WYNNE -- Arkadelphia had opportunities to turn the game around in the second half, but in the end Wynne held on to take a 35-28 win Friday at Yellowjacket Stadium.
The Yellowjackets (1-1) got things going offensively early, scoring on a 59-yard pass on their opening drive before forcing a turnover for the Badgers (0-3) on the next drive.
"We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half," Arkadelphia head coach J.R. Eldridge said Saturday. "They scored on their first drive. We're on the one-yard line and about to score, and we fumble the football and give it back to them."
Wynne went on to take a 14-0 lead in the quarter before stretching it to 21-0 early in the third quarter on a 21-yard run by Allen Watson.
The Badgers finally got on the scoreboard on a 17-yard run by Braylon Bailey with a kick by Gabe Goodman to pull within 21-7 before quarterback Cannon Turner ran the ball in from 39 yards out early in the fourth to make it 21-14 with Goodman's kick.
Arkadelphia tried twice for an onside kick in the final period, but neither kick bounced its way.
"We come back in the second half, have a chance on the goal line to tie it up and don't convert on fourth down," Eldridge said. "It was really played out until the end. We kicked an onside kick to try to get it back to tie it up and weren't able to get it. They were able to run the clock out (to end it)."
With the Badgers' entire offensive line graduating last year, Eldridge and his staff have been working to get a solid group of athletes on the front line to help the team produce well offensively.
"We've gotten better over these past three games," Eldridge said. "We've seen a lot improvement in our offensive line. We're going to keep improving and trying to improve. Coach (Wade) Matlock has done and excellent job with them. Some guys on offensive line have really decided they want grow up and become a good offensive line. I think we're making progress, for sure."
Another trial for Arkadelphia is that the team is missing two of its main offensive weapons in senior running back Zion Hatley, who sprained his ankle last week against Benton, and sophomore Braeden 'Buster' Thomas.
"Zion didn't play," Eldridge said. "We've still got one of our slots out. Buster Thomas, we haven't had him since the first time he carried the ball against Beebe, which was a scrimmage of ours.
"We've got a bye week (next week). We're hoping we have everyone healthy by two weeks from last night."
The Badgers finished with 416 total offensive yards. Turner was 17-for-28 passing for 216 yards with two touchdowns, and he had 16 carries for 125 yards with another score.
Kyren Harrison, who scored the other touchdown for Arkadelphia, had 13 carries for 72 yards.
"He played our tailback position," Eldridge said. He's one of our best defensive players, but he played our running back spot last night. He had a really good game for us. ... He ran really hard, did really good."
In an attempt to prepare the team for a tough Class 4A-7 conference, Eldridge set his team up with a even tougher non-conference schedule. The Badgers had a pair of losses at home against Class 6A teams Sylvan Hills, 16-14, and Benton, 56-17.
"Our schedule was beefed up," he said. "I was kind of on the back end trying to get games. We finished our season in the first of December, and I'm looking for games.
"Sylvan Hills is a good 6A team. Wynne's a good 5A team, and combined we lost by nine points. ... We competed really hard. Benton, they're a really good football team. We made way too many mistakes. ... I think that two of the games, really, had we been cleaner one or two plays here and there, we win those ball games."
Arkadelphia has a week off before starting conference play at Nashville on Sept. 21, and Wynne will travel to West Memphis Friday night.
Sports on 09/09/2018