Friday night’s homecoming game against DeQueen boosted the Bobcats from their first possession. After electing to receive, the boys from Hope got the ball at the 40-yard line, and immediately took it into Leopards’ territory for a first down at DeQueen’s 47-yard line. A fumble was recovered by Hope at the 50-yard line, and a follow up pass to #4, TyZhun Jones, was caught at the seven-yard line. Tamorrion Lindsey carried the ball across the goal line for the Bobcats’ first touchdown of the night. The extra point was good, putting Hope ahead 7-0 within the first three minutes of the game.
DeQueen returned the kick to the 44-yard line, were downed at the 41 putting them at second and 13, and a solid wall of Bobcat defense kept the Leopards there until the fourth down punt, which left Hope at the 17-yard line.
The Bobcats rushed for two yards, then Ammorion Dempsey rushed to the 23-yard line, leaving Hope at third and four. Quarterback Tyler Patterson was hit by the Leopards’ defense mid-pass, bringing Hope to their fourth down. The punt left DeQueen at the 43-yard line.
A rush by DeQueen’s Dylan Williamson ended with a penalty for holding on the Leopards, putting them back to the 30-yard line. The Leopards’ Donyea Whitmore was tackled at no gain, leaving DeQueen at second and 23. The Leopards’ next pass was intercepted by Donovan Jones of Hope, putting the Bobcats at first and ten at the 29-yard line.
A rush by K.D. Gulley left the Bobcats at the nine-yard line, and an offsides penalty on DeQueen left Hope at first and goal at the four-yard line. The Leopards’ defense crashed into Hope and stopped them just short of the goal line, but a quick run by Gulley secured Hope’s second touchdown of the night. The field goal went sailing through the uprights, giving Hope a 14-0 lead.
DeQueen received at the 42-yard line, where a pair of incomplete passes and a strong Bobcat defense left the Leopards punting on their fourth down. Hope took possession at the six-yard line, quickly rushing to the ten. On second down, Hope was pushed back to the six, and an interception gave the Leopards their first touchdown of the night. A field goal set the score at 14-7 with two minutes left in the first quarter.
The return landed in the endzone for a touchback, and a personal foul on the Leopards put Hope at the 40-yard line. An official time-out was called, before Hope was brought to the 35-yard line. A pass to Dempsey made it to the 41-yard line before he was downed by DeQueen, leaving Hope at third and four. A quarterback sack ended the first quarter.
The Leopards took possession at the 17-yard line and, on their first play, an official time-out was called because of a potential injury. Hope’s #19, Javarous Solomon, was knocked around a bit and taken to the sidelines, but seemed to recover quickly. At second and eight, DeQueen’s runner was tackled for a loss by Richard Ware, leaving them at the 15-yard line. Williamson rushed forward, but was stopped by Gulley at the 25-yard line. The fourth down punt went out of bound at the Bobcats’ 43-yard line.
Hope’s Dempsey was unfortunately tackled for a four-yard loss, but a rush by Lindsey got Hope to the Leopards’ 41-yard line and gave the Bobcats a first down. Lindsey rushed again, gaining just over the 30-yard line, but a dogpile from DeQueen lost the Bobcats two yards. At second and twelve, Dempsey put on his juking shoes and slid by a pair of Leopard defenders, getting taken down at the 26-yard line. At third and seven, a penalty flag on the Bobcats for delay of game put Hope back five yards. Dempsey surged forward, slamming into the DeQueen defenders at the 21-yard line, putting the Bobcats at fourth and two. Dempsey, undeterred, rushed forward again, finally being run out of bounds at the one-yard line. At first and goal, the Bobcats scrambled across the goal line for their third touchdown of the night. A loose ball and personal foul on the extra point led to Hope’s #57, Juan Ortiz, being led to the sidelines to recover.
DeQueen returned at the 36-yard line, before being brutalized by the Bobcats over the next four downs. A loss of two yards, followed by a loss of six, then ANOTHER loss left the Leopards at fourth and long. Their punt left the Bobcats at the Leopards’ 40-yard line.
A quick rush gained two yards for Hope, and a fake to Dempsey by Patterson led to the quarterback sprinting 38 yards for Hope’s next touchdown. The attempt at a two-point conversion was no good, leaving the Bobcats ahead 26-7 with 3:34 left in the half.
The Leopards received at the 30-yard line, and DeQueen’s Luke Pearce carried the next two plays, giving the Leopards a first down at the 40-yard line. Unfortunately for DeQueen, the Bobcats pushed the Leopards pack to third and fifteen. A long pass by DeQueen gained some ground, getting them to the Bobcats’ 35-yard line. Another pass got them to the 29 with just over a minute left in the half. The Bobcats brought their defensive “A-game” and held DeQueen at third and four, pushing them back and forcing a conversion on downs at fourth and 13.
The Bobcats had just 29 seconds left in the half as they took possession at the 39-yard line, and Dempsey wasted no time rushing the ball to the 50. A completed pass got Hope to the 31 with 5 seconds left, and the crowd leapt to their feet at a 31-yard pass from Patterson to Dempsey secured another touchdown for the Bobcats at the end of the first half. The extra point was good, leaving the score at 33-7 at halftime.
The Leopards received at the 29-yard line after the half, trying their best to gain ground. Hope, however, had other plans. A pair of DeQueen rushes hit a wall of Hope defense, and an incomplete pass forced the Leopards to punt, giving Hope the ball at the 47-yard line.
A pass by the Bobcats got them downfield to the 42-yard line, and Gulley broke free of DeQueen’s defense for a 42-yard touchdown run for Hope. The extra point was no good, but the Bobcats were in a good position at 39-7. The return kick was short, giving the Leopards the ball at the 49-yard line.
The Bobcats gave no ground to DeQueen, holding them until fourth and ten, forcing a punt which Hope’s Donavan Jones returned to the 45-yard line.
The Leopards piled on at the 50-yard line, and a complete pass at second and six gave the Bobcats a first and ten at the 39-yard line. Lindsey rushed for 19 yards, getting tackled at the 29-yard line. A pass to #11, Davian Durden, made it to the 12, leaving the Bobcats at second and two. Lindsey was downed at the 9, leaving Hope at first and goal until an intercepted pass gave the Leopards possession.
DeQueen through an incomplete pass, putting them at second and ten. A huge clash by the defense left the Leopards’ Whitmore with only a three-yard gain. A pass to Jonathan Bahena was complete, but Bahena was brought down by #19, Javarous Solomon. At fourth and six, the Leopards punted, giving Hope possession at the 28-yard line.
A two-yard gain brought Hope to the 30, and Gulley surged forward, gaining the 49-yard line, giving the Bobcats first and ten. Unfortunately, Gulley was briefly sidelined with an injury. A pass to Dempsey left Hope at the 32, and a rush by Lindsey gained them second and six at the 29. Lindsey rushed again, but was downed at the 26 for third and four. The next drive left Hope and fourth and two, and a pass attempt resulted in a sack, turning possession over to DeQueen.
A five-yard penalty on the Bobcats gave the Leopards first and five, and a good pass sent DeQueen downfield to the 44-yard line. A run for the 22-yard line gave them another first down, and a tackle just over the 20 left them at second and seven. An incomplete pass with 45 seconds left led to a quarterback sneak, with the run stopped at the seven-yard line. At first and goal, Hope piled on DeQueen, leaving them at second and 12 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started poorly for DeQueen. At second and twelve, they ran the ball as far as the five-yard line. They pushed for another yard, leaving them at fourth and goal, but were dragged down at the three-yard line, just short of the goal. Juan Ortiz was sidelined again for an injury, but proved able to rally.
Hope took possession at the three-yard line, leaving them with an entire field to cover. A short rush gained the Bobcats three yards, leaving them at second and seven. However, Dempsey decided that that wasn’t good enough and exploded through the Leopards’ stunned defensive line, sprinting ALL THE WAY down the field for a 94-yard touchdown! Ortiz put the ball through the uprights, giving the Hope Bobcats a 46-7 lead.
The Leopards received the kick at the 43-yard line and did their best to gain ground after Dempsey’s Charge. Their offense ground forward, gaining a few yards at a time until they were downed at the 17-yard line. DeQueen’s Whitmore went down on the next play, and a facemask penalty against Hope left the Leopards at first and goal at the two-yard line. Pushing hard against the Bobcats’ defense, DeQueen scored their second touchdown of the night with 3:25 left in the game.
The kick landed in the endzone, giving the Bobcats their last possession of the night at the 20-yard line. They rushed for two yards and, at second and eight, were downed again with 33 seconds left. That ended the game for a 46-14 Bobcat victory!
The 2021 Hope Bobcats will return to the gridiron next week when they play an away game against Hot Springs.
