PINE BLUFF - Penalty on a touchdown and bad bounce and bad luck on an on-side kick were the difference in Magnolia's 47-36 loss at White Hall Friday night.
"It was a good high school football game, but unfortunately we came out on the short end," said Magnolia head coach John Panter. "It was back-and-forth, but they made more plays in the end than we did."
The Panthers (1-3, 0-1), after losing to the fourth-ranked Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0), will now focus on Friday's home game against the Hot Springs Lakeside Rams.
Magnolia's flexbone offense was explosive and unstoppable. It's defense had trouble slowing down the high-scoring Bulldogs.
On the opening possession and following a 38-yard run by Terry Lambert and a 19-yard burst by Tayvon Patterson, Kadyn Roach scored from the 6 to make it 7-0. Morgan Rogers added the PAT.
The Bulldogs answered three minutes later on a 7-yard run by Layne Hartsfield. The two-point attempt failed, leaving the score at 7-6.
Following a 50-yard kickoff return by Roach, the Panthers went up 10-6 at the 3:23 mark on a 29-yard field goal by Rogers.
White Hall took a 12-10 lead on the ensuing kickoff, which was returned 75 yards by Baylor Owen. The two-point attempt failed again.
Still in the first period, Magnolia defensive back Jamarion Love intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards for the score. The Panthers led 17-12 after the first period.
The lead exchanged hands again early in the second period when Austin Terrell scored from the 18. A successful two-point conversion made it 20-17.
Patterson later ran down the sideline for 65 yards to put the Panthers back up. Rogers' missed PAT, leaving it 23-20.
White Hall again answered the score following a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-23.
On the ensuring kickoff, Lambert returned the ball 75 yards for an apparent score. A penalty took away the touchdown and Magnolia was forced to punt five plays later.
The Panther defense also stepped up on the next possession, forcing White Hall to punt for the first time this season. Love had a fumble recovery later in the third period.
At 10:14 to play in the third, White Hall's Hartsfield scored on a 51-yard run to stretch the Bulldogs' lead to 34-23.
They went up 41-23 with 9:30 remaining in the game off a 14-yard touchdown pass.
On the ensuing kickoff, Patterson ran 80 yards to close the gap to 41-30 with 9:15 to play.
The Panther defense again stepped up and forced a fumble that was recovered by Dayton Dickson.
With 3:15 left, Roach popped up the middle for a 42-yard score, making it 41-36.
Magnolia attempted the on-side kick, which was tipped by Roach but caught by Hartsfield and returned 55 yards for the game's final score.
"Kadyn got a single hand on the ball, but the guy gets it and goes down the sideline," said Panter.
The coach said his Panthers created a lot of explosive plays and that was great to see.