By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustangs missed a golden opportunity Friday night against Wynne.
Looking to end a four-game season-opening game losing streak against the Yellowjackets, the Mustangs got the job done on paper -- beating Wynne in virtually every category and statistic.
The only problem was that someone forgot to tell Wynne.
Riding two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Brian Johnson, the Yellowjackets handed the Mustangs a 26-6 loss at Sam Smith Stadium.
The senior-laden Mustangs, following a solid first quarter in which they held Wynne to just 20 total yards, literally dropped the football in the second quarter -- failing to convert a key fourth down and losing two fumbles -- giving the Yellowjackets the chance to take a 20-0 lead at the half.
Johnson gave Wynne a 7-0 lead with 8:34 to play in the second quarter after the Yellowjackets stopped Mustang tailback Demarcus Sinclair on a fourth and two try inside the Wynne 20.
Five plays later, Johnson kept on the fake handoff and turned the corner on his way to a 67-yard touchdown.
A little more than a minute later, Forrest City quarterback Terrence Ware, bothered by a sore left ankle, lost the football on the exchange from center and Wynne recovered.
A pass interference call against Forrest put the football at the Mustang 38 and Wynne's Courtney Williams made it a 14-0 lead when he scored from 20 yards out and kicker Todd Sparks added the point after.
With four minutes to play, Ware took the handoff, rolled to his left and headed for the corner, only to met head on by a Wynne defender, whose hit jarred the ball loose for Williams, who scooped up the fumble and returned it 31 yards for the third score of the quarter. Forrest City blocked the point after leaving Wynne in front 20-0 at the half.
The Mustangs did not recover.
Wynne added a third quarter touchdown by Johnson to push their lead to 26-0 after Akeyon Reed turned a first and 10 into a 72-yard run before being caught from behind by Forrest City's Tae Chism at the Mustang 7.
Cory Embry returned the ensuing kickoff for a apparent touchdown but had the score called back when the trailing official ruled he had stepped out of bounds at the 39.
That was as close as the Mustangs got to scoring until sophomore quarterback Marcus Fair scored with 39 seconds left in the game from one yard out to cap a 10-play scoring drive.
"I don't think the score is a very good indicator of how the game was really played," Forrest City Coach Donnie Willis said. "On paper, we out-played them. But games aren't won on paper. We didn't take care of the little things on the field and we didn't do our jobs in certain situations."
Willis singled out the missed fourth and two conversion in the second and the two fumbles, but said one of the biggest plays was Johnson's 67-yard touchdown run.
"If our defensive end and corner had stayed home, instead of being sucked in by the fake, we make the defensive play," Willis said.
Forrest City had 15 first downs compared to just seven for Wynne and out-gained the Yellowjackets in total yards.
Demarcus Sinclair led all Forrest City backs with 74 yards on 10 carries while Chism finished with 68 yards on 12 carries. Andrew Embry ran the ball 10 times for 40 yards.
Through the air, the Forrest City passing game didn't materialize as expected completing only four of nine passing attempts in the game.
Reed led Wynne with 97 yards on 11 carries while Williams added 53 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and one fumble recovery.
Johnson scored twice and finished with 74 rushing yards on on six carries.
"I was disappointed in a lot of ways," Willis said. "From 20-to-20, they didn't stop us. We ran our game and the offensive line did their job. It was inside the red zone that we didn't get the job done. Overall, it was a solid effort in many ways. We have some learning to do and some minor mistake to correct, but we can be a good football team this season."
The Mustangs will play at Marianna Friday night.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
DES ARC -- Yes, faithful Patriot fans, Palestine-Wheatley does have a passing game.
And quite a ground game, as well.
Unveiling a new and improved aerial attack against Des Arc Friday night, the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots opened the season with a convincing 38-0 win over the Eagles.
Junior quarterback Fred Leak completed 5-of-7 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Patriot running backs Brad Barton and Rashun Barnes helped a little by running for another 373 yards as the Patriots finished with 697 total yards of offfense. A five-yard penalty kept the Patriots from topping 700 yards.
Barton scored twice and ran for 180 yards on 13 carries while Barnes scored one touchdown and finished with 193 yards on six carries.
The P-W defense held up their end of the bargain as well, holding Des Arc to just 13 total yards and two first downs.
The P-W defensive line, led by Chris Jones, lived in the Eagles backfield all game long.
Besides tossing the two touchdown passes, Leak ran for another touchdown.
Barnes finished with 193 rushing yards on five carries which included a 67-yard scoring run in the opening quarter. Barton scored twice and finished with 180 yards on 13 carries.
The Patriots, 1-0, will host Earle Friday night to begin the 3AA Conference part of heir schedule.
*For the second straight year, Class AA's No. 3 Barton Bears handed No. 10-ranked Hughes a season-opening loss.
The Bears, who now lead the series 4-2 over Hughes, scored on four of their first five possessions on their way to a 38-6 win over the Blue Devils.
After the Bears opened an 8-0 lead using a two-yard run by quarterback Chris Vaughn, the Blue Devils answered when senior running back Ayodele Ogunsakin scored from 15-yards out to make it 8-6.
Hughes' two-point try failed.
The Bears scored the next 30 unanswered points.
Hughes, 0-1, will play at Walnut Ridge Friday.
A year ago, after losing their season opener to Barton, Hughes won eight consecutive games before losing their season-ending game to Marked Tree to finish second in the league.