An improved performance by White Hall was hidden behind costly turnovers Friday night.
The Bulldogs lost 34-12 to Morrilton in their home opener and final game before their bye week.
White Hall (0-3) turned the ball over four times, including twice in the red zone, allowing Morrilton to pull away in the first half in what otherwise could have been a competitive game.
Head coach Daryl Patton said the Bulldogs had talked about ball security during the week.
“I cannot fault the effort,” Patton said. “The kids’ effort was great tonight. They played hard. They competed, but we gotta quit hurting ourselves. Whether it’s an untimely penalty, whether it’s a turnover, giving up a big play, if we don’t stop doing that, it’s going to be hard all season. But if we can stop that … we can play. We got some talent, but we gotta finish off drives.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
After Morrilton (3-0) scored on its opening drive, White Hall drove down to the Devil Dogs’ 1-yard line and seemed primed to tie the game. Instead, the Bulldogs fumbled, and junior Rysheed Criswell recovered for Morrilton.
Morrilton led 14-0 midway through the second quarter when White Hall again entered the red zone. On second down from the 12-yard line, a deflected pass fell on Morrilton senior Caden Meeler’s lap as he was lying on the ground for a freak interception.
Two plays later, Morrilton quarterback Maddox Berry found Dante Cox on a deep pass. He broke a tackle and took it 89 yards to extend the lead to 21-0.
The Bulldogs finally got on the board on their next possession. Senior running back Kylon Davis finished a 12-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run with 3 seconds remaining in the first half. White Hall trailed 21-6 at the break after missing the extra point.
Patton said that beyond the turnovers, this was the Bulldogs’ best performance so far.
“I know the score is not indicative of that, but our kids played hard,” Patton said. “They competed. They got after it. We did some really good things offensively running the football. We didn’t throw the ball very well. That’s not necessarily quarterback. That’s protection breakdowns, things like that, but I think we just gotta keep grinding.”
White Hall began the second half at its own 9-yard line but converted two fourth downs to reach Morrilton territory, but the Bulldogs again fumbled. After the Devil Dogs added another touchdown, the Bulldogs fumbled again on their next offensive play, though the defense forced a fourth down stop.
Davis, who had been kept in check in White Hall’s first two games, finally had his breakthrough in this game. He finished with 160 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries after surpassing 100 yards in the first half. Junior Xavier Wallace finished with 81 yards on 14 carries.
Patton said Davis and Wallace are competitors.
“Those guys, they don’t want to come out,” Patton said. “They like being in the game. I thought the line blocked well.”
Berry had a big night for Morrilton, completing 30 of 42 passes for 5 touchdowns. Cox caught six passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns.