The Booneville Junior High Bearcats allowed 22 yards on 23 offensive snaps Thursday night in a 28-0 win over Ozark.
The Bearcats (2-0) also recovered three fumbles, one of them for a touchdown in the shutout win.
Trevor Swaim recovered a fumble three plays into the game and the Bearcats took over at the Ozark 25-yard line.
By fourth down the offense had regressed by a yard, thanks to a penalty – the first of 10 total penalties on the night – but Ozark took a time out when they did not like the Bearcat fourth down formation.
Out of the time out Drake Brackney connected with a wide open Edwin Garcia for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Ayden Rhinehart added a 2 point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Thanks to a pair of offside penalties Ozark managed a first down on their next possession but Ascher Penny recovered a Hillbilly fumbled snap at the Ozark 35 one play later.
Rhinehart concerted a fourth down to get the ball to the Ozark 5 and Brackney (shown) would score on a third down run to make it 14-0 with 5:07 left in the first half.
The Bearcats had a chance to do more damage before the intermission after a snap problem prevented an Ozark punt and gave them the ball at the Ozark 14 but a Bearcat fumble into the end zone kept it a two score game at the half.
Taven Asbury had saved the possession by recovering a fumble a play earlier.
An uncharacteristic 8 play, 80-yard drive started the second half and gave the Bearcats a 20-0 lead.
The drive included a 33-yard run by Brackney, then 7-, an 11-yard losses to bring up a third-and-28, which Brackney converted with a 49 yard completion to Rhinehart.
Brackney (9-50 rushing, 3-4-0 87 passing) ran for his second touchdown two plays later with 3:43 to play in the third quarter. A holding penalty wiped out a 2-point conversion and a second attempt failed.
Ozark started its next possession at their 35-yard line when the kickoff went out of bounds. On successive errant snaps the Hillbillies lost 35 yards with Smithson recovering the second loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
Garcia ran for a 2-point conversion to make it 28-0.
Ozark would cross midfield in the final quarter, reaching as far as the Bearcat 40 but eventually turned the ball over on downs after a tackle for a loss by Tuff Todd and a fourth down incompletion with 3:41 to play.
They would not get the ball back as Cain Catlett converted a fourth down and the Bearcats went into victory formation.
The Bearcats will close out the nonconference portion of their season next Thursday against Paris with their first road game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
