Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 23, 2024 – In an exhilarating game requiring overtime to settle, the Valley View Blazers beat the Morrilton Devil Dogs 49-42 at the Central Dealerships Stadium in Jonesboro, carrying them into the 5A semifinals. 

Morrilton came into the playoffs as the fourth seed in 5A West thanks to a 5-2 conference record. After a 56-35 win against Searcy in round one, the Devil Dogs found themselves in a razor-close fight against Valley View throughout the night.

Morrilton lost three fumbles in the first quarter. Their second fumble occurred on their own 17-yard line, leading to an 11-yard touchdown run from Parker King. The point after touchdown gave Valley View a 7-0 lead midway through quarter one.

Another turnover for Morrilton came on their next possession in the form of a failed conversion on fourth down deep into Blazer’s territory. A 31-yard touchdown catch by Andrew Rhoden met with a point after touchdown saw a 7-7 score as the second quarter developed. 

On the next possession, Drew Gartman found Laird Cullen for a 34-yard reception which queued up a 19-yard rush from Gartman and 14-yard touchdown rush from Carter Wallace. The visitors responded, evening the score when Rhoden struck again, this time for 44 yards as he leapt and rose above the defender, coming down with the ball in the end zone.

Two plays later, Valley View found themselves on the Morrilton 21-yard line, but the visitors’ defense forced them into 4th down. The Blazers kept the drive going when Gartman connected with Andrew Jones for 19 yards.

The quarterback would soon after score from the 1-yard line, finding space outside the left tackle. Valley View led 21-14 but would again be matched by their opponent.

Jamarcus Sandidge set Morrilton up for another score when he reached the Valley View 44-yard line on the kickoff return. Raylen Thomas scored from a yard out, and the teams went into halftime all square at 21 apiece. 

Valley View’s first drive of the second half took just three plays to see points.

King broke free up the seam and Gartman hit him in stride. With King’s man slipping as he caught the ball, no one caught him, and he added a 59-yard touchdown reception to his evening.

The Blazers were on the defensive again after Maddox Berry linked up with Dante Cox and found Rhoden to convert on 4th down, putting the Devil Dogs on the Valley View 34-yard line. A few plays later, Rhoden scored a 17-yard touchdown catch, tying the game 28-28. 

King set up a short field with his kickoff return, and after a short Feliz run, Gartman found Jones for 34 yards and ran for 18, enabling Wallace to score from the 4-yard line. The ball would quickly return to the end zone.

Valley View attempted an onside kick, placing Morrilton at their own 35-yard line. The next play was a 65-yard rush touchdown from Thomas, who found an opening and burst through untouched up the middle. This time unsuccessful on the point after touchdown attempt, Morrilton drew closer but trailed 35-34 halfway through the third quarter. 

The remainder of the quarter resulted in stops on both sides. Rhoden intercepted Gartman’s pass in the end zone, taking the ball out of the receiver’s hands on their way to the ground. With six minutes to play, Morrilton claimed possession and a late lead via a 31-yard touchdown reception by Cox.

The visitors gained more confidence after a sly fake field goal pass resulted in a successful 2-point conversion. Valley View trailed 42-35 with under four minutes to play. 

King let Blazers fans breathe easier when he returned the following kickoff for a touchdown, catching the edge to the left and outpacing everyone down the sideline. The extra point brought the score to 42-42.

Valley View’s defense fortified near the goal line and forced Morrilton into a late field goal attempt with only 33 seconds left. Tyler Kimbrough’s attempt was no good, carrying the Blazers hopes into overtime. 

Valley View saw possession first. Needing just 10 yards to score, they looked to Gartman’s rushing ability.

His first two rushes for 5 yards and 3 yards respectively preceded a 1-yard rush from Wallace. Seeing 4th down a yard shy of the goal, the Blazers game was on the line with this play. Gartman faked the handoff to Wallace on an inverted read option and caught the defense by surprise to score. After Zach Brown’s extra point, the top seed led 49-42. 

Morrilton started with a jet sweep pass good for four yards. The next play was a look for Cox in the corner of the end zone, which was incomplete.

Third and fourth down saw Jayde Taylor present in the backfield disrupting and batting down throws. His final deflection ended Morrilton’s season. 

King’s kickoff return late in the fourth quarter drew the teams back even. He said it shocked the Morrilton kickoff coverage unit, but he was not surprised the return went for nearly 80 yards and a score.

“We were practicing that exact blocking scheme for this team. We’ve tried it on other teams before, and we knew we’d eventually execute the scheme correctly and break one free,” King said. 

Valley View’s unblemished season rolls into round three of the playoffs, where they’ll face Parkview, the top team in 5A South. The unbeaten Blazers may face another tough test next week, as Parkview also boasts an unbeaten record when it comes to conference play (7-0 conf, 9-1 overall).

The teams will face off at Valley View next week to decide who makes the finals.