JUNIOR BEARCATS, SIMPSON WIN FIRST

The Booneville Junior High Bearcats outlasted the heat and Perryville in a 26-14 season opening win in Perryville Thursday night.

The game was delayed until 8 p.m. in an effort to avoid extreme heat that has gripped most of the state this week, and there were no serious issues over the course of an hour and a half necessary for a junior high game.

Scoring on both first half possessions with runs from outside the red zone, the Bearcats (1-0) made Chad Simpson a winner in his debut as the head coach.

The first drive of the season for the Bearcats covered 12 plays after the Bearcats held on downs at their 23-yard line.

Brody Chambers (shown taking a handoff) logged the first three carries of the drive for 14 yards. It was the first of four first downs Chambers ran for, including a second half touchdown.

The freshman fullback ran 16 times for 88 yards to lead the Bearcats during their 307-yard offensive night.

Chambers converted a fourth-and-3 into a first down on the final play of the first quarter to move the ball to the Mustang 37.

Two plays into the second quarter Callen Montalvo’s first carry of the season went 29 yards for a touchdown and, despite a delay of game flag, Hayden Daniel added a two-point conversion from the 8 to make it 8-0.

After benefitting from a third down pass interference penalty the Mustangs got a 15-yard touchdown run to cut it to 8-6 but an attempt to tie it with a pass failed.

The Bearcats had 3:45 with which to work after the touchdown and would go 68 yards in eight plays to make it 16-6.

Simpson got a time out with :01 left in the half and Daniel took the final play of the half to the left and broke back to the right, shifted back and forth again, and went 30 yards for a touchdown. Chambers added the extra two for a 10-point lead.

Daniel finished the night with 56 yards on seven carries.

The Bearcats had an opportunity to extend the lead early in the third quarter after Tayden Washburn hooked up with Caiden Poore for 45 yards – the two combined for 54 yards on two passes – but the Bearcats would turn the ball over on downs at the Mustang 11.

Perryville got an 89-yard touchdown pass on the next play, but again failed on a try for two to keep it 16-12.

Two plays later a Bearcat fumble gave Perryville momentum but Braxton Hubble and Laython Shaffer combined for a negative yardage play, Washburn made a tackle after a 4-yard completion, and an incompletion forced a punt.

Devon Ritchie returned the punt 4 yards and the Bearcats would drive 58 yards to extend the lead. Chambers had a 25-yard run to get the ball to the Mustang 26 and later scored from the 4 with 6:43 remaining in the game.

Sadler Miller, who spelled Chambers at fullback and ran for 42 yards on eight carries, ran for the two-point conversion and a 24-12 lead.

On the ensuing possession the Mustangs were flagged for an illegal forward pass to bring up a third-and-20 from their 10, and, with Hubble and Matt Barber bearing down on him the Mustang quarterback threw the ball into the ground for an intentional grounding flag and a safety to make it 26-12.

After the free kick the Bearcats kept the ball the remaining 5:45 in the game.