GENTRY -- Eleven Pioneer seniors made their final appearance under the Friday night lights at Pioneer Stadium in Gentry during the senior night shootout with the long-time rival Gravette Lions. For Pioneer fans, the night was a dream come true; for Lion fans, the night turned ugly as Gentry claimed the victory by 30 points.
Senior football players Brandon Atwood, Mateo Cain, Beau Tomblin, Blake Wilkinson, Charlie Reams, Ross Wilmoth, Jose Barrios, Brett Hester, Kyle Dilbeck, Kerlose Ruzek and Azariah Wood, accompanied by parents, other family members or friends paraded across the track in front of the home bleachers one final time. After a short ceremony and lots of photographs, the 11 seniors rejoined their teammates in the practice building for the 2019 Gentry football team's final grand entrance into Pioneer Stadium.
The Lions took the opening kickoff deep inside their own territory. A strong Pioneer defense kept the Lions opening drive at bay, allowing Gentry to take over the ball in Lion territory. On the second play of the Pioneer drive, quarterback Brandon Atwood completed a 14-yard pass to Zach Jarnagan in the end zone for the first touchdown of the contest. A quarterback keeper by Atwood completed a two-point conversion, giving the Pioneers an early 8-0 lead.
Jarnagan intercepted a pass from Lion quarterback Cy Hilger, leading to the second touchdown run by Atwood. Running back Brennan Crosby completed the conversion, and suddenly the Pioneers were up by 16 with less than half of the first quarter remaining.
On its next possession, Gravette's running back Chase Austin scrambled 49 yards for the Lion's first trip into the end zone, but a face-mask penalty against the Lions negated the run, sending Gravette deep into its own territory.
A little later in the quarter, a 40-yard touchdown run by Gentry's Mateo Cain closed out the first quarter with the Pioneers firmly in control of the contest, up by 22.
Gravette came within 10 yards of the goal line on two separate occasions in the second quarter, but a strong Gentry goal-line defense stopped the Lions short on both. A touchdown run by Beau Tomblin and a successful conversion by Atwood ended the first half with the Pioneers up by 30.
The Pioneers scored one final time in the third quarter on a successful touchdown run and a point after by Atwood, extending Gentry's lead to 37.
A touchdown run by Lion Samuel Milsap halfway through the final quarter of the contest robbed the Pioneers of a shutout. Rens Koopman hit the point after for a total of seven points, cutting the Pioneers lead back to 30. When the seconds ticked off of the scoreboard, the celebration began for the Gentry Pioneers as the team defeated the Gravette Lions, 37-7.
Both teams are headed to the playoffs Nov. 15 with the Gentry Pioneers playing in the first round of quadrant three against the Central Arkansas Christian Mustangs in a 7 p.m. contest at North Little Rock. The Gravette Lions face Pocahontas in Pocahontas for the first round of quadrant two, also on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
Sports on 11/13/2019