Will Manning possesses a football name, and he showed why Friday night.
The junior pulled down four of Searcy’s six touchdown receptions, and the Lions roared past Pine Bluff High School for a 50-22 win Friday night in another Lions’ den — Simmons Bank Field at Golden Lion Stadium.
Manning caught 10 passes for 214 yards, almost half of the 502 yards Searcy (7-0, 4-0 in 5A-South) racked up Friday night. He proved to be the favorite target of sophomore Jacob Miles, who completed 20 of 27 passes for 391 yards with an interception.
In a battle of youth, Pine Bluff sophomore Jamar Morrow competed 16 of 27 for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns. Senior Quentin Roy was on the receiving end of two big plays for touchdowns on similar inside routes — one for 64 yards late in the third quarter and another for 60 yards with 6:30 left in the game.
By that time, the clock was running, because Searcy built a 35-point lead on Bryson Thompson’s 11-yard reception from Miles with 9:05 left.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Lions scored on their first two possessions and took a 30-8 lead at halftime. The first play of the game was the longest of the night, as Miles completed to Manning, who then made a double move to shake off Zebra defenders on a 66-yard scoring reception. The two hooked up again for the extra two points out of Swinging Gates formation.
Their next drive required four plays, but Manning tightroped the visitors’ sideline for a 50-yard touchdown haul and a 15-0 Lions lead.
Sophomore Rashawn Reed intercepted Manning on Searcy’s third drive, but Pine Bluff (1-6, 1-3) could not get much offense going. Miles turned to junior Jackson Miles for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 10:12 left before halftime to make it 22-0, but Pine Bluff — which had punted on its first five drives — finally caught a break when a punt bounced off a Searcy returner’s helmet and the Zebras recovered the ball at the Lions 47.
Morrow promptly launched a 45-yard pass to classmate Kyeran Culclager, and after two false starts against the Zebras, Reed caught a 12-yard pass from Morrow with 3:21 left.
Thompson promptly took away any momentum Pine Bluff gained from the score and returned the following kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Miles threw for another 2-point conversion to give Searcy the halftime cushion.
Miles and Manning connected for two more touchdowns in the second half, a 20-yarder with 4:31 left in the third and the final one on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Pine Bluff totaled 351 yards of offense. Roy caught five passes for 160 yards.
The next three weeks will make the race for the 5A-Central Conference championship challenging for the 5A fifth-ranked Lions.
They host top-ranked Joe T. Robinson, then visit Maumelle and Beebe to close out the regular season. Those teams are in the top four in conference standings.
Pine Bluff, which was a game behind Beebe for the fourth and final playoff spot going into Friday, will host Watson Chapel next Friday in its home finale, then visit Robinson and White Hall.
