JUNIOR HIGH BEARCATS MAKE BIG PLAYS, TAKE DOWN CHARLESTON

The Booneville Junior High Bearcats made big play after big play in the fourth quarter in Charleston Thursday night and walked out of Alumni Field with a 19-12 win over the Tigers to remain unbeaten on the season.

When the final quarter began the score was 7-6 and the Bearcats (8-0, 5-0 Conference 3A-1) had the ball at the Charleston 42-yard line. But it was third-and-6.

Out of the break, Rhett Nietert made a perfect pitch to Conner Droemer in front of his sideline and Droemer took it to the end zone to make it 13-6 with 7:51 left in the game.

Droemer had 95 yards on just four carries on the night.

The Bearcats decided to go for two to try to extend the lead to two scores but Nietert was ruled short of the end zone.

The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and Charleston elected to have the Bearcats re-kick. It would work in the Tigers favor as Raygon Harger and Clayton Green made a stop on the return at the Bearcat 49.

Six plays later the Tigers were at the Bearcat 3 with a third down play coming, having used an offside penalty to move closer.

Seth Wilson and Oliver Loaeza combined for a stop and the ball came free with Conner Lentz recovering at the 1.

After a delay of game penalty that moved the Bearcats back half a yard, Hunter Warren rumbled for 11 yards but the Bearcats gave five of it back with a false start before the next snap.

Warren went 93 yards on the next play and the Bearcats were up 19-6 with 4:13 to play. A PAT try was unsuccessful.

Warren ran 19 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

Charleston needed only 1:10 to score, doing so on a 36-yard pass play, but a pass on a try for two failed keeping it 19-12 with 3:03 to go.

The kickoff rolled into the end zone and Charleston used a pair of time outs and the Bearcats were again in a third-and-6 at their 24.

Droemer again was the call. Again he converted, going 34 yards to the Tiger 42.

The Tigers stopped Warren for four yards on the resulting first down and the Tigers burned their final time out with 2:05 to go.

Warren got nine and a first down after the break to move the chains.

A couple of kneel downs by Nietert ended it, leaving the Bearcats as the only league unbeaten with two weeks to play.

Charleston had started the game by driving to the Bearcat 17 before stalling with Warren making a couple of stops in the backfield and a penalty helping force a turnover on downs.

Stymied on their first possession, the Bearcat punted and Charleston had to go just 43 yards to take a 6-0 lead on a touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the quarter.

After the ensuing kickoff there were 11 seconds on the first quarter clock.

Charleston would not get the ball back until the third quarter.

Warren got 11 yards on the final play of the opening quarter and the Bearcats induced an offside penalty for one first down, Lentz converted a third-and-14, Warren converted a fourth-and-1, and the Bearcats were eventually at the Tiger 3.

A fumble would cost the Bearcats 10 yards and move the ball back to the 13 and Warren carried on third and fourth down, scoring from the 3 on the final play of the half.

Loaeza came on to add the point after and it was 7-6.

Out of the intermission the Bearcats got a first down run from Lentz but a pair of negative yardage plays helped force a Clint Osborne punt and Charleston took over at its 32 with 3:59 left in the third quarter.

The Bearcats would force a Tiger punt then moved into Tiger territory, though a penalty wiped out part of a Droemer run.

The third quarter ended on a play that saw the ball get loose, but Nietert recover, at the Tiger 42 and Droemer started the final quarter with a touchdown run.

The Bearcats will be home next week against Lavaca .Kickoff is at 7 p.m.