MONTICELLO - Trent Pickett ran for 125 yards and scored a touchdown while quarterback Weston Phillips rushed for 113 yards scoring three touchdowns while throwing for another as the Rison Junior Wildcats shutout the Drew Central Junior Pirates, 42-0, in 8-3A conference action last Thursday night at Monticello.
Rison, a defending 8-3A co-champion, improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play with the victory. The Junior ‘Cats along with McGehee remain a game behind Dumas in the league standings with two games to go. The Junior ‘Cats lost in double overtime, 34-28, back on Oct. 1 at Dumas.
Dumas will travel to McGeghee this week before finishing up with Drew Central. McGehee plays Dumas this week and then at Fordyce for the season finale.
Rison Coach Zach Branch said his Junior ‘Cats will need to some help to win or claim a share of the conference title again this year.
The Junior Wildcats jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter against Drew Central on a two-yard touchdown run by Phillips with 5:11 left in the first quarter followed by a 93-yard burner from Pickett with 2:27 left in the opening period. Mason Johnson added the conversion on Phillips’ touchdown while Bryant Branch tacked on the two-pointer after Pickett’s TD.
Rison added two more scores in the second qyuarter. Branch had a nine-yard touchdown run with 4:30 remaining before halftime while Phillips hit Layne Howard on a four-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left before the break, giving the Junior ‘Cats a 28-0 lead. Neither of the two-point attempts were successful.
Rison continued to pull away in the second half.
Phillips had his second TD on a 13-yard run with 1:19 left in the third before adding the Junior Wildcats’ final score with 27-yard run with 1:35 left in the game. The conversion attempt after the third-quarter score was no good while Johnson ran in the two-pointer after the fourth quarter touchdown, making it a 42-0 final.
Rison rushed for 314 yards against Drew Central. In addition to…