Corey Armstrong of the Bobcats at left runs back an interception he caught in the first half of tonight's game against the Ashdown Panthers. He'd be tacked at the 11 yard line.
The nice running game that helped propel the Hope Bobcats to 42 points last week against Nashville in a losing cause was lacking against Ashdown but the Bobcats (0-2) defense showed some signs at times, often preventing Ashdown (2-0) from getting long passing plays in the Bobcats 41-7 loss tonight in Hammons Stadium.
It was a tale tonight of opportunities not seized for the Bobcats offense in the first half, then Ashdown literally running away with the game in the second half as the Bobcats offense stalled or turned the ball over on drive after drive.
In the first half, both teams started with fruitless drives. Ashdown took possession first from their own 28 yard line, and ended up punting to Hope, who started on their own 35 but ended up punting themselves with Ashdown starting again on their own 41.
This drive would be ill-fated as well, with the Bobcats’ senior defensive lineman Corey Armstrong batting in the air, then intercepting a pass from Ashdown’s senior quarterback Jonathan McElroy and returning it about 30 yards to give the Bobcats favorable field position at Ashdown’s 40.
The Bobcats could not capitalize though, managing on a series of running plays to get the ball as close as the 11 yard line but, not getting anywhere on a quarterback keeper for junior Tyler Patterson on fourth-and-ten, the Bobcats turned it over on downs.
The Ashdown Panthers, though starting off with a McElroy run to their own 30 yard line, ended up stalling on the Bobcats 39 and would opt to punt again. This time the Bobcats, starting from their own 20, did mount a drive with a short pass for five to Triston Young and a 12-yard run by Tamorrion Lindsey that was helped along by an unsportsmanlike ten-yard penalty by Ashdown.
On a third-and-seven play, sophomore Jamarion Monk threw a pass to junior Isaac Love that went for a 20-yard touchdown. The point after was good. But Hope had scored for the last time in the game with five minutes left in the first half
Hope’s lead would be trimmed to one after an Ashdown march from their own 31 which used their 6’6” tight-end/wide receiver Shamar Easter and their senior running back Jayden Fricks, who got the two-yard touchdown run. A bobbled snap prevented an extra point and the score stood 7-6 with a little under eight minutes left in the half.
On the third play of the drive, Ashdown intercepted a long pass thrown into triple coverage but intended for the Bobcats’ senior receiver Kelston Mask. Big gains from Ashdown’s Easter and Fricks, then a Nick Bell pass to a receiver for a touchdown gave Ashdown the lead it would keep. A successful two-point conversion made it 14-7 with five minutes to go in the half.
The Bobcats next possession stalled at their own 39. From their own 26, the Panthers used Easter for another long run, this time on an end around that got them to the Bobcats’ ten. Then Fritz ran for a score, lifting Ashdown to 20-7. The extra point appeared to be going wide right, but finally settled between the uprights as good. It was 21-7 with 2:26 left in the first half.
The Bobcats next drive got them to the Panthers 29 from a long completion to Mast, then some tough running by Lindsey. But a pass attempt to Young was intercepted in the endzone. Ashdown got the ball with about 40 second left only to have their drive thwarted by an interception by junior Donavan Jones at the Bobcats 31 as the half ended with a 21-7 Ashdown score.
The second half was a running exhibition by Ashdown, with Jayden Fricks and Shamar Easter picking up many yards. Fricks started Ashdown’s scoring in the half with a touchdown run. Then, after a Bobcats fumble gave the ball back to Ashdown one play after a kickoff, Shamar Easter finished the short drive with a touchdown run to make the score 34-7. Extra point success made it 35-7 with 3:45 left in the third quarter.
The Bobcats got as close to Ashdown’s endzone as the one-yard line in the next drive, but turned it over on downs.
The last score was on another tight-end reverse for Ashdown, this one rushing, making the final 41-7.
After the game Bobcats Coach Phil Turner praised his team for continuing to play hard, but acknowledged the Bobcats lack of depth was a disadvantage against the much more numerous Ashdown team. “We have seven or eight kids going both ways. And we haven't found any other kids to step up to build that depth yet. So that's one thing that me and the coaching staff and these kids need to work on. We’ve got to get some of these other kids ready to play. We need them.”
He did say the secondary had done a good job cutting down the number of big passing plays given up. “We took on the challenge of playing against their big athletic receivers,” he said.
But he also pointed to signs of lack of commitment among his players. Seventeen missed the Labor Day practice, he said, adding “We got beat on Monday.”
Turner confirmed that KD Gulley, the team’s middle linebacker had sprained his ankle but was able to put his weight on it afterward. “We’re going to give him treatment tonight before he goes home, have him come back Sunday for treatment and try to have him ready to make progress.”