PLAYOFF STORY HAS NEW TWISTS

A lot of things remained the same Friday night. Some things, however, were radically different.

The Booneville Bearcats advanced past the first round of a playoff bracket for the 35th time — 31-11 in first round games and four byes — with a 42-14 win over Junction City.

In the process there were, at multiple times, contributions made by freshmen to do so.

The offensive eruption was also a departure from the only other meeting between the two schools, the 1986 6-0 classic.

Unchanged, at least from last week, was there was rain, albeit a cold November one that later in the game was mixed with winter precipitation rather than lightning and tornado opportunities.

Also true to form was a Bearcat ground attack that saw 424 first half rushing yards and a sportsmanship level 42-7 lead.

Trace Hall needed just 11 yards to pass the 1,000-yard mark. He ran for 186 yards on just six carries and scored twice. Dax Goff ran for 120 on nine with one a touchdown and Cody Elliott totaled 78 yards and two scores on eight carries.

The Dragons got a 30-yard run on the game’s opening possession but eventually punted and the Bearcats started 90 yards away from their first points.

Junction contributed five yards for jumping offside, 15 for playing with 12 men, and 15 more for dragging Goff down by his facemask before the Bearcats gave five back for a false start.

Goff then went 38 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 with 7:16 left in the first quarter. Marcos Mullor added the point after.

There was a sideline interference flag on the touchdown and Junction would eventually draw 13 penalties for 105 yards by halftime. The Bearcats also had nine in the half.

Junction City answered in two plays, scoring on a 77-yard pass play to tie it at 7-7 just 34 seconds later.

Just 21 seconds later Hall rumbled 47 yards for a touchdown and it was 14-7.

After forcing a Dragon punt the Bearcats went up 20-7 on a 3-yard Elliott run. The fullback carried four times on the 70-yard drive that included a 44-yard run by Goff.

Junction City blocked the PAT but that was after two unsportsmanlike conduct flags.

Starting from their 31 after another of the six Dragon punts the Bearcats scored in just two plays but an illegal block negated rage score and cut Hall’s run to 33 yards.

Elliott scored from 43 yards out the next play and Hall got the two-point conversion for a 28–7 lead with 9:50 left in the first half.

The Dragons reached the Bearcat 8-yard line on the ensuing possession but a sack by Chase Plymale and another by Dunn Daniel with Goff causing a fumble that David Hicks recovered ended the threat.

Junction City got another possession in plus territory because the Bearcats were backed up by a holding call and Peyton Tatum was sacked to force the only Bearcat punt of the game.

Plymale then made tackles on consecutive plays — he led the way with eight total stops — and Jace Washburn picked off a pass at the Bearcat 1 and returned it to the 20.

Hall went 80 yards on the next play and it was 35-7 with 3:40 left in the half.

Freshman Seth Wilson then made his senior high debut at linebacker, joining classmate Hunter Warren who moved up in week eight. Wilson made stops on two straight tackles.

After Wilson ran the Dragon quarterback out of bounds at his 6, Junction City punted and the Bearcats needed to go just 42 yards to get to a 35-point lead.

They did so in three plays with Tatum (shown) scoring from the 19 with 1:05 left in the half.

Out of the intermission the teams traded punts — a Demari Pool sack induced the Dragon punt — and freshman Rhett Nietert took over at quarterback.

Garrick Barr carried for one first down but the Bearcats were unable to overcome a penalty and punted again.

Trevor Karow made a 9-yard tackle for loss to help the Bearcats get the ball back but a fumble gave it back the Dragons with under eight minutes to play.

Junction City scored six plays later to make it 42-14.

The win moves the Bearcats into the second round against 7-4 Smackover. The Buckaroos, the two-seed from the 3A-5, beat Barton 46-28 Friday to advance and are home by being on the top portion of the bracket pairing.