By DAVID PIERCE
Sports Connection Team
OSCEOLA – The Osceola Seminoles likely couldn’t have played a better first half Friday in the homecoming matchup with visiting Walnut Ridge.
The ‘Noles (3-1, 2-0 3A-3) scored on each of their four possessions, blanked the Bobcats, picked off two passes and forced two turnovers on downs to lead 26-0 at the break.
But in the words of first-year Osceola head coach Robert Hooks in his postgame speech to his team, “it ain’t how you start. It’s how you finish.
“Finish, finish,” he exclaimed. “That’s what champions do!”
Despite a lackluster second half, OHS did finish off the preseason 3A-3 Conference favorite Bobcats, 26-14.
“The game reflected our practice this week,” explained Hooks. “We practiced really well the first half of the week, but instead of locking in the last couple days, we lost focus.
“That’s not on the players. That’s me; that’s coaching,” he added. “We’re gonna get them refocused, make the corrections and see that it doesn’t happen again.”
Osceola blazed a trail in the first half, forcing a three-and-out on Walnut Ridge’s first possession of the game.
After a personal foul – one of 12 Osceola penalties in the game - the Seminoles started at their own 16-yard line.
Even with the poor field position, the host team marched the 84 yards in six plays. After a pair of Tyler Bell runs and a couple of pass completions, Jeremiah Jacobs capped the drive with a 27-yard touchdown. Jeremiah McGowan booted the extra point for the 7-0 lead five minutes into the game.
Jacobs picked off a pass from Walnut Ridge quarterback Jersie Cunningham on a 3rd-and-6 play at the Bobcat 24-yard-line.
“Yeah, the turnovers,” agreed Bobcat head coach Jeff Blake commenting on the first half miscues which led to points for the host team. “They came out ready to play and we didn’t.
“(Osceola) is a heckuva football team,” he continued. “When you play a team like that, especially the big four in our conference, you have to be ready. We weren’t.”
And it took Bell just one play to extend the lead to 13 points with a 24-yard run off the left side. Again, McGowan was true on the point after for a 14-0 Seminole lead with 5:18 to go in the first period.
The Bobcats chewed nearly seven minutes off the clock across two quarters on its next possession. But facing a 3rd-and-5 from the Seminole 27-yard line, the team was whistled for a delay of game. Cunningham then picked up four yards on the next play, but on 4th-and-6 Enrique Rodriguez was stopped for a one-yard gain by Seminole junior linebacker Demarius Hackett.
The Seminoles kept their scoring streak alive despite a 2nd-and-23 play which backed them up to their own 25-yard line.
Bell was undeterred tossing a strike to a wide open M.J. Washington who outran everyone to the end zone. The extra point was no good but still the Noles held a 20-0 advantage.
“You really couldn’t ask for a better start,” said Hooks, “especially against a team like (Walnut Ridge). Everything was going our way.”
On the ensuing possession, Walnut Ridge drove to Osceola territory again but was stopped on downs for a second time at the Seminole 26-yard line.
And for the fourth time in a row, OHS took the ball and scored. The hosts drove 74 yards in nine plays and capped the possession with a Bell to Washington 15-yard touchdown pass.
“We have to compete for the football,” explained Blake. “There’s a couple of pass plays there if we compete for the football, maybe we can knock them down, something. In order to win, especially in this league, you have to come ready to compete every Friday.”
The Bobcats then drove 34 yards to the Seminole 36-yard line but the drive stalled when Aiden Haymon picked off Cunningham near the end zone. The Seminoles held the 26-0 advantage at the break.
“The message was ‘we need to start fast’,” said Hooks of the second half strategy. “We can’t come out slow again. Let’s go score, get a stop on defense and score again to get that clock running.”
The Seminoles opened the second half with a 32-yard drive but four straight incompletions halted the possession at the Walnut Ridge 33-yard line.
“Everything we wanted was there,” offered the Noles head coach of the need to go score early in the second half, “but we missed a couple throws early, then penalties, fatigue. Everything kinda snowballed on us.”
Even with the stop, Walnut Ridge (4-1, 1-1) couldn’t take advantage. A third Cunningham pass was intercepted by Osceola’s Johnny Spears at the Seminole 26-yard line.
Again, Osceola marched into Bobcat territory but after a 73-yard run by Bell put the ball inside the Walnut Ridge five-yard line, a holding penalty backed the Noles up.
McGowan attempted a 23-yard field goal but the kick sailed wide left.
A turnover on a punt return led to Bobcats first score.
During the fielding of a Walnut Ridge punt, the official blew his whistle but also tossed his bean bag signaling a fumble which Walnut Ridge had picked up. Following a brief conversation, the referee reported that it was indeed a fumble with Walnut Ridge recovering.
The Bobcats turned that into six points when Cunningham found sophomore tight end Trevor Augustine for an 11-yard touchdown. OHS stuffed the two-point run but the Bobcats were on the board and trailed 26-6 with one second left in the third quarter.
A penalty wiped out a Jacobs touchdown on the Seminoles next possession and on the next play Osceola turned the ball over again.
And for the second straight time Walnut Ridge converted it to points. Rodriquez punched the ball in from 10 yards out to close the gap and followed with a successful two-point run.
With 8:35 remaining in the game, the visitors trailed 26-14.
Osceola quickly went three-and-out before the Bobcats went into their hurry up offense.
It momentarily proved successful but facing a 4th-and-1 from the Seminole 34-yard line, the Bobcats were stopped for no gain.
Osceola was able to milk about three minutes off the clock to put the game away.
Bell was dynamic passing and rushing totaling 336 yards combined along with three touchdowns. Washington tallied 90 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions before he was ejected in the third quarter for his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Jacobs had 44 yards rushing and 29 receiving. Chris Wilkins also had four catches for 48 yards.
All in all, Osceola posted 413 yards of total offense.
Cunningham rushed 30 times for 133 yards, while Rodriquez totaled 65 on 20 totes. The Seminole defense held Walnut Ridge to 264 yards - its lowest offensive output of the season.
“Overall, I’m pleased that we were able to finish,” answered Hooks summing up the team’s performance. “We got an opportunity to see how the kids respond when tested.”
Osceola hosts Newport, which lost to Rivercrest last week, Friday, while Walnut Ridge faces Piggott.
Game time for both is 7 p.m.