RISON - The Rison Junior Wildcats kicked off the 2025 season in impressive fashion Thursday night, cruising to a 38-6 victory over Harmony Grove (Ouachita County) at George Walker Field of Champions.Head Coach Zach Branch called it a statement win for a group he believes has turned the corner from last year's struggles."Any victory is a big victory, especially for this group," Branch said. "Last year we were really young and took our lumps. We pulled out three games, but I knew this offseason we had the potential to do a lot better. This was our first step in that direction." The Wildcats wasted no time seizing control. After forcing a quick four-and-out on Harmony Grove's opening possession, Rison marched 77 yards in six plays, capped by a 5-yard touchdown run from Payne Prescott. Logan McGarity added the twopoint conversion for an 8-0 lead.The defense answered again on the next series, highlighted by back-to-back sacks from MJ Chambers. That set up another scoring drive, with Michael Kenneh breaking loose for 38 yards before Jones finished it off with an 8-yard touchdown run. Jones also ran in the conversion, stretching the lead to 16-0 at halftime.Rison's offense picked up right where it left off to start the second half. Kenneh, Branch and Prescott ripped off chunk runs to set up McGarity's 6-yard keeper. McGarity punched in the conversion for a 24-0 advantage.The Wildcats' defense then forced yet another three-andout, and a mishandled punt snap gave Rison the ball at the Hornets' 6-yard line. Prescott scored on the next play, followed by a Branch two-point run, to make it 32-0.Harmony Grove managed its lone scoring drive late in the third quarter, but the Wildcats stuffed the two-point attempt to keep the margin at 32-6. Rison closed out the night with an 8yard touchdown run from Kenneh, who also added the conversion for the final 38-6 score....
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