After taking the lead in the first quarter, Pine Bluff High School held on in the second half for its first win of the season.
The Zebras defeated Jacksonville 25-13 in each team’s conference opener on Friday at Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff.
Pine Bluff (1-3, 1-0 in 5A-Central) sophomore quarterback Jamar Morrow threw three touchdown passes, two to sophomore Dedrick Dunn. Head coach Micheal Williams said Morrow showed his potential on Friday.
“Jamar is who we thought he was,” Williams said. “He’s a great quarterback. I’m telling you, he’s going to be highly recruited when it’s all said and done. He’s a great player. He made a lot of smart decisions, not just the throws. He made a couple of smart plays with his legs, too.”
Morrow completed 15 of 22 passes for 148 yards, with Dunn catching four passes for 43 yards. Sophomore receiver Rashawn Reed had the other touchdown catch, while Kyeran Culclager led the Zebras with six receptions for 44 yards. Junior running back Jason Arnold rushed 25 times for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Jacksonville (2-2, 0-1) finished with -1 rushing yards after Williams said during the week stopping the Titans’ rushing offense would be key for the Zebras to win. Two quarterbacks combined to complete 10 of 23 passes with a touchdown and an interception.
The Pine Bluff defense stopped the Titans on fourth down twice and forced a 30-yard field goal try which Jacksonville missed. Williams said the defense showed grit.
“Our front seven is the best in Arkansas,” Williams said. “We make sure it’s like that every year on purpose.”
Junior defensive lineman Cordale Guy and senior defensive lineman Emmanuel Hudson were each involved in a sack, Guy in the first half and Hudson in the second.
The Zebras led 12-6 after the first quarter but slowed down after a hot start. Morrow and Dunn connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half to make it 19-6 at the break.
Neither team scored in the third quarter with Pine Bluff unable to convert a first down. The Titans trimmed the lead to 19-13 early in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run by Mason Ball, but Morrow and Dunn responded with their second touchdown connection of the day on the next drive.
Williams said the Zebras did better at finishing this game than the previous ones this season.
“I loved the start from our guys,” Williams said. “Our guys always start good. That’s never been our issue if you look back at (Dallas) Kimball, you look back at Camden (Fairview). Starting isn’t our issue. We gotta learn how to finish correctly, and I think we got some of that off of us this game.”
The Titans failed to pick up a fourth down on their next drive. They got the ball back, but Pine Bluff senior linebacker Mario Jones intercepted a pass with 2:55 remaining to help seal the Zebras’ first win of the year.