It’s been ten years since Searcy went 3-0, and the Lions finally accomplished this goal on Friday, Sept. 16 in a home game against the Morrilton Devil Dogs. They won 29 to 27, taking home a close victory.
“Man, it feels great. We stepped up there at the end, you know, it’s the first time in ten years… This feels great,” Trevor Holden said.
Searcy was up 29 to 21, when Morrilton completed a long pass for a touchdown, which tied the game with a 2-point conversion.
Senior Chase Caple, struck Morrilton’s running back at the line allowing the rest of the team to get into place.
“That’s why we work in the weight room,” Head Coach Tim Harper said. “It was a lot of fun, but I nearly had a heart attack.”
After the Lions stopped the conversion, they still had to deal with an onside kick, which Junior Antwan Arnold recovered.
With more than 2 minutes left on the clock, Searcy needed the 1st down to keep the Dogs from getting the ball.
Fourth and one, the Lions snapped the ball with 25 seconds, Arnold picked up enough yards for a first down, and got the ball back into the paws of our Lions.
“We didn’t want to give them the ball back,” Harper said. ” It was the third time we went for it and, for once, it worked.”
“Those were big plays made by big players,” quarterback Dezmond Stegall said. “It was a team win. We didn’t get to air it out much but Arnold and the backs got it done.”
Although Arnold did a great job, the Lions owe part of the victory to Sophomore Grant Grady.
With Morrilton scoring that second touchdown, all they needed was another point to tie the game and throw the game into halftime.
Fortunately, Grady had a plan. Charging over the line and blocking the extra point, forced the Dogs to go for 2 in the fourth quarter; Instead of the extra field goal.
Harper says, ” We can’t be any prouder of our boy. It’s what we wanted. The victory is most important.”
“If we keep playing like this, I don’t see many people beating us,” says Junior Codie Reed.
Searcy goes for a 4-0 record, Friday, Sept. 23, in an away game against the Marion Patriots, the Lions’ first conference game of the season.
