By Jacob Pumphrey
Special to the News Times
LITTLE ROCK – Almost 10 years to the day that Junction City captured its second Class 2A State Championship with a 10-8 win over Des Arc on a field goal as time expired, senior kicker Jack Smith lined up for what would be a game-changing field goal attempt, from almost the exact spot of 2008’s game winner, early on in the fourth quarter of Junction City’s 36-22 win over Hazen for the 2018 Class 2A State title.
“Just find a way to get it through,” answered Smith when asked what was going through his mind as he lined up for the 25 yarder. Ten years ago, Smith, then in the second grade served as a manager for the 2008 Dragons. On Friday night he nailed the attempt to give Junction City its first lead of the night at 23-22 with 11:20 to play in the game.
A single yard was the lone difference in Smith’s successful boot and former Dragon Darius Dixon’s 26 yarder a decade ago as both attempts came from the right hash mark on the north end of the field.
“Our offense did a great job of getting the ball down there inside the 10-yard line, but we sort of stalled. I knew if we got the lead that our defense was good enough to seal the win for us.”
The kick changed the course of the game for the Dragons as it gave them a lead they would not relinquish. Junction City went on to add 13 more fourth-quarter points as part of 24 unanswered points in the second half to pull away from Hazen for the program’s seventh Class 2A State title. It was the second over the Hornets (2014; 38-6) and the third time the Dragons have defeated a team twice in Little Rock.
Smith was right. The defense was good enough. Extremely good enough. After Hazen scored on a long pass play at the 7:03 mark of the third quarter to increase its lead to 10 points for the second time on Friday night, the Junction City defense tightened. The Dragons would not allow the Hornets to do much else offensively as Brad Smith’s unit held the Hornets to just 28 yards on 18 plays over the course of Hazen’s final four drives.
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For Jack Smith, Friday night’s victory served as a well-played second chance, not only for Junction City as a team, but for the unit which Smith has anchored as the team’s center - the offensive line. The starting five made up of Smith, Cody Adkins, Blake Wilson, A’Donnis Jones, and Jakyrion Barnett along with tight end D.J. Hill and junior fullback Kyle Kidwell, helped put the finishing touches on an 11-game stretch that won’t soon be forgotten in the hearts and minds of Dragon fans.
“It was redemption,” said Smith. “We were upset with our performance as a whole last year. We knew that we were better than what we showed and all week we were thinking about how fortunate we were to have another shot at the title. We wanted to make the most of it and we did.”
The Dragons indeed made the most of their opportunity, specifically the offensive front. The unit paved the way for senior Dhante Gibson and junior Jakiron Cook. The duo combined for 254 yards on the ground in a collective 32 carries. Gibson scored twice and averaged 7.3 yards per rush in a 21-carry, 153-yard effort that resulted in him taking home Most Valuable Player honors. Cook scored once on 11 carries that resulted in 95 yards and he also added a 63-yard touchdown catch.
The Dragon offensive line led a rushing attack that averaged 6.2 yards per carry, the third-most for a Junction City team in the state finals. It comes one year after the Dragons managed just 2.7 yards per carry in the 2017 Class 3A State Championship Game.
Not only did the offensive line block a formidable Hazen front eight and sometimes nine, the unit protected junior quarterback Brady Hutcheson in his dozen pass attempts. Hutcheson was not sacked, let alone hurried in the win as he completed 6-of-12 passing for a program state finals record 156 yards and two touchdowns. He's the third Dragon quarterback to throw for two scores in the program’s state finals history.
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Senior offensive and defensive lineman Cody Adkins received prestigious recognition following the win as he was named Junction City’s recipient of the Brandon Burlsworth Award. Adkins joins seven other former Dragons to be bestowed the honor.
Adkins was another key piece of the Dragon offensive line that capped a dominating run to the state finals with the team’s most well-rounded effort of the season. He added three tackles defensively and served as a vital run stopper for the Dragons against a Hazen rushing attack that entered the night closing in on 3,700 yards rushing for the season.
When asked about Adkins, head coach Steven Jones quickly acknowledged his toughness.
“He [Adkins] played hurt and refused to come off the field. He was a warrior out there.” Jones said. In reference to his entire offensive line, the coach added, “They stayed the course and continued to play with a lot of heart. We put it on their back and they never blinked.”
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Big plays over the course of the season got Junction City to War Memorial Stadium and big plays on Friday night made sure the Dragons completed the “Class 2A Welcome Back Tour” in grand fashion.
Junction City’s first touchdown of the night came on a 58-yard rush from Cook and the second touchdown was set up by a critical 38-yard completion from Hutcheson to Hill on third-and-four that put the Dragons inside the Hazen five-yard line late in the first half.
The message at the half from Jones to his troops was simple.
“Execute and stop getting behind the sticks,” he said. “The only thing stopping us offensively is us. We need to take care of the football and do what we do.”
The Dragons continued to “do what they do” as the offense used 10 plays of six or more yards, including passing touchdowns of 16- and 63-yards and a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Gibson that served as the game’s dagger in the final 19:03 of the game. Additionally, the Dragons manufactured non-scoring plays of 22- and 49-yards during that span.
“Our team showed great resilience and refused to let the title slip out of our hands. Our kids play so hard, our coaches work so hard, and it’s fun to be a part of it.”