MIDNIGHT SCRIMMAGE WIN GOES TO TEAM KIMES AND SIMPSON

The Booneville Bearcats held their first full pad, full contact practice in the early hours of Saturday continuing a Bearcat tradition.

The Bearcats had satisfied the Arkansas Activities Association rule that there be five practices consist of two days of shorts and helmets then three days of helmets and shoulder pads prior to full contact.

Unlike previous years rather than coaches scripting plays to be run by first and second team offenses against opposite opposing defenses, teams were selected via a draft.

Defensive coordinator Arron Kimes got the first pick and scarfed up senior Dax Goff.
Goff scored a pair of touchdowns, one on a long run that made it 14-0 in the second quarter, added a two-point conversion and recovered a fumble in a 20-6 win.

Rylen Ray was coach Jacob Hattabaugh’s first pick and did have several decent runs, including one on his team’s first possession that ended with a turnover on downs deep in Team Kimes/Chad Simpson territory.

“Dax and Rylen looked quicker and ran the ball well,” said head coach Doc Crowley, who was a game official. “They were the real bright spots.”

Goff’s fumble recovery set up the first score which came from sophomore fullback Hunter Warren and was followed with a Goff two-point conversion run.

While the hope was for the teams to be evenly matched, they were not as Kimes would land starting quarterback Jace Washburn with his second pick and also get center Lance Sims and was able to complete his already lethal backfield with Conner Droemer.

Hattabaugh had Matt O’Bar and Andrew Tibbits, who had a sack and a negative yardage play on Kimes’ first two play calls, but after that things looked lopsided at times.

“We knew it was probably going to be a little ugly with drafting the teams and having some mismatches was going to be obvious but it was good to see,” said Crowley. “We have a lot of questions up front and we have to get hose answered.”

While Washburn had some protection issues it was Rhett Nietert on Team Hattabaugh/Cody Harrel who was under duress well into the a.m. It wasn’t unnoticed.

“If we had a team full of Rhett Nieterts we would be alright. He’s a tough dude,” Crowley said of the sophomore.

Nietert did account for his side's lone score on a fourth and goal score on the final play of the night.

Of course the defense had something to do with the offensive line issues.

“The defenses played really well and our 11 that will be out there week 1 will be the fastest group as a whole that we’ve had on that side of the ball since 2013,” said Crowley.

There were also several fumbles, most of which were forced rather than exchange problems or simply dropped. Garrick Barr was among those who delivered ball loosening hits.

Up next the Bearcats will face little league opponents in the annual Purple-Gold game Friday evening.

That will be followed by a scrimmage against Dardanelle on August 17 but with no week zero game, the season opener will be in Ozark on September 1.