The slide finally ended Friday night.
Pine Bluff High School overcame a 21-14 deficit and scored 38 unanswered points to knock off host Sheridan 52-21 and end a seven-game losing streak in the Zebras’ season finale.
Pine Bluff (2-7, 1-6 in 6A-East Conference), which is expected to drop to Class 5A for next season, had lost seven in a row since opening the season with a win over Watson Chapel. Two of the Zebras’ defeats were determined by eight or fewer points, including a 36-28 decision a week earlier against West Memphis.
But on Friday, the Zebras regained their offensive groove and totaled 560 yards of offense to Sheridan’s 264. Will Howell completed 16 of 21 passes for 314 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Sheridan (2-8, 0-7) started fast in trying to avoid the cellar of the conference, but the Yellowjackets found themselves locked in a back-and-forth tilt with the Zebras for much of the first half.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Wesley Shumate’s 1-yard run gave the Yellowjackets a 7-0 lead less than 3 minutes into the game, only for the Zebras to answer with a 1-yard Howell touchdown sneak. Pine Bluff went for two points but failed.
Sheridan’s C.J. Dollarhide ran for one of his two touchdowns with 4:01 still remaining in the first quarter. Pine Bluff tied it at 14-14 after Glenn Barnes ran 8 yards into the end zone and ran for the extra two.
Dollarhide added another short TD run early in the second quarter, putting Sheridan ahead 21-14. Barnes added his second touchdown run with 6:32 left before halftime, but a missed conversion kept the Zebras behind 21-20.
Howell completed one of his two touchdown passes to Courtney Crutchfield from 8 yards out, and Barnes scored on a conversion to put Pine Bluff ahead for good, 28-21, with 1:21 left in the first half. Early in the third quarter, Blake Hegwood picked off Dollarhide and took it back for a touchdown.
Tyree Campbell broke a 23-yard scoring run and X’Zaevion Barnett ran from 2 yards out to build a 46-21 Pine Bluff lead in the third quarter. Howell found Crutchfield again from 19 yards out with 9:46 left in the game to wrap up the scoring.
Barnes turned in 83 yards on 10 carries, and Braylon Hopkins had 55 yards on eight carries for the Zebras. Dollarhide rushed 28 times for 116 yards and completed 8 of 21 passes for 86 yards.