Cougars downed by Bobcats

The Cougars ran into a hungry Bobcat squad Friday night in Walnut Ridge, falling to their hosts, 44-14. The win was critical for Walnut Ridge, who solidified their inclusion in the 2A state playoffs.

Rector struck first on the night, forcing the Bobcats to punt on the game's opening drive. The Cougars were able to move the ball on the ground early, with senior Clinton Haley adding an exclamation point to the exciting start by plowing past the pylons on a seven yard touchdown carry with 3:32 left in the opening frame. Rector claimed a 6-0 advantage after the try for two was denied.

The hosts responded quickly. The Bobcats' Preston Matthews torched the Cougar defense with a 65 yard touchdown run with 2:09 left in the half. The successful two-point conversion saw Rector fall behind, 8-6.

Walnut Ridge turned up the heat in the second quarter, scoring twice in the period. The big play continued to hurt the Cougars in the second, as Walnut Ridge was able to avoid giving the ball up after being forced into five third down situations. The hosts scored again with just under eight minutes to go in the first half on another carry by Matthews. Following the two-point conversion, Rector trailed by 10, 16-6.

The Bobcats went up 24-6 with two and half minutes left before intermission on a short carry.

Walnut Ridge quarterback Luke Holloway connected on a 62-yard touchdown pass to receiver Derek Medlock with just over a minute left in the third. With the PAT, the hosts took a 31-6 lead.

Rector scored on the ensuing kickoff, as Haley plowed over any defenders he didn't dodge on his way to the 60 yard touchdown. The senior's number was called again on the try for two, cutting it to a 31-14 Bobcat advantage.

Walnut Ridge a touchdown on the ground in the final moments of the third and a 98 yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth to set the final in place.

Throughout the night, the Bobcat offense appeared on the verge of being stalled by the Rector defense, only to come up with big chunks of yardage to keep their drives going.

"We had some defensive breakdowns that hurt us," Cougar head coach Bob Alberson said. "They were able to make plays when they needed to and it came back on us."

By the same token, Rector suffered through a few key miscues offensively. The Cougars turned the ball over three times on the night, two of which set up Bobcat touchdowns.

"The bottom line is that we didn't execute well enough," Alberson said. "We had to play a near-perfect game to win, and we didn't"

Haley had a strong game offensively for Rector. He finished with 213 yards of total offense, including 121 yards rushing and accounted for both Cougar touchdowns.

The Cougars will play their final home game of the season this week, as they host the Marked Tree Indians Friday night. The evening will include Senior Night festivities, with the senior members of the football team, cheerleaders and marching band honored prior to the game. The festivities begin at 7 p.m. with the game immediately following.