SEARCY — Victory in White County is not easy to hang onto, as Pine Bluff High School has found out.
The Zebras held a double-digit lead for the second straight week, but Searcy scored 25 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead rushing touchdown by Cooper Jones with 22 seconds left, to win 28-21 Friday night at Lion Stadium.
A week ago, Pine Bluff led at Beebe 12-0 with about 7 minutes left before halftime. Beebe won that game 34-12.
A little further up the road this time, Pine Bluff led the 5A-Central co-leading Lions 21-3 through three quarters, all but sending the message the tradition-rich program Zebras were still a factor in the chase for a 5A state playoff spot.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Zebras (1-6, 1-3 in 5A-Central) started the game backed up to their own 1, after Davonte Wallace was sacked for a 13-yard loss on the first play from scrimmage. Two offsides penalties later, Wallace threaded a pass to Tristan Helloms, who split Searcy’s defensive backs and covered the rest of the 99 yards for the score, 29 seconds into the game.
That was the first of two touchdown passes for Wallace, the senior who completed 8 of 21 passes for 174 yards, Two interceptions by Deandre Shockley doomed the Zebras, including one with 7 seconds left to end Pine Bluff’s last hope.
Searcy (6-1, 4-0), which shared the conference lead with Robinson going into the game, settled for a 32-yard field goal by Cooper Jones on its first possession.
The Lions briefly found a groove after Kobe White took in a 33-yard pass from Johnny Bell. Julius Stribling threw the Lions’ march out of whack and returned an interception 70 yards to make it a 14-3 lead.
The Zebras managed to solve the Lions’ no-huddle offense and capitalized. Pine Bluff built a 10-play drive that went into the second quarter and ended on Wallace’s 5-yard bootleg toss to Jayden Shelton.
Jones missed a 31-yard field goal on the next Lions’ drive. The score held 21-3 at the break.
The Z’s recovered a muffed kickoff to open the second half, but neither team scored in the third period.
Searcy pulled within 21-10 after Shockley intercepted a deflected pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Bell engineered a 9-play, 67-yard drive in 71 yards, finishing with an 8-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Charlie Thompson. Jesse Sumpter, who had 101 yards on 7 catches, pulled down a reception for the extra 2 points, drawing the Lions within 21-18 with 4:34 left.
The Lions recovered a Wallace fumble with 4:21 left and tied the game on Jones’ 29-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining. Pine Bluff was forced to punt, and Searcy engineered a 7-play, 63-yard series with the help of a roughing-the-passer call to go ahead.
Jones took a handoff and hurdled over defenders at the line of scrimmage on a 3-yard carry for the winning touchdown.
NEXT UP
The Zebras’ last three games will be in Pine Bluff, but next Friday they’ll take the short trip to Watson Chapel for the Wildcats’ homecoming. Home games at UAPB against Robinson and White Hall will follow.
Searcy will play at Robinson next Friday in a battle for first place.