Zebras earn first win of the season

JACKSONVILLE — Three scoreless quarters in, Pine Bluff High School was due for a breakthrough when Jacksonville missed a couple of opportunities.

Davonte Wallace threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Quinton Roy, and Kayvon Stringer returned an interception 75 yards for another score as Pine Bluff earned its first win of the season, 15-0, Friday at Titan Stadium.

“This reminds me of that first year’s team,” third-year Zebras Coach Micheal Williams said. “These guys just need to know how to win. So, now that we got this win under our belt, hopefully it will help break the curse.”

Pine Bluff (1-3, 1-0 in 5A-Central), which had scored one touchdown in its first three games combined, fought a scoreless tilt for the first 36 minutes, held out of the red zone on all but the first drive in its first true road game of the season. (The Zebras played a neutral-site game in DeSoto, Texas, and two home games before Friday.)

A 19-yard punt return by Stringer set up the Zebras’ only offensive scoring drive at the Titans’ 30. A pass interference call against the Titans moved the ball to their 20, and Pine Bluff scored two plays later when Wallace fired to Roy with 8:53 remaining. M.D. Rahat converted the extra point.

“We just had to stop making mistakes,” Williams said, as Pine Bluff had to overcome 2 lost fumbles and 9 penalties for 71 yards. “We were making mistake after mistake after mistake. We finally put together two plays in a row.”

Stringer picked off Jacksonville’s KeyShawn Glenn on a reverse pass and returned it all the way to give the Zebras a 2-score lead. Pine Bluff was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, but Jason Jones covered the penalty yards with a 2-point reception.

“I said thanks to the offense because they gave us momentum and they boosted the crowd up to give the defense motivation,” Stringer said. “I caught a pick and a team block. I was seeing straight green. That’s all I knew; get to the end zone and get on the scoreboard.”

Pine Bluff outgained Jacksonville 132-44 in total yards, holding the Titans (1-3, 0-1) to 4 yards in a first half that lasted just 54 actual minutes. Wallace completed 4 of 11 passes for 54 yards with an interception by Isaiah Morris.

D’Juan Hayes rushed 11 times for 64 yards in the win. For Jacksonville, Glenn netted 10 yards on 14 carries and Stanley Turner had 11 yards on 2 carries.

Wallace fired a 39-yard strike to Tristan Helloms on the Zebras’ second offensive play, but they stalled at the Titans’ 16 after two incomplete passes. Pine Bluff went 0 for 4 passing and traded a penalty with Jacksonville on its second offensive series.

The Zebras collected 6 sacks on the night.

“I felt like, even if we didn’t score on offense, we still would have won the game,” Williams said. “Our defense scored 6 times last year. We were due. (We have) the best defense in Arkansas.”

Decked in patriotic garb with flag-designed numbers against dark camouflage, the Titans had their scoring opportunities in the third quarter. Morris’ interception set the Titans up at the Zebras’ 43, where on the next play Glenn completed an 18-yard pass to Marion Ball. Glenn attempted a 38-yard field goal on the drive, but the Zebras blocked it with 8:50 remaining.

Glenn also missed a 27-yard field goal with 5:01 left.

A running-into-the-punter flag on fourth-and-5 extended a Zebra drive late in the third quarter. Jacksonville was also flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty after forcing a 10-yard loss on a Pine Bluff screen pass, but the Zebras still had to punt.

With 2:25 remaining in the game, a 25-yard interception return for Jacksonville was called back, but a block in the back erased the score and put the Titans back at the Zebras’ 23. Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs and would not score after recovering a Hayes fumble with 41 seconds left.

NEXT UP …

Pine Bluff will host Maumelle for homecoming at Simmons Bank Field at Golden Lion Stadium next Friday, while Jacksonville hosts Robinson.