SPORTS: Wolves stay unbeaten, get extra week to recover
PEARCY — Less than 24 hours after picking up its fourth win of the season, a 28-14 conference victory over Mountain Home, Lake Hamilton found out that it will be getting an extra week of rest.
Scheduled to play Little Rock Parkview in their second 6A-West opponent of the season, the Wolves (4-0, 1-0) will take time to let their offensive linemen recover after the Patriots announced Saturday morning that they would be canceling Thursday’s matchup due to COVID-19.
Parkview head coach Brad Bolding told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Saturday that the team currently has three players who have tested positive for COVID-19, including two more who came back positive after the school went through contact tracing this week. Several teachers and students at the school, which will be moving to remote instruction this week, have also tested positive.
The Patriots had to cancel Friday’s conference opener against Greenwood due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The only good thing about it is we’re pretty beat up,” Lake Hamilton head coach Tommy Gilleran said Saturday. “We’ll actually have a chance to recover. The offensive line is kind of beat up. I think everywhere else we’re pretty good, but our offensive line is pretty beat up. If we take this week off, we’ll get most of our kids back the week of Russellville.
“We’d like to play a game, just for the kids, but we’re going to be playing some other kids out there than those offensive linemen that are hurt, so we’re probably just going to not play a game this week and get healthy and get ready for a push into the playoffs, into the last part of the district and hopefully playoffs.”
With its fourth iteration of an offensive line this season, the Wolves got off to a strong start, driving down the field 61 yards on seven plays before losing a fumble inside the 5 yard line on the opening drive of the game. The team held the Bombers (2-2, 0-1) to just two yards, forcing a punt, and following an offsides penalty against Mountain Home, junior running back Owen Miller broke free for a 48-yard trot to the end zone with 7:29 left in the first quarter.
“We’ve had a different offensive line every week,” Gilleran said. “We moved (sophomore Chase) Jessup back to tackle because he hurt his foot, put (junior Bradley) Reiman at guard — he was playing weak side tackle. Only person who’s played the same spot has been (senior Luke) Dodd. Dodd’s playing weak side guard. (Senior Jeffrey)
Cable’s played center and tackle.”
Mountain Home fumbled on their first play after the kick with sophomore Zach Roberts recovering, setting up a 53-yard drive to the end zone and a 14-0 lead.
After struggling to contain the Wolves’ high-octane offense in the first 6:53 of the game, the Bombers’ defense finally found its footing, forcing a fumble to end a drive and then back-toback three-and-outs to keep the Wolves out of the end zone the rest of the half.
“It just took us a little bit settle in,” said firstyear Bombers head coach Steve Ary. “I’ll be honest with you. It seems like that happens to us every Friday. It takes us a couple series to kind of settle in, and then we start playing. We’re going to have to learn to get off the bus and play from the very first snap.”
The Bombers offense took a bit longer to get off the bus, garnering just 27 yards on their first four drives. Senior quarterback Bryce McKay and senior running back Gage Hershberger got the offense rolling on the team’ first drive of the second quarter, moving the ball 40 yards on seven plays for their first touchdown of the night.
Their second drive of the quarter was just as successful, moving the ball 71 yards in 12 plays to knot the score with 2:52 left in the half.
The Bombers could not replicate their second-quarter success in the second half, however.
“We got hold of a good team again tonight,” Ary said. “They’re physical, well-coached, and they schemed us up really good. We’re averaging 35 a night, and we got held to 14. So, I thought they really schemed us up good. We knew when we got off the bus we was getting into a physical game. You see that on tape, and film don’t lie. Anyway, we got what we thought we was going to get, a good football team.”
The Wolves tweaked their offense during halftime, coming out with a different look that left the Bombers defense struggling to find its footing again.
Gilleran was disappointed with the team putting the ball on the ground three times, losing two of their fumbles.
“We fumbled too much,” he said. “We go down and score, and it’s 14-0. We’re going down to score again, and we mess up again. I can’t figure this group out, man.”
The Wolves defense was led by senior Izaiah Clenney with 17 tackles and two sacks, and sophomore Justin Crutchmer with 12. Mountain Home senior Brock Bogy had 13 tackles.
Mountain Home will host Greenwood (3-0, 0-0), who will be facing its first 6A-West opponent of the season Friday. The Wolves, with the bye after the no contest against Parkview, will travel to Russellville on Oct. 9