Wolves’ Late Passes Doom Bears in 52-44 Heartbreaker

  • GRINDING IT OUT - Woodlawn’s Ethan Adair tries to elude the tackle fo Cedar Ridge’s Bentley Bullington during first half action of the Bears’ first-round playoff game at Cedar Ridge. The Bears outgained the Timberwolves on the ground, 219 yards to 75 yards, but Cedar Ridge was able to hit some big passes late in the game to pull out the win. Adair would later return a kickoff 57 yards for touchdown to tie the game, 44-44, with 1:51 left.
    GRINDING IT OUT - Woodlawn’s Ethan Adair tries to elude the tackle fo Cedar Ridge’s Bentley Bullington during first half action of the Bears’ first-round playoff game at Cedar Ridge. The Bears outgained the Timberwolves on the ground, 219 yards to 75 yards, but Cedar Ridge was able to hit some big passes late in the game to pull out the win. Adair would later return a kickoff 57 yards for touchdown to tie the game, 44-44, with 1:51 left.
    NEWARK, Ark. - A breakdown in pass defense opened the door for Cedar Ridge to rally from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves used two long touchdown passes to pull out a 52-44 win over the Woodlawn Bears in the first round of the eight-man playoffs last Friday night at Newark.Woodlawn finishes the season with a 6-4 record overall. Cedar Ridge, meanwhile, improved to 9-1 and will travel to Strong to face the top-ranked Bulldogs in the semifinals.It was another gut-wrenching loss for the Bears, who led most of the way until Timberwolve quarterback Aiden Jones found running back Jonas Elms wide open behind the coverage for a 53-yard touchdown with 2:06 left in the game. Jones then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 44-38 Cedar Ridge.But the game was far from over as the Bears rallied back.On the ensuing kickoff after Elms’ score, the Wolves had two kicks go out of bounds, and Woodlawn Coach Zach Meyer choose to have Cedar Ridge re-kick after each five-yard penalty, leaving the Wolves kicking off from their 20 on the 80-yard field. Meyer’s strategy paid off as the Bears’ Ethan Adair eluded a swarm of Timberwolves to break free  for a 57-yard touchdown return, evening up the score, 44-44, with 1:51 left. Aden Moore’s pass to Garrett Weatherford on the conversion, however, was stopped short, leaving the game tied.Woodlawn attempted another onside kick after Adair’s TD return, but the Timberwolves recovered at the Woodlawn 40. It looked as though the Bears were possibly going to get a stop when Dakota Campbell dumped Jones for a one-yard loss on second down, leaving the Wolves facing third-and-7 at the Bears 37. However, on the next play, another breakdown in pass coverage left Lawson Bruce alone behind the defense and Jones hit him for 37-yard touchdown pass, sending the large Cedar Ridge crowd into a frenzy. Jones then hit Elms on the conversion to give the Wolves a 52-44 le...

    To access content, please login or purchase a subscription.