorial Stadium.

And they're playing with that chip early on here.

Thank you Alyssa.

As we're out of the timeout Dardanelle is going to bring two receivers to the near side.

It'll be a third down and nine with the ball to 21 yard line.

Now we've got a penalty flag in the backfield Pryor snap I got a legal substitution 12 man information on the offense.

The five-yard penalty from a previous spot remains third down.

Just a bad mistake.

We're coming out of a timeout.

And you look out there and you got 12 guys on the field.

And just a miscommunication on who was supposed to be out there, what package you wanted out there.

And it's going to cost them five more.

So it's third down and 14 now.

Crede Vega looking to throw.

Throws it off into the flats.

And nowhere to go is Ian Branson as he'll get it out to the 18 yard line.

It was Tate Morton who came in along with Brooks Williams.

They came to get the stop and that'll bring up fourth down.

Hawkins did a great job just dropping back in coverage.

It was third and long.

They weren't going to let anything get behind them.

He let him throw short.

And then you come up and make the tackle.

And that's exactly what they did.

You got it through.

And we've seen this before West where some of these teams you know Dardanelle looking for their first ever state championship game.

When you get under the bright lights you get nerves a little bit.

Yeah.

Things just aren't clicking like what they have throughout the regular season.

And usually takes about a half a quarter to get through all that as the punt is away and it'll be caught at the 48, but fumbles and Dardanelles right there to jump back on it.

40.

Bad mistake for Elkins and Dardanelle takes advantage of it.

Jarvis West came in to get the fumble and Dardanelle they've got their best field position of the night.

Second turnover of the game.

We saw Elkins turn the interception into seven points.

Now Dardanelle starting at their Elkins 43.

See if they can even this game up.

Second turnover of the ballgame each now have a turnover and just overran at that time.

And Darnell was able to jump on it.

So now they're in Elkins territory.

Just a low line drive and he's trying to get over there quickly, make a play, keep it from bouncing and make the catch.

First down and ten with the ball officially spotted at the 43 yard line.

Caton is going to come running onto the field.

And he'll be the running back for Darnell Freed.

Fagan working right side outruns one man, skips out of bounds as he'll be taking it inside the 40 and out of bounds at the 39 yard line.

You just see the size and speed of him.

He's a big quarterback, but he's also fast.

He's not just big, he can run.

He saw him outrun the defenders to the sideline.

Didn't look like he had a whole lot there.

Well and you saw Chad in that time he got blown up by the linebacker.

And he had a walk around that as well as you've got a second down and six now.

Baker takes a snap looking to go.

Big ball.

Left side trying to hook up that time with Beau Miller.

And that'll bring up third down.

No flags on this Dardanelle sidelines.

Not happy at all.

Look I got a little tug on the wide receiver.

Beau Miller came up looking for the flag.

Felt like he grabbed his arm, slowed him down, wasn't able to get to the ball.

Carson Rico was on the coverage that time for Elkins.

And so now you've got a third down and six with the ball at the 39 yard line.

Maybe two down territory.

They get some positive yards here if they have to go for it on fourth down.

Chatham's going to line up to the right side of Creed bacon.

And they go with the option play this time.

And Elkins is right there.

And they're going to drop Chad in for a big loss forward.

Progress is going to be at the 46 yard line.

But it was Jim Slaughter who came in to make the stop all over that there was nowhere to go.

They stop Creek pitches it and there was nowhere to go to the outside.

And so now the punting formation is going to come on for the sand lizards, as on to punt is going to be Haynesworth, Garcia.

How about the Elkins defense buckling up after the botched punt?

Ham's going to be back to receive the punt, and he'll take it at the six yard line.

Out past the 15.

He'll get bottled up and taken down right there and so on.

The tackle was Jarvis West and Elkins will have it first and ten from the 15 yard line.

You I go back to last year's state championship game and Arkadelphia had some issues with their punt and they had a punt blocked.

I had a punt that went off of an up back, a punt out, and I think Elkins just had great field position time after time after time.

And Arkadelphia defense always came up with the stop.

This time it's the rolls reversed, Elkins turns it over, and their defense does a great job of forcing a three and out.

And for as as good as Dardanelle has been this year, they just you can see there they are out of rhythm because of the pressure that the Elkins defense has put on them.

Now here's Napier looking to throw has a man all alone right side.

He'll be taken down at the 22 yard line or 27 yard line.

It was Ian Branson who came in to make the stop.

I lined up two wide receivers, just one on top of the other.

One kept going long, took that cornerback, the other one to stop and there was nobody there.

He make turns around, makes the catch and picks up a first down.

Trey Ryan on the reception that time.

It's first and ten nearing the three minute mark here in the first quarter.

Going to hand it off to him.

Works right side.

Has a blocker and gets around him.

Takes it past the 40.

Picks up the first down out to the 43 yard line.

So Elkins offense is clicking right now.

They're getting it done.

Running getting it done.

Throwing the ball.

When they came in very balanced.

They had 2500 yards rushing this season 2200 yards passing.

So it's first down and ten with the ball at the 43 yard line.

Two receivers to the left side of the formation.

Napier fakes the handoff.

Looks to throw.

Has a man across the middle of the field and he'll be taken down.

The 30 ball pops out.

Are the officials going to say it's a fumble?

He was he down by contact?

We're going to look at it no matter what I guarantee you.

I thought they were trying to pull it out.

No way down.

Which player down?

It's first down Elkins.

So they're going to say he was down at the 31 yard line.

Here's another look at it.

Believe it did pop out after he fell down.

This should be a better angle as the ball.

Oh it's see it's moving.

Yeah it is moving.

He kind of brings it back in his move.

No I think they're going to they're going to look at this.

And I think this may be turned over.

I don't know if you can say that he had control.

I mean he had it on his body, but he never fully had control of the ball because it moved once again after it was on his hip.

So the officials are going to it looks like Dardanelle is going to take a look.

Phil Baker right now talking with the the officials.

And by the way, our officials for this game tonight we've got Richard Hammond who's white hat Andy Pearce our umpire linesman is gonna be Carrie Shannon.

And let's get a call real quick.

The coach from Darnell had to challenge the fumble on the play.

You see here, he recovered and knocked down.

The play is under review.

I didn't think he would have to challenge this though because it was never a turnover though.

So they would only, call down from the booth if it was if it was ruled a turnover.

And so now he's got a challenge that it's all what it's all about was they decided he has control.

This is the good angle.

It's he's trying to bring it in.

But you can still kind of see the ball moving in.

It's you know next to me I think that's the best angle right there.

Yeah.

And this is, this is the view right here that the officials are looking at up in the booth.

That's not going to help.

Yeah, that's the wrong play.

So as they look at that I mean.

Let's go down to Alyssa real quick.

I don't know if she was able to get a good look at it or not.

Alyssa, were you down there?

Well, it's good to have friends in the business, right?

When you go back and look at their camera work and it looked like he had it pinned to his body.

So I'm interested to see if they're going to say that.

And pinning it to the side of his body is control or not.

And yeah, he definitely lost it and then kind of trapped it up against his body.

But there's a different angle.

Not this angle.

There's a different view.

Kind of to the right.

And from the end zone that looks like the ball's moving a little bit as he's running.

Here's a call is upheld.

Darnell eludes a timeout.

And their challenge on this play.

Yeah I think they yeah I don't know I don't agree.

See I think the ball is still moving.

It was it was still moving in his arm as he's going down the ground.

And then of course when he hits the ground the ball pops out.

But I'm I am I'm surprised they didn't overturn that one.

Yeah.

And well either way Elkins is going to have the football first and ten with the ball to 31 yard line.

I'm credit the receiver for getting knocked out and then trapping it against his hip.

And to have enough control to where they didn't overturn it.

He did an outstanding job of maintaining enough control.

So since it was a challenge by Dardanelle, they'll lose the timeout.

So they've got two should have two timeouts remaining.

So it'll bring up first down and ten from the 31 yard line.

Napier gonna keep it himself straight ahead.

Oh is that that was actually Austin Bourne who was running with it that time.

And he got and he never was officially down and was able to fall forward out to run the 21 yard line.

And they're going to be borne out now and bring Napier back in.

So, bring him in from time to time.

And he's that quarterback power.

He's rushed for 250 yards coming into this game.

I love how Elkins just changing up I mean that's what I said about their offense.

They can run it or throw it, but they're doing a great job of calling plays and keeping this Dardanelle defense off balance.

Second down and one.

They hand it off to Hamm or right side trying to get away from one guy, and he'll be slung down at around the ten yard line.

You know, for being five five once Vega I mean that.

Yeah.

I tell you what, he was able to hold him off and fight forward.

That was some tough running.

So they pick up the first down and they're going to spot it down at the 11 yard line.

They can still pick up a first down by getting it to the one.

Nearing a minute left here in the first quarter.

Napier takes a high snap, gives it to Hamm, sidesteps a defender, goes right side and he'll be taken down at the seven.

Quick feet.

You saw that right there.

I thought he was going to be tackled in the backfield for a loss.

Steps out of that.

Bounces outside.

Makes a little something.

He and Branson came in to make the stop that time.

Brings up a second down and about seven yards for Elkins.

Two receivers in the formation with Hamm set to the right of Napier.

Elkins uses up the entire play clock every time they're out there to patient.

Down to one second on the play clock.

They get it off Napier going to keep it himself.

No that's actually born.

He'll go right side in the end zone.

Touchdown.

That's Austin Bourne going in from seven yards out.

And Elkins extends the lead.

The quarterback power over the right side gets it behind the blocking and leading the way for him.

Gets a good push in the end zone.

Just fantastic blocking from that line Austin Malice on to attempt the extra point.

The extra point is up and blocked and it is no good.

And with eight seconds remaining here in the first quarter, Elkins leads it 13 to nothing.

Who's able to get his hands on it was a Dick's almost blocked the first one.

In fact I thought he was going to block the first extra point.

And he went to the sideline upset at himself.

This time he got there.

There's the play of the touchdown by Bourne.

Bourne.

What's it going to be hit.

He ran into his own guy.

That's what it knocked him down.

But that's how well that play was blocked.

Great push.

So with eight seconds remaining left here in the first quarter Elkins on top 13 to nothing.

And you said it's going to go west like Elkins.

Just seems a little bit more calm and cool.

They've been here.

You know they were here last year.

They just feel like the loser of the two teams right now.

They've been able to get their offense clicked.

We haven't seen much out of Darnell's offense so far.

Credit Elkins defense and outstanding defense.

I said before the game started maybe the best defense in Forte and they're given Darnell Fitz.

I will say Darnell has been in this position a lot this year.

They've played a lot of close games.

The Clinton game came down to a blocked field goal with the in the Ozark game.

This first matchup was very close.

They found themselves trailing multiple times this year and been able to find a way to come back and win every one of the games.

So they're not in a unfamiliar place right now.

I guarantee you there's no panic on the Dardanelle sideline right now.

On plus, it's only the first quarter.

You know it's two score game.

But anytime you've got to lead the offense now I will say though.

And we talked and I know Rod Chatman is playing defensively.

But when you're when you're leading wide receiver who has almost 1200 yards receiving is not on your offensive side of the football that, you know, you got to get a little bit more creative with the football that we have.

Not I have not seen him on offense.

He may have snuck him a play and a missed it, but I haven't seen him yet on offense five wide in the formation.

They're going to hand it off to Branson.

Branson tries to get around one man as he takes that to the 30 yard line.

That's gonna be very near a first down to what?

Branson got some speed last week.

Warren took the lead in the fourth quarter, and he returned the kickoff about 80 yards down to the Warren two.

And then Darnell punched it in a few plays later.

But Branson can go.

Well, that's going to do it for the first quarter of play where Elkins they lead the for a state championship 13 to nothing.

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Let's now.

I got a trivia question for you.

Brought to you by the quiz bowl.

What is the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single playoff game?

So not a state championship, but a playoff game.

It could be a state championship game because that's technically a playoff game.

But that's true.

But not just singly.

I would I'm going to say like 8 or 9.

Okay.

I'll give you the answer in a bit.

Five wide receivers in the formation for Dardanelle as it's a first down and ten Crede Vega keeping himself has nowhere to go going to lose yardage on the play about four.

And that'll bring up second down defense.

Ends came crashing down.

You'll see it right here.

Bam gets him down low.

Someone up high helps all over that first one in to make some contact was born.

You don't think that they spent the week keying on Vega the entire week in practice for.

That's the thing Darnell can throw it to.

And we just haven't seen much of it yet.

Creed Vega threw for 2300 yards this season.

23 touchdowns.

At some point, if you're going to take away the run, Darnell will go to the air.

So it's second down and 14 with the ball at the 26 yard line.

Stacked receivers on both sides of the formation.

Vega going to look to throw in the air it out middle of the field has a man and it's in and out of his hands that time trying to hook up with Korbin Barnes.

And it was broken up by Joshua Ham or at least was uncovered at that time.

Corbin had that one.

I thought that was going to be the big play.

We were just talking about testing him.

Deep had his man beat Underthrown just a little bit.

Yeah, and you're exactly right.

Corbin had it, but Joshua Ham came in at the last second and was able to knock the ball loose.

So now you've got a third down and 14 for Darnell.

Darnell.

So far 26 total yards.

Three.

Bacon looking to throw again.

Comes out left side and it's incomplete.

Trying to hook up with Barnes again.

Under pressure again.

Born bringing the heat.

Is the punting unit's going to come on for Darnell as we just started the second quarter of play.

Darnell with two first downs.

And we just saw one of them at the end of the first quarter.

2 to 10.

So Garcia going to put a foot into this one.

It's a good punt as there's a penalty flag down back by the punter.

And the ball's going to go down to the 33 yard line.

But hold everything is we've got a penalty back by the kicker.

Fourth and 14.

We're going to be roughing the punter.

He's looking at Vega trying to figure out what they want to do.

If it's running into the punter they may decline it because they've got a pretty good roll we have running to the kicker.

Rather the defense have declined.

It'll be first down.

There's a look at that penalty.

They just ran into him a little bit.

Yeah I agree with that call.

He's being nice.

Try to hold him up.

Keep him from falling too hard.

And usually it's that plant leg.

You know if that leg that he's coming down on if they run into that then that's when you'll get roughing the kicker.

They really try to protect that one leg.

So it's first and ten with the ball at the 33 yard line.

Elkins is going to put three wide receivers to the left side of the formation, one on the right side as Connor Hamm is going to be the running back.

A hand it off to him cuts back to the left side of the field.

He's like a human pinball and finally get taken down past the 40 out to the 43 yard line.

But I tell you, West, he just bounces off people.

Yeah, he's limping off.

He's gonna have to leave the game.

But that was a pretty spectacular run for ten yards.

That starts to the right.

Nothing was there.

Comes back to the left.

Breaks a tackle.

Gets all out in front of him.

Just barely tripped up.

So it's a first down and brings up first and ten from the 43.

This time for receivers in the formation.

Fake it to him.

They come back left side to Walker.

And Walker is going to be taken down at the 46 by Corbin Barnes.

Another first down for Elkins with the play.

First down.

Good throw.

Right on the money.

Just once again first receiver kind of clears things out.

Second receiver just goes down stops turns around.

There's the ball.

Fresh set of downs as they're in Dardanelle territory.

To the running back that's Hunter Smith this time he's got a running lane out.

The left side knocks the man down as he'll go out of bounds at the 31.

And it was Corbin Barnes once again slowing him down.

Hunter Smith hasn't got much action tonight.

But he came in the ball game with 459 yards rushing.

Just good over on that left side Darnell loses containment and they're able to bust it out to the sideline.

Pick up another first down Austin Bourne is in at quarterback on this first down.

And ten two receivers to the right side fake the handoff Bourne keeps it himself.

Running lanes left side penalty flag down.

Back at the 29 yard line.

And he'll be taken down at the 13.

To a Parker would had an awesome block and that's what triggered this.

The flags aren't going to be on wood, but Parker would came through on the offense only ten yards for the previous spot.

Replay first down.

Take a look.

Here's a look at the block.

You see him pulling right here.

Bam.

Creates a big hole.

The hole was back there on the edge.

And to come from the sideline you know it had to be an obvious hole because there's no one on that Elkins sideline yelling holding holding holding that's happening on the other sideline.

And so it's got to be something pretty obvious for that a sideline official to throw the flag.

So it's a first down.

And 20 now with the ball at the 39 yard line.

Really the first mistake Elkins has made.

Two receivers right side hands back in.

And he'll be swarmed under at the 40.

And Vega went over.

And then there was somebody underneath him.

That's Ian Branson.

Little high low action no gain.

So one of the few times Darnell's held them to no yards.

Now it's a second down and 20.

Elkins comes out with two receivers to the right side of the formation.

And now we've got another penalty flag as a receiver.

And I believe that was Brad Walker, who left a little bit too early.

False start on the offense.

That'll be a five-yard penalty remains second down unless it got on the blocks just a little too quick.

He heard on one and it was on to one.

So now you go to a second down and 25.

And Elkins is going to go three wide to the right side with one to the near side.

Napier sets up the screen left side to Ham.

Ham's got a running lane.

He's off to the races.

Down to the 20 to the ten and he'll be taken down at around the four yard line.

It's just demoralizing to that Darnell sideline.

You got him second and 25.

You're thinking we've got to get a stop here and get the ball back.

Throw a little screen.

Ham shows the speed.

Hits the sideline takes it inside the five before he's finally brought down.

So it's first and goal for the Elkins Elks at the four yard line.

And they lead it 13 to nothing.

The two receivers split to the right side of the formation.

Bourne is in there at quarterback.

Bourne going to hand it off to Ham.

Straight ahead and he'll be taken down at the one.

First time Bourne's handed it I think it is.

Yeah.

And you know for Bourne this year he has thrown the ball.

He's 37 of 59 for 665.

Throwing.

The stick with Bourne this time.

Two receivers to the right side with Ham to the left of Bourne.

Bourne going to take it himself.

Gets hit.

Dives for two to get in for the Cougars.

The officials are going to get together and they're going to say touchdown.

I thought it was pretty obvious he bounced off.

Somebody rolled into the end zone, but I think the officials on the side were all blocked by the big bodies and couldn't locate the runner.

But from up here I thought he was in easily.

So it's a touchdown for Austin Bourne.

And it looks like Elkins they're going to go for two.

Try to get that extra point back Napier back in there this time.

To what that formation with Bourne is working so well in the short yardage.

What's crazy is he only came into the game with four rushing touchdowns.

A man in motion, that's him now Napier going to look to throw man all alone.

Left side two point conversion is good.

At that time they were able to hook up with S.R.

Williams.

And now we've got penalty flags in the end zone after the play celebrating I'll tell you what that was.

Roll right.

Throw back left.

You get everybody on guard.

Now going to that side and just catch him sleeping.

Look get the official call was on the play as a touchdown.

After play we have unsportsmanlike conduct.

You call Elkins dawning.

That'll be enforced on the kickoff.

Right now we're going to media timeout.

So with 737 left here in the first half Elkins leads Dardanelle 21 to nothing.

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Let's now.

21 to nothing is our score.

Elkins leads, and let's head down to a little orange on the sidelines.

We just watched Austin born Russian for that touchdown for Elkins.

And as you guys mentioned, that's only his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

He's been playing mainly on defense as a junior because Ben Napier playing quarterback.

But he is likely going to be the quarterback of the future.

And he's been in this situation before.

In their win over Arkadelphia, he had to come into the game because Napier suffered a minor ankle injury and he scored the winning touchdown in that game.

I asked him afterwards what was it like to just have to go in there and carry your team?

But he said, I did it against Prairie Grove and I knew that they trusted me to go in there and get the job done.

And so now we're seeing it's hard to keep number 12 off the field.

Thank you Alissa.

As Jarius West brought the football up down to the 39 yard line for Dardanelle, it was Dominique Morgan who made the stop.

And so it'll be first and ten West with 732 in the second quarter.

It's not out of reach for Dardanelle, but they've got to find some type of offense.

Oh no.

But would be huge though to get a score here before the half and get a little momentum and a little positive energy on offense.

Offensively very little.

They've got 32 total yards, only three first downs.

And that's where it's got to start.

You just got to get a first down, get another first down, maybe get a big play.

And then all the sudden you find yourself in the end zone.

Now we've got whistles and penalty flags and that's going to move Dardanelle back.

That's not the way we started the drive.

False start on the offense.

Five-Yard penalty remains first down.

You know they're not taking advantage of some gifts from Elkins.

You know you had the turnover on the muffed punt.

Well they didn't get anything out of that.

And then you get 15 yards right there on the kickoff for the the spiraling of the ball in the end zone for the unsportsmanlike penalty that I'm sure that really upset Darnell.

Spiraling the ball.

I don't get that look at that call, but whatever.

But now they've got to take advantage of this.

Here is Branson on the run, and they were able to get a big chunk of yards as Brooks Williams came in to make the stop.

But they got it all the way out to the 46 yard line.

Taunting is what it's called.

I don't know how spinning the ball in the end zone after you score is taunting your I would get it if there was a player laying on the on the turf and you spot next to it.

Yeah.

And you spiral the football.

But there was nobody within ten yards of him.

And he just spins the ball right there.

That's taunting.

But I like celebrating I like fun I'm sorry I know it's a penalty and I get it.

I just don't like it.

That's what I'm saying.

Second down and three with the ball at the 46 yard line.

Creed Vega throws that left side and into the hands of West.

And West has nowhere to go.

He's going to lose two yards on the play.

Jeff Slaughter came in to make the stop.

What a tackle by slaughter in the open field.

That's one of those you want to get the ball in space.

Too many receivers.

They make a move and it turn a small throw turns into a big play.

Oh slaughter man what a short tackle.

By the way.

We've got officials listening to this broadcast and they radioed up.

It's because you can't use an object to celebrate with I don't like I don't care what they say, I just don't like it.

No, I don't think that's part, I know it's wrong.

I get it, guys.

I know it's against the rules.

I just that's a rule I don't like.

I get it.

Third down and five with the ball at the 44 yard line.

Green Vega options goes right side.

Now they're going to look to throw man wide open down the middle of the field.

They overthrew him that time trying to hook up with Corbin Barnes.

And they dialed it up and dialed up the right play.

And I tell you what Ian Branson threw a spiral that just kept going and going and going.

It was a good throw just over throwing by about five yards.

He had Barnes and Barnes can fly.

He's the 300 meter hurdler state champion for a. And you think not even he could haul that one in there.

So Garcia on to punt as Joshua Hamm stands back to get the punt.

He'll let it hit at the 18.

Take a big Dardanelle roll.

Then he picks it up at the seven and he'll go out of bounds at around the nine.

I don't know if that was probably the best thing to do.

There are some people in this sideline holding their breath.

When he decided to snatch that.

It's a dangerous play to save a couple of yards.

They're going to spot him out of bounds at the eight yard line.

All right this is it for Dardanelle.

Oh not yet but this is a big moment for them if they can.

They got him pinned inside the ten.

If they can get the ball back before the half and try to mount something offensively and get a score, the last thing they want to see is Elkins marched down the field, go 92 yards and go up 28.

Nothing at the half.

547 to play here in the first half, as Elkins is going to have two receivers to the left side of the formation, they hand off to him straight ahead.

Hamm has nowhere to go and Hill back to the line of scrimmage.

Bring up second down.

May have gotten a yard on the play as Cam Olson came in to make the stop.

You know Alissa touched on it earlier but also spoke with Phil Vega earlier this week.

And he was like watching the tape of Elkins throughout the year.

How much better they have gotten since that game in early September when, by the way, Darnell held them to ten points, 14 to 10.

And Elkins already has 21.

But he knew they were better.

Elkins was better, but he felt like Darnell had also gotten a lot better.

Second down and nine Napier looking to throw and overthrows his intended target.

But there's a penalty flag down that time trying to hook up with Isaiah Haywood who almost made a great one handed catch.

But a penalty flag comes in.

I thought hey we're going to bring this in.

That would have been a great catch and get pass interference on Darden.

Now.

That's unfair.

On defense.

It's a 15 yard penalty from the previous spot resulting in first down.

Yeah he was pulling on his t shirt.

Sure enough I did not see it from down here.

But on replay right.

If y'all want to show that you can see the defensive back right, watch him grab the t shirt right here and pulling back just a little bit and still got a hold of it.

And that's what they saw.

So it's a first down and ten from the 19 yard line.

Hamm will be to the left side of Napier as they'll have four receivers in the formation.

Napier looking to throw and just throws it out of bounds to bring up second down.

That time was one to find Whittle.

It just threw it out of bounds because there wasn't much of a play.

Yeah you got two receivers on this side of the field and both of them were well covered.

There was just nowhere to go with the ball.

So a smart decision to throw that one out of bounds.

You either throw that one out of bounds or tuck it and run and get what you want.

And you decide just throw that one out of bounds with to play another down.

So far in this game, Elkins has 235 yards of total offense.

Elkins or excuse me.

Darnell has 42 and it's outgained him about 200 yards.

It has been a lopsided affair.

Three receivers to the left side of the formation Napier hands it off to him.

It's around one defender and they'll take him out of bounds after a couple of yard pickup.

And that'll bring up third down.

Hamm is so patient.

I mean he just presses the line of scrimmage, keeps waiting and waiting and then bam, a little burst of speed.

Hey look, it was only a three yard gain, but there wasn't a whole lot there.

Know officially marked down at the 27 yard line.

So you've got a third down and seven from the 27.

Press formation on the outside receivers as Napier looks to throw.

Has a man and Dardanelles right there to make the stop.

As coming up with the stop was Ian Branson that time for Dardanelle.

They were able to hook up with Trey Ryan and that'll bring up fourth down similar to what we saw with slaughter on the previous possession.

Slaughter comes up one on one, tackle makes the tackle.

That time Branson comes up, makes the stop, forces the punt first punt right for it for Elkins Joe as Dawson malice is going to come on for the punt and.

Darnell was able to use special teams last week in their victory over Wareham.

Warren was leading in the fourth quarter and some big special teams play lifted them to the state championship game.

They could use a big play right here from their special teams, and it looks like we're going to have a timeout charged to.

Believe that they're going to charge at the Elkins.

Yep yep.

And so they'll only have one timeout remaining with 403 left here in the second quarter.

And West you threw out a trivia question earlier this quarter.

Yeah.

The Arkansas governor's quiz bowl question.

Trivia question.

What's the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single playoff game?

I said nine.

Well, you're you're a little too, too high.

I just seven okay, Joe.

Seven.

Seven.

Just seven.

But look at this creep back at the bottom.

Did it last week in the semifinal game.

Cecil Langston from Rivercrest in 2015.

Also at seven.

And Logan Best from the glory back in 2011.

It's pretty good seven rushing touchdowns in one game.

And here's a look at Creed Vega right there.

And he's had a rough go of it so far in this one as so far for him.

He's two of seven passing has an interception and then rushing.

He's rushed it six times for 29 yards.

Gotta believe this is the roughest half he's had.

So Ian Branson is back deep to receive the punt.

And Austin Malice, the punter for Elkins.

I also put a foot into it and it'll be caught at the 38 yard line.

Branson brings it up past the 30 to the 45, and he'll be taken down right at the 45.

And that's where Dardanelles gonna have great field position to start this drive with 352 to play left in the second quarter.

Well, you remember after the muffed punt, they had this kind of field possession position and didn't do anything with it.

And they had to turn around and punt.

Now for the second time they'll take over on the Elkins side of the field.

And this time they're in dire need of some points.

So it's first down and ten with the ball at the 45.

And Dardanelle is going to have five receivers in the formation three to the left side, two to the right Crede Vega going to keep it himself and has nowhere to go.

Got back to the line of scrimmage.

And that'll bring up second down.

Brooks Williams on the tackle.

And Coach Baker told me this is the best group of linebackers that they've seen.

Maybe the best grouping in the state.

But you got Williams with 88 tackles S.R.

Williams with these 56 we've already been talking about Born Tonight.

That was your linebackers.

They they spread it out.

They brought in a bunch of wide receivers hoping to have the middle wide open.

Those linebackers are still in there.

And they made the play.

So now four receivers in the formation.

The running back is Branson.

It's a second down and ten Vega steps up in the pocket.

Has a running lane past the 35 and dives forward out to the 30 yard line.

That's a first down for Darnell.

First big play from Vega.

Mamas on a quarterback scramble looking nothing there.

Middle was open so he took it.

Clock rolling at 250 and counting up here in the first half.

Darnell would love to take all this time, but not even give Elkins the ball back with hardly anything to work with.

But if they score here, they'll take it.

Four receivers in the formation.

Vega gonna hand it off this time to chat.

And Chad has a running lane inside the 20, and the ball comes out.

And who comes up with it?

Elkins says they've got it.

And they do.

Jeff Slaughter, slaughter recovers it did not see who caused the fumble, but that was a good run that time from Chatham.

Here's a look at it all the way Chatman was able to cut it up.

Who?

Tate Morton.

Is he the one that calls that fumble?

They may look at it well, no, they'll look at it.

Was he ever doubt?

Let's go back.

I couldn't see it.

I think he's reaching for it.

It feels like he.

He feels like he fumbled it.

You see an arm come in here.

But that's not what did.

It's this arm right here.

And then the shoulder pad.

The ball's out right there.

Is there a knee down on the backside?

That's what they'll have to see if there's any body part before the ball comes out.

You're not getting a call from the booth.

The delay things right now.

They haven't started the play clock yet.

There it is.

Play on.

So it's a first down and ten for Elkins.

Gonna hand it off to him straight ahead.

He'll get a couple on the play to bring up second down and eight.

And Hardy.

I think if we go back and show that replay one more time, I think the ball was out.

I did too.

I just couldn't see if there was a knee down anywhere before he.

He made the cut and then right there the ball is coming out.

It's one of those you almost have to piece it together with different angles to see where the knee is when the ball is coming out on the other angle.

So it's a second down and nine.

Now.

Fakes the handoff going left side and it's incomplete.

It's like everybody stopped running on that one.

But it was Diggs on the defense that time.

If Diggs keeps running he might get him an interception I've seen this several times.

And then it goes right through the receiver's hands.

It was Haywood.

Yeah.

He got distracted a little bit.

But I've seen it so many times here at Memorial Stadium where guys stop a little bit too much to slow and the ball goes over their head.

And I think it's just the depth perception, the playing inside of a big stadium.

You're used to being in a smaller stadium.

You can read the ball better in the air, and these guys are just just not going back far enough to make the play.

So that brings up a third down and nine now.

And the clock stops for Darnell.

If they can get a stop here they got a timeout.

But they can use also.

And it looks like we're going to have a timeout charged to Elkins.

That's their final timeout with a minute 33 left here in the second quarter.

Since Darnell has all three timeouts on the scoreboard.

But they they had to use one on the challenge right.

Yeah.

That since they lost the challenge they lost one.

They just didn't update the scoreboard.

They've only got two timeouts.

But you can't say enough how big it is.

They get a stop right here to potentially have decent field position to get that score before halftime.

Yeah they were having their best drive of the game.

Picked up a couple of first downs and then the costly fumble.

That's two turnovers now for Dardanelle in the first half.

And we've had three total turnovers because Elkins they muffed the punt earlier.

And so they've had one Dardanelles had two so far.

And that's what leads us to our 21 to nothing score in favor of the Elkins helps.

Coming up at the half we're heading south to the town of one small town, proving its big time place for wide receivers.

We'll also salute the 2025 Arkansas PBS Student All Stars, the best of the best on the field and in the classroom.

And stick around for one of the greatest pranks in state history, the legendary tale of the Village Academy.

Beaver's halftime show is next on Arkansas PBS.

I still, I go back to that prank that was still one of the greatest pranks of all time.

And the more I've watched that piece, it's a great job by the folks over PBS to come up with that.

We've got a third down and nine with the ball at the 14 yard line.

A minute 33 left here in the second quarter.

Napier going to look to throw again.

Right side has a man that he can hold on to it.

Yes.

What a catch.

And that time it was Trey Ryan who was able to come up with the catch.

As he takes it down to the 28 yard line.

Napier let that go.

Before Ryan even made his break.

He never even saw it until the ball was about halfway there and he just reaches up and snags it out of the air.

Fantastic play.

Three wide right side.

They hand it off to him straight ahead.

He'll be hit.

Flag comes in back at the 27 yard line.

Let's take a look at this catch again.

It was just fantastic.

He did not see the ball until about right here.

And he just reaches up and is able to pull it in.

He kind of juggled it, catches it a second time right the third time and then takes a hit and still holds on.

Yeah.

That's a great you know Trey it's not like Elkins has just a bunch of 6162 wide receivers.

Trey Ryan nine on the offense ten yard penalty for the previous spot.

Replay second down.

He had to go up and get that ball to to juggle it and catch it and hold on to it.

But the penalty is now going to back him up inside the 20 down to the 18 yard line.

They may not get any points, but what they did was give them a new set of downs to run some more clock to prevent Darnell from getting the ball again.

That was that was huge play.

Oh, so four receivers are in the formation in this time.

I would expect him to hand this off, try to run the clock, make Dardanelle use for timeouts and tomorrow Napier steps up in the pocket, rolls right, has a man out to the 29 yard line.

And that time on the reception it was Treyton Whittle.

He'll take it to the 29 which will bring up a second down and nine.

Now for Elkins.

I thought Darnell might use a timeout right there.

He stayed in bounds.

And so the clock is going to continue to roll as there's three receivers to the near side Napier throws it again.

Gets it into the hands of Haywood.

He'll step out of bounds after getting the first down.

And he'll step out at the 41.

Elkins now thinking about score.

Yeah there was 27 seconds 23 seconds on the play clock I mean it just it started and they weren't trying to run the clock.

They're now being aggressive trying to go down and get another score for wide receivers in the formation.

Three to the left side of the of the formation.

But Ham's going to line up to the right side of Napier.

You know they're thinking here we go.

Score.

Make it 28.

We get the ball.

So our second half score gets 35.

Nothing.

Clock starts running.

Game over Napier throws it right side.

And just a little miscommunication with with his wide receiver Haywood.

And that'll stop the clock with 27 seconds left I have to check with Bobby.

I think it's only happened two times in history when the sportsmanship rule begins, teams up 35 and the clock is running in the state championship.

No, no, I mean, in the history of Arkansas, the team has come back to win.

Oh, I got you, I got you.

Yeah.

Just never.

Yeah.

Happens.

So if you can get to 35 and start that clock running, feeling pretty good about yourself as it's second down and ten.

Four receivers in the formation three to the bottom side of your screen.

Napier going to look to throw again under pressure and say with just one hop Haywood that time.

And that brings up a third down and ten here.

Good defense by Darnell that time.

Yeah Olson got in there and created some pressure.

Napier felt it and just wanted to get rid of it.

Threw it at the feet of his receiver.

So now third down and ten with the ball to 41 yard line.

And we've got a timeout charged to Dardanelle.

Now that the.

Now they just want to get on the same page.

And well you don't want to give them a big play around here.

And and you really don't want to give up a first down.

But you know the big things.

Yeah you're right.

Don't let anybody get behind you and let them have a big play because Elkins has no timeouts.

So you want to keep them in bounds.

At least let the clock roll out.

On this third down and ten.

Elkins leads this 121.

Nothing in the for a state championship game.

Going back to that total yardage we were looking at just a minute ago.

Yeah Elkins is at 239 right now and Darnell's at 74.

I've got him updated at 277.

Yeah.

Just updated on might as well.

So they've outgained about 203 yards.

No passing yards for Dardanelle.

It's all been on the ground.

Yeah.

Vegas two for seven for zero yards.

So Elkins is going to break the huddle.

And so is Dardanelle.

And it's a third down and ten.

Three three receivers set to the left side of the formation.

To hand it off to him.

And work it out to the 48 yard line.

And that'll bring up fourth down.

It was Braden Hardy who came in to make the stop.

I think both teams are content.

What time?

Run out.

Let's go to the locker room, regroup and, try to figure things out in the second half for Dardanelle and for Elkins.

You got two more quarter to go to win a state title.

So that's going to do it for the first half where Elkins they lead it 21 to nothing.

Our little orange is going to be catching up with Zach Watson the head coach for Elkins here in just a moment.

But a little shocking right.

There was about just kind of a lopsided miss of this first half.

The Elkins defense is legit.

We've seen that they're giving Dardanelle all kinds of fits.

Dardanelle I thought they felt believe their defense was going to be tough to and and keep this a lower scoring game.

And Elkins has taken advantage of every opportunity that they've had.

And let's head down to the field now Alices with Zach Watson you have to be happy with the way your guys are playing up front offensively and defensively.

Yeah no doubt.

Defense has been solid all year long up front.

And I thought our offensive line did a good job keeping being clean.

Opened up some running holes for Connor and Austin though as I say awesome.

Born having a great game himself offensively and defensively.

How do you kind of continue to keep him in the game plan?

Yeah, he's got to stay in the game plan.

He's got a good job of doing his role and we get in there and get him in.

You know he's smart.

Smart kid playing really well on defense too.

He made some tackles for loss on Creed and that's that says a lot because Creed's hard to take down.

Coach thank you.

Thank you thank you Melissa.

As we're at the half where the Elkins Elks they lead it 21 to nothing over Dardanelle.

Stick around for the halftime show.

We got some great stuff coming up as you're watching the Centennial Bank state football Championships on Arkansas PBS sports.

This broadcast is underwritten in part by.

Since 1937, the electric cooperatives of Arkansas have been providing power to homes, farms, and businesses across our state.

The cooperatives are member owned and work together to serve Arkansans.

The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas proudly support high school students and athletics in Arkansas and hope you enjoy watching the state championship games on Arkansas PBS sports.

Better connected together the electric cooperatives of Arkansas.

Hey, everybody.

David Barzal here.

It's halftime at War Memorial, and that means we are back here at Arkansas PBS Studios to share with you a little bit of what we've been working on.

In a few minutes, Christina munoz will introduce you to some All-Stars both on the field and in the classroom.

And we're going to introduce you to a high school football team that is literally beyond belief.

But first, deep in the heart of South Arkansas.

The town of Warren has been cultivating a culture of elite wide receivers.

Here's their story and.

More.

The small town is known for its tomatoes and wide receivers.

You saw Mill Town.

Good salt of the earth people grew up with 4000 people.

Graduate with only 99 people.

Love you there.

The people love football there.

And when Friday night is packed, there's no way that many people going to a high school football game in this small community.

And I do, they turn out.

You got a big community that's on, like they on your side and I just want to win.

That's all I want to do.

Well, Warren had always been a football town.

But Coach Emery is taking it to the next level.

Started in 2000.

So this makes my 26 years a head football coach, both coming in and taking the job over as a young coach and just switching from a pow wow to more of a spread offense shotgun with, with one back and then four receivers and then translate it into no backs, people running five wide and nobody else was doing it.

I mean, honestly, we were the only team in our conference doing it.

I don't think a lot of people really believed in it early.

But as you see with the, you know, the back to back state championships, the system started to work and kids started to get recruited.

You know, it started with Smith and fellow veterans after the 2001 and, it kind of grew.

College coaches all over the country can tell you, Warren, Arkansas is one of those places we're going to look at.

The thing that kind of prepares you, coming from Warren, is about teaching football.

You know, our guy starting in the seventh grade, and we learn how to catch a football.

What a catch, a football, where to catch a football.

Because a lot of little things go into running great routes and getting open, not just being fast or athletic.

He told me everything I know.

He helped me become like a better player on the field, off the field.

Q our kids play both sides of football in the higher classifications.

They only play on one side when they get to college.

If it don't work out, then they're pretty much in trouble.

Whereas our guys, they played everywhere.

I look at Jalen Burks.

He was our fourth NFL pick since I've been here, which is crazy.

But our first first round draft choice, he played linebacker.

He played safety.

He punted.

He returned to return gigs.

He played quarterback.

He played wideout Antonio Jordan.

Same thing.

Jerry is right.

You go back and you look at the list.

Tomorrow.

Ray McKnight AJ Ricardo camp, Chris, Greg, Greg Childs, Dorian Brown and Jalen Marshall who played Arkansas State.

So you're not getting a wide receiver.

You're getting a football player growing up.

I seen a lot of guys like Antonio Jordan, you know trailing by just keep pushing yourselves.

And you know, it just makes me want to strive for more.

You know when Brett and Sean and they were they were at Tennessee, they would come back in the summer workout with our guys.

When you had Jason, Greg and Chris, they would come back, workout with our guys.

I remind them that I sat in the same chairs and the same in the same elementary school, that they did the same junior high at the same high school, the same locker room.

I mean, like, I literally helped build those locker rooms.

We we had to say in the walls and stuff, when we first got that indoor, knowing that you got those people didn't came through here.

You know, you coming through the same organization feels good.

Feel like you're on the right road.

You know, it's tough to make it out of South Arkansas.

I'm good at football.

That's what I'm good at.

That's what I know how to do.

This is my ticket to get out of war.

And that's one thing that I use.

And it means more to us down there.

It just means more.

Football has been the ticket to a much better life for a lot of kids in those football towns of rural Arkansas.

Warren is going to continue to produce great talent, and I truly believe that the sky's the limit for that football program down there.

And where I was, you were coming out of war.

You know, it's a lot of hype about it.

And I love just playing under the pressure.

They live for football.

It's just part of the culture.

It's who they are and what they do.

And we had a dessert auction, a dessert auction now where people made desserts and we raised over $12,000 and people were buying pecan pies for 500 bucks.

And it wasn't because of the camp, it was because they want to support the war and lumberjacks, man.

Every Friday the town shuts down just to come watch, you know, lumberjack football show.

You think this town is pretty big.

Everybody comes out to show out.

Or part of the very culture, not just the sport, but part of the fabric that holds that whole town together.

Football puts Warren on the map.

And to see all the fans, you know, filling up the bleachers and standing around the fans and things like that, because we helped make football important, to that town is, it's kind of a feeling you really can't replace.

From tomato crops to first round draft picks.

Warren keeps proving that small towns can raise big dreams.

Now, let's kick it over to Christina for a look at the 2025 Arkansas PBS Student All Stars.

Christina.

Thanks, bas.

Every year, we scour the state to find athletes who not only excel on the field, but more importantly, in the classroom.

Here is your 2025 Arkansas PBS Student all star.

We kick it off with the eight man Arkansas PBS student all star that is Cash Martin, a linebacker and running back for the Cedar Ridge Timberwolves.

Cash has a 4.0 GPA and plans to go to college and get an engineering degree.

Next up in the two A classification, we have Peyton Willoughby, a senior with the Indians of Mark tree.

Peyton has a 4.11 GPA and is planning on attending college for the Air Force ROTC.

Moving on to the three AA classification, here is Micah Gamble with the Fordyce Red bugs with a 3.7 GPA.

Micah wants to play football at the collegiate level and major in criminal justice.

Braeden Simpson with the South Side Charter Southerners is our four.

A Arkansas PBS student all star.

Braden has a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Harding University to play football and major in civil engineering.

The five AA classification is well represented by Wall-to-wall cut, the quarterback for the Lakeside Rams.

He has a 3.5 GPA and wants to play football at the collegiate level and become a coach.

The Benton Panthers Garrett Pilkington is the Arkansas PBS student all star from the six A classification.

Garrett has a 4.06 GPA and is planning on attending UCLA and going to pharmacy school.

And finally, our seven.

A student all star is Trey Thompson, the quarterback for the Bentonville West Wolverines.

Trey has a 4.0 GPA and wants to major in marketing in college.

Congratulations to all and way to go.

You know, we may see some of these faces again in April here on Arkansas PBS for Quiz Bowl.

Now, if you haven't seen Quiz Bowl, you'll want to make a note to watch this year.

Some of the smartest high school students in the state meet up right here in this studio and square off not only for bragging rights, but for some pretty big checks, too.

And it is all live right here on Arkansas PBS.

Now let's throw it back to bass for a look at a little bit of trickery in Arkansas football history.

Beth.

Thanks, Christina.

What do you get when you mix two Mary jokesters and a fake football team?

One of the greatest pranks in Arkansas history.

Check out the story of the Village Academy Beavers.

The very first game was September 7th.

Actually, that was the day that the article was published, so it would have been September 6th.

We played rival Louisiana and had Jess Norman gained 94 yards on 11 carries.

Jess Norman is one of the star athletes of all time here in Arkansas.

He was, an outstanding running back, quarterback, whatever, any position for the Village Academy Beavers back in the mid 80s.

He was indescribable.

His capabilities were limitless.

A lot of muscular definition could jump run.

He was fast.

He was very intelligent.

I mean, he could outsmart the defense wherever, wherever village came up here.

Just always going to be there.

Just so happened he didn't exist.

That's true.

He did not exist.

It was all made up.

Bob Seville's band director.

I was the girls basketball coach at Jesse the high school.

Gary and I called it the scores.

And for Jezebel, every Friday night.

And we were talking about the fact that when we would call in the scores, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette are at that time we're having a newspaper war.

They're trying to get every score in the state within an hour.

And we would call in a score and we would say, Jesse veiled, and they'd say, who are y'all?

Jacksonville?

And he'd say, no, no, we're Jesse Field and you're the Eagles.

No, we played the Eagles.

We're the Lions.

And Gary got so frustrated that they could not keep straight where we were, who we are, he said I don't even know if they know if our school exists or not.

And the conversation began that we could probably just call it a make believe score, because the people taking the scores really had no idea about some of the small schools in the state that had a ding with me.

And I said, well, let's test it out.

Bob Seville's made that first call.

He went across the street from Jezebel School, went to First Baptist Church to the pastor's office to make the first hoax call.

Here I got the village Academy football scores, and the guy that I got knew a little enough to say village has a football team.

Well, he may says.

I've never heard y'all before.

He says, is this your first year for football?

And and Bob said, yes, this is.

And he said, who's your best player?

And I said, yes.

Normally we thought of that.

Our principal high, Jesse Bill High School's name was Norman Jasper.

So it'll be a kind of a play on words on his name and but nobody will know who that is.

So we turned his name around and called it just Norman.

And he said, what's your mascot?

Well, we hadn't even talked about a mascot, so Bob quickly came up with beavers, but he asked me so many questions that I knew it was going to be in there the next morning.

There was, I don't know if we're I don't know if we ever got going.

I don't know if I would have ever made a call.

But when he made the first call and it got started, hey, it was all.

As we progressed with this and started calling in scores each week, I would make some calls.

Bob would make some calls, had them play out of state schools, were smart enough to realize we couldn't play other schools here in Arkansas.

There'd be two scores in there.

We knew that we could not win every game.

Okay, if you know, we did not want to create too much attention to ourselves, we weren't going to let just one run for 400 yards.

Anything that would attract attention where they were going to say, wait a minute, that doesn't seem possible, and start looking.

So those were just general guidelines on what we had to do to keep from being court coaches and band directors and friends around the state.

They couldn't wait to get a paper, you know, Saturday morning, to see how Village Academy did the night before.

Once they caught on.

Hey, this is real.

We got a lot of people saying, I just want to kick a field goal or an extra point.

We had a lot of fans that were getting into this.

We had bumper stickers printed.

That's one of the faculty members wrote a fight song.

We had an album out of.

We were really getting into this big time.

A lot of Village Academy fans.

Village Academy Nation was big.

The elementary school principal was the only one that didn't think it was funny.

And he said, y'all need to stop that.

If something bad were to come of it, I can't stand up for you.

And we said, we totally understand that.

And we kept doing it.

We thought, okay, we'll call it, get it in there one time and you know that that'll be it.

And we'll laugh about it and and they'll figure it out.

That's there's, you know, and they won't put it back in there.

Well they didn't ever figure it out.

We kept doing it for four years.

And there's the article of when we were actually caught by a reporter named Robert Yates.

One of our administrators sent in a note to the Arkansas Gazette and said, you have a group of people in the state calling in fictitious football scores.

He misspelled fictitious band the way he said they called our school Village Academy.

There's no such school by that name.

So Robert Yates took that letter and started investigating.

He eventually figured out no, this is not real.

We had a great program for four years until we got shot down.

And I said, you feel it?

The village can't be coach set up.

He said, are you?

Didn't to try out for the team once we got caught and we said okay, we've been exposed.

We'll have a celebration banquet at Rod's Pizza Cellar in Hot Springs, and we had well over 100 people for us to tell the story of the Village Academy Beavers talking about a make believe football team that did not exist.

There was no one else there anyway.

And.

Village academy are just normal appear just pop up places you never expect.

I mean, yeah, I'm just not a wild blue.

I am amazed that it still pops up every once in a while now, this many years later.

That was 1985 that we started, started and quit in 88.

I think the fact that it went so long for four years had a lot to do with, you know, if it was only a couple of times, nobody be saying anything about it.

So I think that's what keeps it going is just how much fun it was back then, how many people enjoyed following it and being a part of it.

I don't know if it'll ever die.

It'll go on forever.

Our.

From a joke to a statewide following, just Norman and the Village Academy beavers continue to spring up across Arkansas, breathing new life into the prank.

More than 40 years later.

Now, Christine, it's about that time.

Yes it is.

Let's get you back to War Memorial Stadium for the second half of the high school state football championship.

Right here on Arkansas PBS.

This broadcast is underwritten in part by.

Since 1937, the electric cooperatives of Arkansas have been providing power to homes, farms and businesses across our state.

The cooperatives are member owned and worked together to serve Arkansans.

The Electric cooperatives of Arkansas proudly support high school students and athletics in Arkansas, and hope you enjoy watching the state championship games on Arkansas PBS sports.

Better connected together the electric cooperatives of Arkansas.

LED better than I would have never known.

The things I know now without that program, it really helped me advance my opportunity to this career field really gives them a fast forward, a good track to be able to come into the technical trades to celebrate the first of five brand new transmitters that will broaden our signal coverage to just under 100% of Arkansas.

At Up the Ladder, we are committed to helping the youngest Arkansans prepare for kindergarten and for life.

Education is everything, and if we can teach our children, you know, to get out there and make the most of that is great.

So I'm just proud to do my part.

Anything you wanna know, I'm gonna.

And I will first say, you know, can you can carry anything with you.

This is the first step to reforming our Arkansas, putting the effort to understanding each other's struggles and making them our home.

Everyone, repeat after me.

We have a boys side watch.

Mom, you could not reach our sole call.

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Goodbye.

Let's now.

Back here at War Memorial Stadium.

Where?

At the half where Elkins leads Dardanelle, 21 to nothing.

As we're at the half, let's take a look at some halftime stats.

West.

And look at that first number in passing yards.

Dardanelle has not gotten one passing yard here in the first half.

Well they had one completion for two yards one completion for negative two yards.

So that's why you got zero passing yards with two completions.

Total yards 284 to 74 I mean it's it's been a dominating performance by the Elkins Elks.

The defense has shut down Crede Vega.

They go as you said with zero yards passing two of seven with an interception.

He's got 44 yards rushing in all 74 total yards for Dardanelle.

And then you throw in the turnovers two costly turnovers.

Who should have had a turnover there.

But then Elkins makes the play in the end zone for the touchdown the first touchdown of the game.

So Elkins has taken advantage of the situation every opportunity.

Plus they've made some big plays Isaiah Haywood for Elkins has had a great first half for receptions 69 yards in that touchdown.

You saw just a moment ago.

And then also Austin Bourne.

He's run for two touchdowns.

That came in the game with only four rushing touchdowns.

Has two so far in this game five carries for 30 yards for Elkins.

We talked about in the pregame West.

They need to stop Crede Vega eight carries 44 yards.

And then as you said two of seven for zero yards passing and an interception I want to point out Connor Ham for Elkins to really have enjoyed watching him run the ball 14 carries for 80 yards.

And Ben Napier very efficient.

The quarterback 10 to 14 159 yards and one touchdown.

Well Alyssa Orange is down on the field.

She's about to get set with head coach Phil Vega.

And Alyssa's got coach now take it away Alison.

Yeah coach is you're good.

You're good guys.

Coaches it yeah you're good.

Thanks okay.

Good Ole halftime break.

He did.

No.

You're good.

The message to the team the locker room I just we've been in this situation for this year.

And do not panic.

Stay the course and got to show more poise out there.

You we kind of had deer in the headlights looked at first half and and it showed.

So I think we're going to end up coming out and play Saint Louis football the second half.

How do you work to break through that defensive line.

Get the offense going I would you I had lots of Mr.

Simon Schmidt watching in there on the film and lots more assignments.

And we talked about it.

We're going to get some things figured out and, straighten out and, do better this afternoon.

Coach.

Thanks so much.

Thanks.

Sorry.

Alyssa didn't mean the guy coach with a mouthful of food as he was coming out of the halftime locker room.

And so, he'll be.

Yeah, as he said, just got to get your assignments right.

And, you know, he had a lot of missed assignments, as I said there in the first half.

And so we'll be interesting to see if they've got the the jitters out from the first half of the state championship game.

Will be interesting to see what they look like in the second half.

Yeah.

First things first.

You got to get stop, get the ball back and then put some points on the board.

It all starts with a little momentum.

Yeah.

Right now they don't have any momentum.

But as he said they've been here before.

They've trailed in the second half.

They trailed in the fourth quarter last week against Warren trailed against Hamburg and Boone back Ozark Clinton they have found ways to win and not panic numerous times now his 21 points their biggest deficit of the year, I gotta think.

So I was going to talk to the Dardanelle Radio guys during the, half, but never got a chance to talk with them.

But, this is probably the safe to say their biggest deficit.

So they got their work cut out for them.

Don't have to play perfect in the second half, but it's got to be close to it.

Well, Elkins won the toss from the first half.

They elected to defer.

So they will receive the second half kickoff.

And we are just about ready to go.

You can see the wind has picked up a little bit here at War Memorial Stadium.

As we start the second half of play, RJ Hawk alongside Westmore to have you along wherever you may be watching across the state of Arkansas.

And we are just about set and ready to go on kicking things off for Dardanelle will be Hays Garcia, and he'll line things up from the 40 yard line.

Back deep.

You've got him.

It looks like you're.

Maybe you're on side.

Does kind of look like it's onside set up.

Garcia is going to put a foot into it.

It'll be a high corner kick.

It'll be taken down at the 24 yard line and brought up by Elkins.

And bringing it up that time for the Elks was Brad Walker is.

He'll take it out to the 30 yard line.

I don't know if he ran into his own guy or if that was somebody from Elkins that made the or Darnell that made the tackle.

Sarkodie, Tackett celebrating.

That was a big hit that sent the returner backwards.

So it'll be first and ten from the 30 yard line for Elkins.

Ben Napier, the quarterback.

He's out there with, Connor Hamm, the running back.

They'll have two receivers in the formation with a double wing off the right side.

Napier going to hand it to Hamm Hamm gets the corner and he'll go out of bounds at the 41 yard line.

Gary wound up a couple of tight ends on the right side that time.

They were able to seal off, Vega and that allows the running back to get to the outside.

Bo Miller that time knocked him out of bounds.

So it's first and ten from the 41.

Now Darnell's got to set that edge at several times tonight.

Elkins has been able just to pop it to the outside.

Two receivers in the formation Napier to hand it off.

And we've got whistles and a false start on Elkins.

Come up here.

I've got a penalty.

Remains first down I want to back him up five yards penalty wise so far in this game.

West.

It's going to look three penalties for Darnell for 25 yards four for Elkins for four I guess it's five now for 45 yards.

Seems like Elkins has been able to overcome a lot of their penalties when he averaged about ten yards of play.

You're able to overcome setbacks.

First down and 15 Napier keeps it himself straight ahead.

Gets tripped up.

He had to answer man what a play came in.

Little run blitz.

Got just enough in the feet and was actually born who ran the ball that time.

And so that'll bring it in.

Second down and 15.

Now.

I think Darnell saw Bourne in there.

And you can almost a run play every time.

We haven't seen Bourne throw it.

We know he's capable of throwing it, but we haven't seen a good.

So second down and 15.

Takes the handoff Napier looking to throw.

And it's that time on the reception was Haywood and strong hands as he was able to hold on to that one and pick up the first down.

Take it in Dardanelle territory.

Hey what's been awesome tonight?

Take a look at this catch.

Got the receiver truck draped over Diggs is all over him trying to knock that ball out.

He's got a hand in there trying to pull it out.

Can't get it out.

Haywood another strong catch.

So first down and ten with the ball at the 40 yard line.

Haywood now five catches 93 yards.

Got to hand it to him straight ahead and he'll pick up a couple on the play.

Bring up second down Darnell.

Now they're bringing their safeties up.

They got nine guys pretty much inside the box.

There are two corners man to man on the wide receivers.

They're daring Elkins to throw the ball.

And Darnell is telling your corners.

Hey, guys.

You're gonna have to win some battles.

You're going to be by yourself on an island.

You're going to have to do your job.

Looks like Ham came out of the ballgame.

His helmet popped off.

And so Bourne's back in there now at quarterback along with Hunter Smith at running back.

It's second down and eight.

Bourne going to keep it himself.

Walks right side stays on his feet and goes out of bounds.

And he'll be taken out at the 34 yard line once again.

Had the double tight ends put him in motion.

Brought him to the right side.

Ran behind them, able to get outside, pick up about three yards.

Is third and four.

Probably two down territory for Elkins.

If they can't get the first down here.

Could lead Bourne in their.

Ball at the 34 yard line as Hamm comes back in the ball game.

Now.

Bourne keeps it himself.

Works the edge.

Three Dardanelle players are there and he's about a yard shy of the first down.

Corbin Barnes leading the charge that time, Urban Braun, and he'll be roughly maybe two yard shy of that first down marker.

And that's going to bring up fourth down.

Looks like they've got to get to the 30 yard line for a first down.

And Bourne's going to stay on the field.

Dardanelle trying to get their sideline fired up.

Their fans I'll tell you what Darnell brought a ton of fans that's far sideline.

I got the official 1070 600.

It's the third largest attendance in the seven.

Of course the biggest.

The five day, the second biggest.

This is the third largest attended game.

Fourth down and two.

They're going to hand it off to Hamm straight ahead.

It's going to be close now he didn't get it.

The marketing well sure looks like they came in at the 29 yard line.

And it's going to be a turnover on downs for Dardanelle.

That's a stop.

And in for the second half a marking him at the 32.

He didn't get a yard there.

That's exactly what Darnell needed.

Looks like is they got the turnover.

We'll take a timeout 843 to play left here in the second quarter.

Our third quarter.

Excuse me Elkins leads the 21.

Nothing in the four.

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Watch.

Goodbye.

Let's now.

Congratulations to our Arkansas PBS student, all star Brayden Simpson, now of South Side, the linebacker and running back plains to go to Harding University.

He's going to play football and major in engineering.

And with that 4.0 GPA, I think he is going to be very successful.

Already successful on the field and in the classroom.

Congratulations to Braden.

Hey step one is completed.

They got the stop.

Now Darnell's got to get some points.

Read Vega with the football and he'll go straight ahead and pick up about three, maybe four yards as they're trying to push that pile as they take it past the 35 yard line out to the 36.

Great work underway on this car.

Yeah.

He just put his head down that time and just, showed a little bit of the power that he has.

There wasn't a whole lot there, but made four.

And right now they'll take that.

That's a good start.

On first down.

Clock running at 812 and counting left here in the third quarter as Dardanelle is going to come out with four wide receivers.

Pass right sides complete.

Completed is they'll get it out to the 46 yard line.

Yep, yep.

Sure is.

For the first time, rod chat, broken arm and all.

You see the big cast on his right hand.

I was told he did get in in the first half.

I didn't see him in, but you know, that's his first catch.

First time they've targeted him and may have been one of those were they weren't sure how many snaps they could get out of him and save him for the second half.

I don't know the case, but you know what?

You're down 21.

Nothing.

You needing five receivers in the formation, three to the top side is in motion.

Is west now Crede Vega keeps it himself as he'll work right side stays on his feet, spinning as he gets it past the 45 yard line into Elkins territory, about a yard shy of the first down.

That time it was Joshua Ham who came up to make the stop.

He ran on another power run from Vega.

Just keeps those legs moving.

Spinning.

Gets a little push rolls out of the first tackle, finally goes down nine yards later.

Five receivers in the formation.

Creed Vega all alone in the backfield.

It's a second down and one.

Vega walks right side past the 40.

Stays on his feet as a running lane.

Goes out of bounds at the 29 yard line.

You see the Dardanelle faithful standing up waving the white towels over on the other side.

Right.

This is the Creed Vega.

This is the Dardanelle offense they're used to seeing.

They're getting some productive play, some bigger plays, moving the chains, moving the chains, getting a little momentum, getting a little momentum.

They got to find a way to break through.

Though they marked him out of bounds back at the 31.

So it's a first and ten from the 31.

Vega keeps it himself.

Left side has a running lane.

Gets tripped up, stays on his feet past the 20.

And he'll be finally taken down at the 16.

That time it was Carson Rico who came up to make the stop.

Rico tripped him up, but Vega picks up another first down.

By far the best series that we've seen from Vega in this Dardanelle offense.

Finding a little bit of rhythm from left to right.

Now, checking out of the ball game or excuse me, checking in is going to be Javon Chatman, Ian Branson went to the sidelines.

The sand Lizards are going to have receivers on either side of the formation.

Vega takes the snap going to run with it.

There's three Elks in the backfield immediately.

And now we've got a penalty flag down Carson Rhoden was the first one there.

He came off of that end and just it was too slow of a play that it was he had pulling guard and just developed so slow.

Rhoden got up the field.

You see the penalty personal foul.

That's the distance.

Been the goal from the previous spot results in the first down.

That's huge.

I mean, you think about it because you just got a big play from the Elkins defense.

It was going to be second and long.

Were they.

It's going to be second.

And what 14 is where they finally marked him down.

They lost four yards on that play.

And now you get this penalty and it's half the distance to the goal.

It's a first down.

And you wipe away and take away a really good play from your defense.

The momentum right now shifting over to the Dardanelle sidelines as the ball's going to be spotted down at the eight yard line.

By far the best drive for Dardanelle so far in this game.

Rod chat is in the ball game.

He's at the very top of your screen at the ten yard line.

In the chains or the marker, set.

Because it's going to be it will be first down with two yards to go.

Yeah.

That's what it's about.

Say they had to reset the chains because it wasn't it's going to be first and two.

For receivers to the top side of the formation, Creed is straight ahead trying to drive the pile.

And he may have lost a yard on the play.

Did.

Yeah.

They're just coming Elkins coming on the run.

Blitz.

You can just see the linebackers firing into the backfield.

Now what that does is it opens up the middle of the field.

If Darnell wants to attack it with one of those a slot receiver running over the middle, he should be wide open.

But the linebackers are just coming in, pinning their ears back and looking at no one, but they go.

So that brings up a second down and three.

Now tight formation this time.

Vega works it back.

Middle of the field.

Dives to the one.

It'll pick up the first down.

Now it'll be first and goal from the one slow developing play again.

There was just nothing there.

On the right side, Vega saw a hole in the left and just hit it hard.

Got through and just got tripped up from the one.

Vega dives forward.

I don't think he got in.

They're going to mark him down at the one about the half yard line again Bourne coming off the edge there.

Just getting in the backfield so quickly.

The one thing about this drive taking up a lot of time right now for Darnell.

So it's his second down and one from the second down and goal from the one.

Vega takes himself again.

Dives for the end zone.

Officials get together.

Touchdown.

That was just power football.

It wasn't a whole lot there.

Vega just runs up the back of one of his offensive linemen and pushes him into the end zone.

And just barely gets the ball across.

But Vega and Darnell get on the scoreboard, get a little movement momentum trying to make this game a little more interesting.

Hey, Garcia is on for the extra point.

The extra point is up and good.

And with 442 to play here in the third quarter, it's 21 to 7.

That drive ten plays 68 yards in four minutes and one second for them to get in the end zone.

Let's head down to a little orange on the sidelines.

Well guys we've seen Creed Vega do it all season long a rushing touchdown added to his stat sheet in this game.

An important game not just because he's a senior as was mentioned at the beginning of the broadcast.

He'll go to Air Force next year.

But we've talked about his dad, Phil Vega, a lot in the relation that these two have.

And he said before the game that he understands not only the significance of bringing back a state championship to Dardanelle, but winning one with his dad.

This is the final game they have together, this one special, and if they're going to win it, they're going to have to do it together.

You know, I talked to Coach Vega earlier this week and for the last couple of weeks, they knew that could be their last game if they lost in the playoffs this week.

They knew this was their final game and they were cherishing the moment just like they have all season.

Good.

Look at Creed there on the sideline.

Completed one pass to chat and on that drive and the rest was just on his feet.

And Creed Vega now 17 carries 93 yards and a touchdown so far in this game as here's the kickoff that will roll into the hands of him at the 16 yard line.

He'll be taken under right there.

And so the Elkins Elks will have it at the 17 on the tackle that time was Joe Various West.

I got to think at halftime what Darnell was saying.

Guys, we're going to get a stop.

We're going to get the ball back.

We'll go down and score.

Well, that's what they did.

That was their their mission.

The two step process was completed.

Now they feel like you know, they got a little life.

They got it.

They got a chance to make another comeback.

Bounce up to Elkins.

This is a big draw for them to respond and take back the momentum in this game.

So it'll be first and ten with the ball to 17 yard line Ben Napier's in the shotgun.

He'll have two receivers each side of the formation.

Running back is Connor Hamm.

Napier has it in.

Almost intercepted boy he was in the hands briefly of the defensive back Kentrell Diggs.

And it'll bring up second down here.

He had it all but brought in that time.

And so that'll bring up second down and ten.

There's a good look at it Diggs.

He was trying to catch it sideways.

It was just in kind of an awkward way to have your hands.

And I'm sure he was as surprised as anybody that Napier threw that ball.

Here's the handoff to Hamm.

Bounces it out right side and he'll be taken out of bounds that time by Kentrell Diggs.

And it was a pickup of about four yards on the play to bring up a third down for Elkins Hamm once again I mean guys just so patient pulling blockers and doesn't do anything there kind of presses the line of scrimmage.

Just pops it out the last second to the sideline and is able to make four yards.

Just wasn't a whole lot there.

Big down right here.

It's third down and six with the ball at the 21 yard line.

Napier drops back to pass.

Throws it across the middle.

Has a man down at the 29.

It's enough for a first down.

That time.

Was able to find Isaiah Haywood on the reception.

What a throw to I mean he got that in a little window.

Darnell linebacker almost got a hand on it.

Tight coverage.

There's a really well placed ball by Napier.

Fresh set of downs.

Ball officially spotted at the 30 yard line.

Going to hand it off to him.

It'll be taken down just shy of the 35 at the 34 to pick up a four yards on the play.

Hamm just following one of his lead blockers pulling in, creating a hole, gets right in behind him.

Picks up four.

It's not afraid to get inside with inside the tackles and do some of that hard running.

Second down high snap.

They give it to him again.

He'll go straight ahead.

Crosses the 35.

Takes it out to the 37.

And that time it was cam Olson who came up to make the stop.

Elkins.

Titans doing a really good job.

You'll see both of them coming in motion leading the way.

Did that once again Darnell kind of submarine.

The play went down low and bottled it up.

You see a change in quarterback Austin Bourne comes in now on this third down and three with the ball at the 37 yard line.

Clock ticks close to three minutes left here in the third quarter.

Bourne straight ahead and he'll be taken down at the 39.

He'll be about a yard shy.

West about a half yard shy of the first down.

This is a tough decision.

You risk turning the ball over on downs again and you punt this away.

So it's a fourth down and one.

They're leaving Austin Bourne in there at quarterback.

The running back is Hunter Smith.

Five seconds.

Bourne takes the snap straight ahead.

Crosses the 40.

Gets the first down of good hard running.

I mean he just put his head down and plowed his way across.

Got to takes it out to the 41 yard line for a fresh set of downs.

I don't know where out of defense to the second fourth down conversion so far for Elkins.

So it's now a first down and ten with the ball at the 41.

Ham's back in their running back Napier.

Quarterback handoff to Ham.

He's in the backfield and taken down.

Leading the charge is Ian Branson.

That time that we've seen Elkins coming in on the run.

Blitz is getting into the backfield.

That time it was Dardanelle that did it there.

They're gambling.

It's going to be a running play.

Here he comes right off the edge meets the running back in the backfield.

So it's a three yard loss to bring up a second down and 13.

Elkins playing a little bit of the clock game.

You know some running the ball running the clock.

They're trying to limit the number of possessions that are left in this game.

Napier hands it off to him again.

Works right side penalty flag down and Ham is going to be swarmed under at the 40 by Braden Hardy.

They got a holding call here.

The way that one came in will get big.

Gabe Burris was motioning to his sideline saying they held me.

So do you decline it right here West?

That's how I was just thinking about that.

It could be third and 11.

Or do you push them back and make it second and 1323?

I know it's a. I could go either way I think.

Yeah.

Hands up the defense.

That'll be a ten yard penalty from the oh from the offense on the offense.

My correction on the offense.

Ten yard penalty for the foul.

Replay second down.

All the times these these officials.

This might be the first time they put a microphone on as well.

But you get ten three yards like that.

Yeah.

You know you're thinking hey that's a first down if we're on offense.

So let's just take it better field position if we can get two more stops.

So it brings up a second down and 21.

Clock stopped when clock rolls.

Now at 35 seconds they will have to snap it.

There's only 15 14 seconds left on the play clock.

Ben Napier the quarterback to look to throw.

Big ball right side and he just overthrows his intended target.

Trying to find Isaiah Haywood.

And that'll stop the clock with 18 seconds left here in the third.

Now you've got a third down and 21.

Diggs was right there with him.

And what I liked about Diggs, he turned around and started looking for the ball in the air in case he could try to pick that off.

He wasn't just, going to run side by side.

He wanted to play the ball in the air.

And honestly, might have been a good thing for Elkins that it was out of bounds because he was there to make a play.

And Diggs, he was the one that deflected it into the end zone for the touchdown.

So he's been he's had a chance to get two picks tonight.

So it's a third down and 21.

Hammond at running back.

Napier the quarterback Napier looking to go.

Big ball once again.

Right side.

And he overthrows a wide receiver.

And that brings up a fourth down.

Read a little stop and go that time Haywood goes down about ten yard stops then goes back and Diggs did a good job of not biting on it and was still running next to him.

Elkins fans, you can hear him.

Hopefully you can hear him on TV.

They were upset a little bit.

They thought that could have been pass interference, but, you know, Elkins was ever so patient.

Looked like they were going to run out the clock in the third quarter.

Two incomplete pass to stop the, the clock both times.

And now Darnell's going to get it.

13 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Here's the punt by malice.

And it will take a big Elkins roll inside the 20.

And it'll be down at around the 18 yard line.

And Branson was back deep that time.

And so with no time left here in the third quarter, we head to the fourth where the Elkins Elks, they lead Dardanelle in the four state championship, 21 to 7.

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Goodbye.

Let's now.

Here's the Dardanelle faithful.

Here is they brought as best you were talking about a minute ago.

Huge crowd tonight for Dardanelle and Elkins.

Brought a crowd here as well.

And we've had great attendance throughout the state championship games go to both weekends.

And really, I was I was told just a minute ago we were close to the all time record for all the games.

I think I heard Troy say it was the second largest for the both weeks.

Here's Creed Vega running with the football now past the 30, and he'll be taken down at the 33 yard line, that time by Hunter Smith.

I hope not one of those back to pass.

Just has a hole open up.

Doesn't see anything.

Just takes off and runs with it.

Picks up about 14 yards on first down.

They're going to need a big play at some point.

You know the methodical drives are great when you get points.

But it's hard to have methodical drives in high school.

You need a big play at some point a chunk play.

Five receivers in the formation.

Creed Fagan running with it gets spun forward down to the 35 yard line.

That time by S.R.

Williams.

Yeah sure wasn't for that time.

That time a quarterback draw design quarterback draw and stayed home was right there.

Just underway here in the fourth quarter Vega going to throw it out.

Right side to chat chatting.

It'll be taken down at the 41.

You can see he was holding it with that that club hand.

And he was just like ready to get down so that he didn't get punched down there he was making sure to get two hands on the ball there at the end, and probably try to protect the hand a little bit in your mind.

I know it's well protected with that cast, but in your mind you probably don't want to come down on it.

You don't see many receivers playing with a big club hand like that, and wide receiver only in a state championship, only in a state championship game.

Yep.

And for him, one of the biggest games of his career so far.

Third down and set two as Vega goes straight ahead.

Picks up the first down as he takes it out to the 44 yard line.

Offensive line did a good job.

Just enough of a hole to pick up that first down.

Move the sticks, stop the clock for a second.

So he got in behind to that right side, crashing down.

For some point they're going to take a shot.

I think on a first down when you got Elkins thinking run, run, run and take a shot, you remember the half back pass there in the first half.

By now they're wishing they had that back.

Here's a first down and ten on the end.

Around to West.

Gets past the 45 and goes out of bounds into Elkins territory.

And he'll go out of bounds at the 46 yard line.

Nice design right there.

Coming in motion.

Little jet sweep gets to the outside.

Makes one guy miss.

Gets a good block right there.

Hits the sideline.

Picks up about 15.

So it's a first down and ten.

Crede Vega with the football straight ahead.

He'll spin it down past the 45 yard line.

And they're going to spot him down at the 44.

And big Gabe Burris lined up is an H back that time.

Burris pulls goes over the left side.

Creed kind of cut off of him.

Cut it up inside.

That's not Burris.

Just keep on running down the field line.

You keep following me, big man.

Keep following me.

So it's a second down and eight.

For Dardanelle Vega fakes the handoff.

Has a man middle of the field.

And it's caught that time by Cam Olson for the first down as he takes to the 25.

Remember those linebackers crashing in middle of the field wide open.

That's exactly what that was.

They hit him fake the run right across the middle.

Nobody there.

So it's at first and ten from the 25.

Vega right side stays on his feet.

And then finally taken down at the 21 turf snapped for the hustle a slaughter.

He recognizes that just at the right time to make a tackle on that pass play.

It's not for him that probably goes the distance.

That was a good job by slaughter.

Recognizing that was a play action pass.

It's a pickup of four yards that time as they take it to the 21 yard line.

Now Dardanelle is going to send three receivers to the left side, two to the right.

Got him spread out.

We've seen him run out of this formation.

Vega quick pass right side into the hands of his receiver.

Barnes and Barnes will be taken out of bounds over the inside the ten yard line down to the nine.

So some speed out of Barnes.

I told you earlier, he won the 300 meter hurdles state championship.

He caught that just simple little toss to it.

And he had a receiver in front of him blocking and just the speed alone was enough to get him inside the ten.

This is where Elkins defense needs, you know, buckle the backup.

You know, you need to stiffen up here.

Look, let them drive.

But you're also taking a lot of time off the clock.

You can stop here.

This is gold.

This is perfect.

Nine yards for Vega and the keeper himself.

Now options.

The ball is fumbled and it goes out of bounds.

Ball goes out of bounds.

Boy it went right off his hands at the last moment.

So the ball can't be fumbled forward out of bounds.

So it would they're going to they're going to mark the ball down fumble out of bounds returning the ball to the spot of the fumble.

So yeah they're going to they're going to return it to where the ball was fumbled.

So that will put the ball at the 11.

Well I caught a break there.

That could have been their second red zone turnover.

That's what I'm saying.

Drive all the way down here and spin all that time.

Got a score here.

Three Vega with the ball straight ahead.

Gets nowhere.

Gets back to the 11.

That time it was Carson Rogan who came in to make the stop once again.

Just crashing in.

And he comes in off the backside.

Edge makes the tackle from behind.

So it's third and goal from the 11 yard line.

The clock is rolling at 707 left in the ballgame.

Need your best pass play here.

That's what I'm looking for.

Raw chat I know he's got a club on his hand.

You need to go make a play.

He's to the left side of your screen and fake the handoff.

And now we've got whistles.

And it's going to be a false start on Dardanelle.

The flag false start on the offense.

That's a five-yard penalty from the previous spot.

Third down.

The flag was on the far side of the field.

And Dardanelle is going the wrong direction as the ball is now at the 16.

And they had it first and goal with the nine.

Lost a couple of yards on the fumble out of bounds.

Couldn't get much on the oh.

They actually lost another yard on the the Vega keeper.

Now a false start.

Got it.

Offsides.

Now we've got to play another penalty this time on Elkins.

Well hard drew him offsides.

So they get that five back right there.

Encroachment on defense.

That's a five-yard penalty.

Replay remains third down.

So that'll put the ball at the 11.

Third down and goal from the 11.

Clock is still running.

Free Vega looking to throw left side into the end zone.

Did he catch it.

Touchdown.

Coming up with the reception it was C.J.

Kearse or was it Bo Miller six.

Bo Miller as Bo Miller on the left side.

Bo Miller came in with six touchdowns on the season.

The number six just got his seventh touchdown.

Just a little corner route Vega throws it up lets his receiver adjust to it.

Go up make the catch.

Big time.

Throw big time catch.

So that makes the score 2113 As Haces Garcia is on for the extra point.

The extra point is up and it is good.

It was 601 left here in the ball game.

We've got a one-score game 2114 Elkins over Dardanelle.

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Back here on the stadium, one score.

Game 2114 Elkins over.

Dardanelle is head down to Ellis.

Orange on the sidelines.

It's amazing guys, how you can feel the momentum shifting on this football field.

It was all on the Elkins sideline in the first half.

It is gone Dardanelles way here in the second half.

And because of the way they started this game with the stop and the score and a stop, again, it is gotten all of that side of the field really hyped up on the Elkins side as I'm standing here after that touchdown, the message calm down, go down and score.

They have got to be able to set the tone and try to get the ball in the end zone, to try to try to break away from Dardanelle here, or see if the sand lizards can stay in this game.

As soon as Garcia with the kick, it's a short kick and it goes out of bounds.

They were trying to get that short kick to recover it and it goes out of bounds.

And so Elkins is going to get great field position with 601 to play left here in the ball game.

Darnell did that twice against Warren in the semifinals.

In the fourth quarter they recovered one of those type of kicks and just the speed of of that was Barnes that was running up there.

Was it Barnes.

It was Branson who did it twice in the semifinals.

He returned.

No.

Barnes returned the kickoff to the two.

I'm sorry, it was Barnes.

That's a well that's who was on that Barnes recover two just like that against Warren in the semifinals.

So I know we've said this a lot that this is a big drive.

But this for the Dardanelle defense and really for the Elkins offense.

Elkins cannot go three and out right here.

But the momentum shift will be monumental on the Dardanelle side.

If they do know this can be a state championship winning drive right here for Elkins.

You march down the field, take off three for five minutes, score touchdown games pretty much over there.

Going to hand it off to Ham.

He'll walk left side and he'll be taken down at the 45 yard line.

Yeah four yard pickup.

Much better job that time by Darnell not letting him get to the edge.

He's been bouncing that to the outside hitting the sideline and picking up bigger yardage.

That time.

One of the Dardanelle I think it was a defensive back or safety came in from the outside and just prevented him from keep bouncing, you know bouncing it towards the sideline.

And that's probably some of the Emmas, the missed assignments that coach was talking about.

Second down and six ball to 45 yard line.

Three receivers set to the right side of the formation.

Bourne is in at quarterback straight ahead.

And he'll be taken down shy of the 50 yard line at the 49.

And now you've got a third down and two yards for Elkins.

Straight quarterback power right there.

Offensive line all just fired straight ahead.

Tried to get as much push as they could.

They didn't get the big quarterback coming in behind him.

Puts his head down.

And now Elkins is going into that wind right now at eight miles an hour is Austin Barnes in their quarterback with Hunter Smith the running back third down and two with the ball at the 49 yard line.

Bourne works left side has a running lane past the 4025.

Off to the house.

He walks the dog into the end zone.

Touchdown!

Boy, you're going to see some great blocking on this play.

Those tight ends got out opened up a hole.

He hits the sideline.

Nobody there.

Tell you what.

He got excited too about the nine I think he's put out his mouthpiece or he succumb.

Maybe it's the 14 but suffocate flying out of his mouth I'm like whoa what was that.

What a play.

That's it.

That's what we were just talking about.

That's exactly what Elkins needed.

So malice is on for the extra point.

Board is actually the snapper for this kid, this p.a.t.

And it is up and it is good.

And with 425 left in this ballgame, Elkins back out to a 27 to 14 lead over.

Let's take a look at that run again by Austin Bourne.

But his mouthpiece watch about the 14.

Something comes flying out.

He just spit it out.

He said I don't need this anymore I think he's breathing so hard.

He's in out in out in out.

And it just goes out.

One of his teammates went, picked it up and gave it to him when he was coming to the sideline.

But man what.

Just a great run for Bourne.

Great blocking from those tight ends.

Just well executed a play right when they needed it.

Elkins comes up with a huge play.

And you've talked about all night about you know being patient.

These running backs being patient.

And as he made that corner that's exactly what he was doing.

He was waiting for a hole to open up to get the corner and and head to the end zone.

He's like, I got the first down.

I'm good.

Let's see what else we can get.

And it was able to pop it.

I kind of wonder certainly next year if he's the starting quarterback, he's not going to be the snapper or two, right?

I can't imagine they got him on the snap next year.

Right?

Yes.

Here's the kickoff as it will go into the end zone for a touchback.

And so Dardanelle will have it with four minutes and 25 seconds at the 20 yard line.

And now they got to get an explosive play and somehow get a they still got all three timeouts.

So this game's not over.

But you've you've got to have a big play here.

You got to find a chunk play to score quickly.

You can't have a long four minute drive and then only have 25 seconds left to get the onside kick and try to score again.

First and ten from the 20 yard line.

Four receivers in the formation.

Creed Vega going to look to throw Vega steps up with it and he'll be taken down.

Back at the 16 yard line Tom Elkins only rushed three.

And they left Brooks Williams in as the spy.

He was just watching Vega.

That's all he was worried about.

And when Vega talked took off running.

Brooks Williams was right there to make sure he didn't go anywhere.

They officially spun at the 17 back to a four wide set, Rose at left side, and Bo Williams will be taken out of bounds at around the 20 yard line.

It was Carson Rico that time on the tackle.

Good tackle by Rico.

If he doesn't make that tackle, he's able to get up the sideline and maybe pick up the first down.

Long throw for Crede Vega.

But right now Elkins is just rushing three and dropping eight in the coverage.

Third down and nine now five receivers in the formation Vega looking to throw middle of the field.

It's incomplete.

That time trying to hook up with Bo miller.

You have Bo and Branson running crossing routes.

And Branson was wide was open a little bit more.

If he did come off the boat.

So you've got a fourth down and nine from the 21 yard line.

Two receivers to each side of the formation.

Freed Vega looking to throw.

Rolls left and he just holds on to it.

Goes out of bounds.

Goes out of bounds at the 17 and nowhere to go.

So it's a turnover on downs with three minutes and 15 seconds.

And that was great defense in the secondary by Elkins.

Well in great defense.

Just getting pressure on Crede Vega forcing him out of the pocket pursuing him making sure he couldn't run with it.

Nobody's taking the time out here.

Timeout Elkins.

It'll be their first time out of the half.

So 315 left here in the ballgame 2814 Elkins on top of Dardanelle defense.

They played it just perfect there.

They just rushed three dropped eight in the coverage.

You know they knew you know you're basically saying if you run it you go ahead.

You can run it on us.

You know we're only going to be rushing three.

We're dropping back into coverage.

But you're only going to get 7 or 8 yards at a time.

And you're it's going to take you four minutes to drive down if you continue to do that.

And so they just said, if you're going to beat us, you're going to have to run it.

Well, they don't have time to run it right now.

It was just a very tough position to be in for Darnell.

I don't forget there's photos of this game as you can go to my R, pbs.org, backslash photos and get all the photos that we've got.

A great crew of folks that are roaming the sidelines throughout this game taking photos.

And if you want a copy of any one of those, you can go right there to that website on your screen and get your photo today.

So 315 left out in the timeout Elkins 28, Dardanelle 14.

You know they don't give us the height weight of the players.

Just that we're looking at the huddle.

I tell you what Isaiah hey what's big wide receiver.

He's a big guy.

He is.

He was a lot taller than anybody else in that shot.

I didn't realize how big he was.

Another big one is the quarterback Austin Bourne.

He's in right now.

He'll go straight ahead, gets upended and we'll get about a yard on the play.

And he's taken down by Braden Hardy.

And quickly a timeout chance to Dardanelle I did not come out Darnell any time asked for Elkins I didn't either okay.

Yeah I kind of think hey what's going to be playing some more next year?

He he's a good receiver.

Good hands, good size I gotta think he's got some offers.

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

What's up Alissa.

Well, we know this game a competitive one to both coaches.

Their end goal is to win.

But there's a lot of respect on both of these sidelines.

In fact, coach Watson and Coach Vega played together at Arkansas Tech in their college days.

When I talked to Coach Watson, he said, yeah, I played.

He's a little bit older than me.

Coach Vega was, but we were together there for two years at Arkansas Tech.

I did ask about sharing any stories.

He said, yeah, I can't do that.

But a lot of respect between these two coaches.

Some stats for you real quick for Elkins Ham over 100 yards, 23 carries, 107 yards.

Haywood over 100 yards receiving six catches 102 one touchdown.

So it's a second down and ten with the ball in the 17 yard line.

Bourne keeps it as he'll run in the back of one of his offensive linemen.

And they take it to the 15.

Another quickly another timeout.

Timeout.

You know Vega has been sacked and had a several plays where he lost yards.

But his totals now 25 carries for 29 yards.

Yeah.

You don't think the Elkins defensive staff is just thrilled with those numbers.

Absolutely.

Coming off what 327 last week and seven touchdowns.

Yeah we you know that was one of the things we talked about.

This Elkins defense is legit.

And to hold Dardanelle to 14 tip of the cow.

So in the pregame you you always like to watch the field goal kickers right.

And see what they can do.

And we haven't really got to see any field goals.

We've seen the extra points by both these guys.

Now one thing to note is that let's say Elkins doesn't get this here and they just they elect to kick the field.

They're going to be kicking into that eight mile an hour wind.

That is.

But it's more of what we've learned here at War Memorial.

That's more at the top of the stadium than it is down the bottom of the bowl.

Yeah.

No problem.

I saw him kick from the 30.

A 40 yard field goal.

Easily.

So definitely in his range.

If anything, they may want to center it up a little bit there.

Over there on the far right side.

But they're not thinking about kicking it now.

They want they want this first down.

If nothing else, get 4 or 5 yards and just go for it on fourth down.

You've got a two possession lead right now.

Yeah I guess a kick makes it three possession.

Here he is born as he'll work left side and he'll be taken down at around the 12 yard line.

Darnell would use their last timeout.

And fourth down.

Now they're not.

I thought I saw Coach Baker walking over there.

I thought he was going to call a timeout.

He's going to let it play out Elkins.

They just let this last 23 seconds Cliff take off and then use a timeout to what they're going to do.

It coach is already walking down there towards the official on the sideline.

Got six seconds left his eye in the clock.

He's now walking towards the official and call that timeout and decide what they're going to do here on fourth and 512 seven yards back to the 19 being about 29 yard field goal.

Line him up and try to just get the points right I mean I would think so because then all of a sudden it's a three possession game.

Yeah it looks like malice is out there warming up that leg right now.

And so I would imagine that's who you're going to see come out out of this timeout.

Don't forget Darnell did block an extra point earlier.

It came off the edge.

Was that Diggs that blocked it earlier?

I think it was.

Did I think it was Dixon almost got the first, extra point.

Just missed it.

Got the second one.

And Elkins went for two after their third touchdown to get it to 21.

That's kind of Darnell's last hope.

They did block a field goal against Clinton to win the game earlier this year.

Clinton drove down was about to kick a field goal to win the game, and Darnell blocked it to seal the victory.

That's the about their only shot.

Now they got to either hope for a miss or block this.

Keep it a two possession game.

Try to score quickly, get an onside kick so the ball will be on the near hash.

Malik is going to line up for the field goal with 216 to play here in the game.

He's going to kick it from the 19 yard line.

Snap is back.

The kick is up and it is good.

And with 212 remaining in the game, Elkins extends their lead to 31 to 14.

That ought to do it.

Get the, Gatorade ready to get back out there and play defense like you did this last time.

Probably the same thing.

Rush three, drop eight.

Don't get beat deep.

Well, the game the game plan that Elkins had when they came in to shut.

And I said this earlier the way that they they prepared to shut down Creed back in this game.

It's been pretty impressive because Creed has dominated every game that he's played in this year, and they've held him in check all night tonight.

You had those two drives in the second half besides that?

Yeah.

Not much for Darnell.

Total yards now for Dardanelle.

Still at 129 is that right 129 for Darnell.

Total yards.

Here's the kick off and it will be taken down at the eight yard line.

Brought up to the 30.

And that time was Joe Various West bringing it up for Dardanelle out to the 32 yard line.

It was Jeff Slaughter who came in to make the stop.

He's been all over the place tonight.

Some nice play tonight.

That was really big.

Because if he doesn't make that, if he's not there, it's the kicker.

House call potentially slaughter some one on the that little play action pass across the middle and read it just in time to make the tackle.

So you've got a first down and ten with the ball.

The 32 yard line 206 remaining in this one.

Darnell is going to come out with three receivers to the left side.

Five receivers total in the formation Vega quick pass left side over his receivers head that time trying to hook up with Jarvis West and the you know this year the theme has kind of been rematch.

We've had a bunch of rematches in the state championship game.

Started to see the two way game with EPC and cross County Conference foes and EPC won the first match up.

Cross County won the second matchup.

Here's a pass cross the middle of the field and miscommunication between him and Rod Chatman.

Then seven eight was a rematch of Bryant Boonville from last year's championship game.

Not a game this year, but in six with Greenwood and Shiloh Christian.

A rematch of conference game.

And by the way, I am surprised we're still not playing that game.

That thing went on forever.

Well, Greenwood, when the first match up.

Yeah, Shiloh won the second matchup.

Here's another rematch of a game earlier this year.

The team that won the first matchup.

Darnell looks like they're going to lose the second matchup.

The only team so far that won the rematch was Lakeside.

All right Joe T Robinson.

Yeah Joe T beat Lakeside the first time in the regular season.

Beat them in the state championship game.

Here's a pass over to the left side that time into the hands of Wes hands.

And he'll take it down a yard shy of the first down sticks and a bring up a fourth down and one that's the three again was really the only one that was in the rematch.

Yeah.

With Fordyce and just a cool really cool game to watch with Mansfield.

They got that wing-t going rushed for over 400 yards.

It was funny.

After the game I immediately turned on Harding.

Watch Harding.

Yeah, it's the same offense.

And they had it clicking too.

And I'm like, man, this Wing-t is fun to watch when it is clicking.

Okay, after the first down and the ball's intercept hit and taken by Elkins and he'll just go down right at the 41 yard line.

That was Joshua Ham to him.

Had a touchdown.

There was nobody else there after he broke that tackle.

But he did the smart thing.

Just go down.

Game is over.

You take of minutes to start celebrating okay.

A minute 20 left Dardanelles only got one timeout.

Elkins going to go to the victory formation.

They snap back to Napier and he takes the knee and they roll the clock in the gator.

Gatorade.

Ready there at the 40.

The 45.

Sneaking up on the coach.

Getting the coach distracted with the hogs.

And a lot of and for.

Imagine this time of night when you get that that Gatorade bath.

It's a little chilly.

I know what Mansfield's coach was still shivering at when we interviewed him after the game.

Down to 45 seconds left in this one.

And take a knee and that will do it.

Here's the Gatorade bath.

And that's the best bath he's going to have in a long time.

History made for Elkins for the first time.

They're taking home a state championship.

They were here last year, couldn't get the job done.

Zach Watts and his crew, they're taking home a state title.

Back to Elkins.

Your final score in this one.

Elkins 31, Dardanelle 14 of the four state championship game for both teams going through the line to shake hands.

And when we come back, we will have the trophy presentation.

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Good night.

Next down.

Is back here at War Memorial Stadium.

There is the state championship trophy for class four.

And that will go to the Elkins Elks, as they are this year's state championship.

Arkansas state champion in class four as they win it 31 to 14.

And you're about to see it here in just a moment.

They're going to get handed that trophy.

And you're going to see a lot of happy Elks on that.

You know, on that side of the field because it's their first state championship in school history.

And there it goes.

And fittingly, one of the big, big guys up front grabs that trophy.

They paved the way for a lot of rushing yards tonight.

I'll tell you what they they got it done on the ground 218 yards rushing tonight.

You had Connor Ham with 107 Austin born finished with 100 yards rushing.

Here's the final stats for the ball game.

410 yards for, for the Elks, 140 for Dardanelle, 218 yards rushing for, Elkins, while 69 for Dardanelle in the passing department.

192 to 71.

And your time of possession was almost doubled by the Elks versus Dardanelle, 33 and 57 to 1408.

I don't think those are going to be the official stats.

We're still working on a couple of things.

I think Dardanelle actually has more yards than that.

But, the Elkins side, you can see the, 400 yards of total offense just to, look, Darnell made it interesting in the second half.

Yeah.

It was 2114.

Elkins had the ball.

If Dardanelle gets another stop.

Guys, this could have been very interesting, you know?

No, but you got to give it credit.

Once again, the offensive line, I talked about those tight ends.

It came pulling, and then Austin Bourne, he hits the sideline.

There was nobody there.

And he takes it to the house.

And that was that was a that was the winning play right there.

51 yard touchdown run from Austin Bourne.

His third touchdown of the day.

And Austin Bourne.

He is named your MVP of this game.

And and West I mean I know he had the big run just man but quietly got 100 yards in this game with three touchdowns.

Well how about this.

That's the backup quarterback.

Who's the state championship game MVP and the snapper by the way.

He did a good job on his snaps.

And he played defense I mean he did really well on defense.

Here's the highlights of this game.

There's your first touchdown off the deflection.

Diggs deflected it right into the receiver's hands.

That was Isaiah Haywood.

And really it was all Elks there in the first half as there was a rushing touchdown that time by Bourne as he bounced off players to get into the end zone.

That was his first rushing touchdown of the ball game.

And when you look at the first half, it was 21 to 7 in the first half 21 or 21.

Nothing.

Excuse me.

And then there was the first touchdown for Dardanelle.

And they did that in the second half.

And it was 21 to 7 at that point.

They were really making things interesting.

But then here's a big run by Austin Bourne down the sideline, spits out the mouthpiece and runs off into the end zone for the touchdown.

And now let's head down to Ellis on the sidelines as she's got the state championship head coach Zach Watson this time around coach get to take home that championship trophy.

How does it feel.

It feels great.

Means a lot to our community.

It means a lot to to coaches wives that had two years of of 15 weeks, you know, and and so I'm just proud of this group.

Proud of Austin.

Austin dealt with a difficult situation this week.

Played unbelievable.

So couldn't be happier for the guys in his coaching staff.

Best coaching staff in the state.

My assistants did an awesome job getting the guys ready for this week, and I couldn't be more proud of them as well.

At a state championship with solidify this group to be the best that's ever played at Elkins.

For everything that they've accomplished throughout their careers.

Yeah no doubt.

You know three back to back to back conference championships.

Over 40 wins in three years.

It does.

It is the icing and the cherry and whatever else you want to put on top.

It's a little things.

It'll be there for a long time.

This community your administration we talked about it earlier in the week.

The support you guys have gotten at Elkins, your award them with the trophy.

Yeah.

No doubt.

You know, I've been here for years and just the support is overwhelming.

How much?

You know, with our administration, our faculty, our community, whatever, we need to be a successful program, we get.

And I couldn't be, you know, more proud of being, council.

What does it say about your guys to execute the game plan you put together to shut down Vega in this Dardanelle team tonight?

Yeah, we knew we had to get great on the ground.

Great football player.

It just goes back to Coach Burris getting a great plan together.

And then those guys, like you said going out and executing it.

You know we've been great tacklers all year long on defense.

And the defense has done a phenomenal job all year long.

So I knew late in the game, if we could get up a couple scores that we'd be okay.

That ice bath.

Oh, I feel a little chilly today.

Yeah.

Go celebrate.

Congratulations, coach, I appreciate you.

Thank you, Alyssa, and we'll be checking in with Austin Bourne the MVP of this one.

And let's head back down to Alyssa now.

All right Austin, I have to ask you, have you sat down because you're playing off in special teams defense snapping the football doing a little bit of everything?

No, ma'am.

I haven't sat down.

Congratulations on the NVP award.

When you came into this game, just what were you telling yourself ahead of tonight?

It was a game we wanted to win from last year because we came here, we got blown out by Arkadelphia, and we want to put some points up.

I know that you come in, have a special situation with you and Napier kind of trading off.

What was your role?

What were you told earlier in this week about what your role was going to be?

Come in and run the football.

What does it feel like to celebrate with this senior class and bring a championship back to Elkins?

Feels amazing.

It's first time for our seniors and that's the goal they wanted.

Congratulations.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you for listening.

He's only a junior.

Guy has him.

He's going to be back next year.

And I love the question.

What were you told coming in that he said run the ball run the football.

And that's exactly what he did tonight with 100 yards and three touchdowns.

Don't forget you can get Elkins championship gear if you visit Arkansas high school sports.com.

They will have your official state championship gear right there on the website below.

Well, West, it was a fun two weeks of football wasn't it?

Yeah.

It just hit me.

It's over.

It's over.

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, the last two weeks, it has.

It's been a lot of fun.

Some great games.

Just great performances.

You go back to the Bryant defense.

How dominant was Joe Robinson with the bullseye on their back.

Go number one all year.

And then they perform.

Get it done in the playoffs.

This game the three day game Mansfield the Wing-t in the running that they did the two a game I can't leave out Shiloh Christian yeah you know and knocking off Greenwood in the six eight game.

It's been a great season and a great two weekends.

Well we are done until March.

And that time we will bring a high school basketball state finals to you right here on Arkansas PBS.

Want to say thank you to all of our camera guys and everybody that that worked on this production for the last two weeks.

I tell you what, those are the true heroes right there, man.

They were out there braving the elements.

For the last two weekends, it's been cold, and they have gotten it done.

But I want to thank all of our camera guys, producers, everybody down the truck, and, of course, West, you and Alyssa, and then JB and Bobby.

Everybody did this broadcast.

It's been a lot of fun.

But until March, when we talked to you again for state championship basketball action for Lissa West, I'm RJ Hawk.

Your final score in this one and the four a state championship game.

It's the Elkins Elks 31, Dardanelle 14.

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

South.