CAMDEN — By JACKIE BEVILL
Staff writer
Junction City---Playing in a steady rain Friday night the Junction City Dragons shut-out the Bearden Bears, 40-0 in a mercy rule 8-2A conference game to remain undefeated 3-0 in district play while improving to 4-2 overall. It was the Dragon’s eight straight win over the Bears who fall to 1-2 in league play and 2-4 overall. It was the Bears first shutout loss this year. The game was close for most of the first half with the Dragons leading 12-0 with less than a minute to go until intermission when the home team scored on a 13 yard pass from Q-back Brady Hutcheson to Kevontae Haynes, his senior wide receiver, with 50 seconds left. Dhante Gibson ran the two point conversion to make the score 20-0, Dragons.
There is an old adage that says when something bad happens, it takes the wind out of your sails and the TD and two point conversion before intermission affected the Bears that way. Also, Bearden lost their good junior running back Robert Miller to an ankle injury for the rest of the game. JC scored their first touchdown with 8:39 left in the first quarter on a 16 yard run by J’vacye Cook, but the Bears defense stopped Gibson’s two point try leaving the Dragons in front 6-0 as the quarter ended. The home teams second score came with 2:05 left before intermission on a one yard keeper play by Hutcheson to end a 51 yard drive. On the two point try Gibson was stopped short leaving JC in front 12-0 at that point of the game. The Bears got to the Dragons 15 yard line in the first quarter, but a penalty caused them to turn the ball over on downs.
Bearden received the second half kick-off, but going for the first down on a fourth and three they turned the ball over on downs to the Dragons at the Bears 37 yard line. On first down, Hutcheson passed to DJ Hill for the touchdown.
A pass for the conversion was incomplete but JC had a 26-0 lead with 9:41 left in the third quarter. Two minutes later, JC scored again on a 38 yard pass from Hutcheson to Haynes and this time Gibson ran the conversion to up the score to 34-0 with 7:30 left in the third period.
With 2:41 remaining in the third, the Dragons put the mercy rule into effect, when Jamie Carroll scored on a 14 yard run.
The Bears’ defense stopped their two point try, setting the final score at 40-0, Dragons.
There was no scoring done in the final quarter with the clock running continuously, CJ Quarles led the Bears defense while Cohen Word was the leader on offense.
Bearden will play at home Friday night against Hampton, while JC will travel to Fordyce to play the Redbugs, with the 8-2A District Championship on the line.
Kick-off for both games will be at 7 p.m. for these important conference games.