LINE, FULLBACK MAKE SECOND HALF STATEMENT

The game plan for the Booneville Bearcats in the second half at Melbourne Friday night was simply to control the clock.

The way to do that was, largely, continuous pounding by the Bearcat offensive line of Lance Sims, Matt O'Bar, Johnny Barnes, Brett Wellig, Cam Osborne, and Clayton Wingfield, paving the way for fullback Cody Elliott.

Elliott carried the football 25 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to lead the Bearcats (12-2) to a 41-36 win over previously unbeaten Melbourne (13-1).

That gave the senior 37 carries for 187 yards and a school playoff record five touchdowns on the night.

Having won the opening coin toss deferred their option until the second half the Bearcats took the ball to start the third quarter.

With Elliott carrying 10 times of a 14-play drive the Bearcats used 7:06 and took their first lead of the night, 27-24, on a 2-yard scoring run.

Melbourne blocked the point after attempt.

Four plays later the Bearcats had the ball back at the Melbourne 31.

The initial Bearkat possession of the half included a pass breakup by Dax Goff, an 8-yard pass, David Hicks tracking down the Bearkat quarterback for no gain, and a fourth down pass breakup by Jace Washburn.

Hicks was particularly disruptive from the defensive line with two solo tackles and four assists, including 2.5 sacks.

The Bearcats took full advantage of the short field. Five plays later — all carries by Elliott — it was 34-24. Elliott scored on a run of 6 yards with 1:28 left in the third quarter and Marcos Mullor added the PAT.

The Bearcat defense seemingly forced the Bearcatz into another fourth down decision after Dunn Daniel and Hicks combined for a 2-yard tackle for a loss and Daniel recorded a sack, but a third down incompletion was negated by a roughing the passer flag — the only second half penalty for the Bearcats.

Melbourne used the reprieve to complete a scoring drive with a 16-yard pass but, after a false start the PAT was wide to keep it 34-30.

An onside kick try ended up out of bounds and the Bearcats had the ball at their 45 with 9:45 to play.

Elliott carried four straight downs to move the ball to the Melbourne 40 then Goff turned a possible disaster of an errant pitch into a 17-yard gain.

Elliott took the next four carries and the Bearcats were at the Bearkat 8. Goff got 7 and Elliott finished the drive with his fifth touchdown to make it 41-30 with 3:30 left.

It would be a long three and a half minutes.

Starting from their 20 the Bearcatz overcame a holding penalty and a 12-yard sack by Hicks and scored on a 20-yard pass with 1:05 still on the clock.

Melbourne came up with the recovery of an onside kick and managed six plays, including a sack by Hunter Warren, before surrendering the ball on downs with 16 second left.

Even that took three plays as the Bearcatz used two remaining time outs to prolong the inevitable.

The Bearcats had had five first half possessions in what started out as more of a track meet.

Melbourne scored on a 14-yard pass at the 9:30 mark of the opening quarter but the Bearcats answered in four plays.

After a flag wiped out a scoring run by Goff, Trace Hall went 42 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 7-7.

With 5:37 to go in the quarter Melbourne went back in front 14-7 on a pass play covering 42 yards.

HalL went 42 yards two plays later but Elliott got the touchdown from the 1 to tie it at 14 with only 7:43 gone from the clock.

Hall ran for 96 yards on nine carries on the night,

Melbourne would score again before the quarter ended, going back on top 21-14 on a 13-yard run.

The third Bearcat possession stalled and resulted in a turnover on downs at the Bearkat 13.

Then the Bearcat defense allowed one first down but then forced the only punt of the game.

After Goff rumbled for 40 yards to flip the field, the Bearcats, in a foreshadowing of the second half, turned to Elliott on five straight plays and tied it again at 21-21 on a 2-yard run by Elliott.

Goff kind of quietly ran for 162 yards on just 11 carries.

Daniel picked off a pass to end the next Bearkat drive but a personal foul erased most of a 20-yard gain by Elliott and a Bearcat fumble gave the home team the ball back with 56 seconds to go in the half.

Even with a Daniel/Hicks sack and a holding call ,that was be enough time for eight plays with a 31-yard field goal making it 24-21 at halftime.

The Bearcats move on to the state championship game against Charleston at 6:30 Saturday at War Memorial Stadium. Charleston (13-1) beat Rison 27-0 Friday.