FOUNTAIN LAKE -- Fountain Lake junior Caleb Lacy rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns as the Cobras routed England, 54-18, on senior night at Allen Tillery Field.
Lacy provided the majority of the Cobras' 388 rushing yards with classmate Steven DeArmon adding 138 yards on eight carries.
Fountain Lake's defensive core wreaked havoc for England's aerial game behind multiple defenders with senior Asa Westerman snagging a pass from the Lions (0-2) early in the fourth quarter, the Cobras' fourth pick of the night.
Two minutes later, Fountain Lake senior quarterback Jack Wurz again set the tone and found classmate Owen Barthel uphill for a quick 8-yard score that set the clock in motion under the Arkansas Activities Association's sportsmanship rule with 7:14 left in the game after Campbell's kick secured the final margin.
"It was a great night to win on senior night with a great group of seniors who've worked so hard, especially with all the adversities that we've been through so far this year and last year," said Fountain Lake head coach Kenny Shelton. "We definitely showed some rust -- some things that we're going to have to clean up."
Both teams traded touchdowns early in the opening period with Lacy breaking free on two carries for 96 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown strike just moments into the first quarter.
Lacy's second touchdown came after England responded with a 69-yard run and its first score, but the Lions refused to bow down as a 23-yard interception return for a score cut the deficit to 14-12 after the conversion attempt was denied.
Kadin Hilton came up key early into the second period for the Cobras (1-0) as the sophomore intercepted a pass by Lions' quarterback Chandler Cheek on the opening play, but England battled back, stripping the ball with 10:08 to go, causing a fumble on the play before Cobras' junior Nick Soileau sacked Cheek for a 9-yard loss on the next drive.
"We gave up a pick-6, we lost contain and gave up a long run for a touchdown, so we definitely need to work on that," Shelton explained. "But defensively I thought we played really well. We forced five turnovers so extremely pleased with the defensive performance."
The hosts capitalized quickly behind an 87-yard passing touchdown from Wurz to DeArmon at the 8:16 mark, and sophomore Wesley Campbell kicked the PAT for a 21-12 Fountain Lake lead.
"Offensively we had a great game," Shelton said. "I think we rushed for close to 400 yards. ... I think we threw for close to 100 yards, as well. Jack had some big throws (and) had some big plays, Asa Westerman was our leading tackler (with) 10 tackles, Caleb Lacy had some great runs -- I think he had right at 200 yards rushing, Steven DeArmon had a pick-six for a touchdown and also had a couple of big runs. It was definitely an all-team effort."
Four minutes later, Wurz found senior wide receiver Brayden Branstetter on the wing for a 40-yard passing score with 4:08 remaining before Campbell's point-after attempt was denied to make it 27-12.
With 1:53 left before the break, DeArmon snagged England's pass and ran the ball into the end zone for a 35-yard pick-6, and with the Lions on the 42 with 18 seconds to go, Wurz picked off England's pass at the 10-yard line and regained possession for the Cobras before time expired.
"I think both teams were affected with the heat and the humidity," Shelton noted. "Our guys definitely kind of struggled in that first half trying to adjust to that, but every time something bad happened, our guys responded and that's kind of what we talked about all week long -- how we were going to respond if we gave up a big run or had a turnover. Each time something like that happened, our guys responded and they answered right back."
Entering the second half with a 34-12 lead, Fountain Lake was plagued by penalties throughout the early stages of the third quarter before a 1-yard dash by Cheek trimmed the gap for England with 24 seconds remaining to pull the visitors within 34-18 after a missed kick.
Wurz spotted Lacy on the outside for an early fourth-quarter pass and 40-yard score as the junior found the end zone for his third touchdown of the night. Campbell's PAT was no good as Fountain Lake held a 40-18 lead.
With 9:46 left to play, senior Seth Hughes reeled in a 29-yard pass from Wurz for a touchdown, and Campbell kicked the point-after to push the hosts out to a 47-18 stretch.
Wurz was 4-for-6 passing for 97 yards and two touchdowns, and receivers Brandstetter and Hughes scored one touchdown each. Barthel ran the ball four times for 25 yards and a touchdown.
Westerman, Hilton, Wurz and DeArmon each reeled in one interception, sophomore defensive end Trystan Redifer picked up one fumble recovery, and Campbell controlled the kicking game going 6 for 8 on PATs.