Mountain Home downs West Memphis

Mountain Home downs West Memphis

Bombers pick up first win over Blue Devils since 2006

WM School District MOUNTAIN HOME –The triple option is making somewhat of a comeback on the high school and college levels, and its effects can be far ranging.

Under third-year head coach David Joyce, Mountain Home has reinstalled the option, and the Bombers have succeeded in shortening games and keeping their defense off the field and fresh.

With junior quarterback Isaac McKay running the show, the Bomber offense kept the West Memphis Blue Devil offense off the field for much of the night, limiting it to only six possessions for the entire game here Friday night.

And McKay was a deft ball-handler and defense reader, scoring two touchdowns to lead the hosts to a 14-7 win over the Blue Devils.

In terms of state playoff seedings, the game had zero effect. Even before the contest, the Blue Devils (6-4 overall, 4-3 in the 6A-East Conference) had the league's third seed clinched. Marion gets the fourth seed and Mountain Home will get the five seed among the teams tying for third place in the East.

The Blue Devils will play Texarkana, a 23-13 loser last Friday night to El Dorado, this Friday at Hamilton-Shultz Field in a first-round playoff game.

Texarkana is the No. 6 seed from the West.

Even though the game had little significance, the loss at Mountain Home didn't sit well with West Memphis head coach Billy Elmore.

'Our question going into next week is…what are we going to get?' Elmore said. 'Are we going to be ready? Are we going to execute? A lot of times in the playoffs it's the teams that want to keep playing that advance. Right now I think we've got some serious questions to answer amongst ourselves.'

The Blue Devils had three possessions in each half, and after the first two quarters West Memphis had more total yards than did the Bombers (4-6, 4-3).

West Memphis rushed for 124 yards in the first half to Mountain Home's 134, but the Blue Devils threw for 27 yards and Mountain Home failed to connect on its only pass of the half.

The difference?

After the Blue Devils moved the ball on the game's first series to the Bomber 25, but turned it over on downs. The hosts proceeded to eat up 9 minutes of clock in going the 75 yards for a McKay touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

'Our worst nightmare came true,' Elmore said.

'This was the scenario we were wary of. We only had (3) possessions in the second half and you add penalties and the fact we didn't play very well…that's what can happen when you play someone like (Mountain Home).'

The Blue Devils scored on their fifth possession of the night when senior Devonte Dean ran 19 yards for a touchdown with 8:42 to play in the fourth quarter.

Denver Burton's PAT clipped the left upright and caromed through the posts to tie the game 7-7.

McKay, however, took his troops 69 yards in nine plays for a touchdown, eating almost 5 minutes off the clock.

Another theme of the night continued for West Memphis on its final try of the night.

The visitors had two touchdowns and another long punt return called back because of penalties, including Rayshaad Hall's 43-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Hall had a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown called back earlier for a block in the back. In the first half, junior Quincy Marshall had an 18-yard touchdown called back on offsetting penalties.

The Blue Devils' final possession of the night ended at the Bomber 48.

'I think our guys won't be happy when they see their performance on film,' Elmore added. 'But give credit to Mountain Home.

They played well enough to win, and they're in the perfect (offensive) system for what they do.'

By Billy Woods