3A-3

Rivercrest Colts

2008 Schedule

Date	H/A	Rivercrest	149	Opponent	271	W/L	Record	Conf.
Sep.   5	A	Rivercrest	13	Trumann	38	L	0-1
Sep. 12	H	Rivercrest	13	Gosnell	35	L	0-2
Sep. 19	A	Rivercrest	36	Osceola	70	L	0-3
Sep. 26	H	Rivercrest	7	Harrisburg	39	L	0-4	0-1
Oct.   3	A	Rivercrest	27	Hoxie	26	W	1-4	1-1
Oct. 10	A	Rivercrest	6	Earle	44	L	1-5	1-2
Oct. 17	H	Rivercrest	47	Cave City	19	W	2-5	2-2
Oct. 24	A	Rivercrest		Piggott
Oct. 31	H	Rivercrest		Corning
Nov.  6	A	Rivercrest		Manila

2005 Schedule

Date	H/A	Rivercrest	167		Opponent	211	W/L	Record	Conf
Sep.  2		Rivercrest			OPEN
Sep.  9	H	Rivercrest	0		Paragould	21	L	0-1
Sep. 16	A	Rivercrest	7		Marion	47	L	0-2
Sep. 23	H	Rivercrest	36		Brinkley	12	W	1-2	1-0
Sep. 30	A	Rivercrest	27		Marianna Lee	16	W	2-2	2-0
Oct.  7	A	Rivercrest	20		Trumann	14	W	3-2	3-0
Oct. 14	H	Rivercrest	6		Osceola	42	L	3-3	3-1
Oct. 21	H	Rivercrest	33		Jonesboro Westside	19	W	4-3	4-1
Oct. 28	A	Rivercrest	25		Harrisburg	26	L	4-4	4-2
Nov.  4	H	Rivercrest	13		Gosnell	14	L	4-5	4-3

2005 Archives

Gosnell edges Rivercrest; historic streak ends November 4, 2005 By David Grim NEARsports.com WILSON - It had been 23 consecutive trips to the playoffs for the Rivercrest Colts. It was the longest active post season streak in the state. It came to an end Friday night, as the Gosnell Pirates held off a Rivercrest rally and beat the Colts 14-13 in a 3AAA conference game. The game was a must-win for both teams to make the playoffs. "We get to go play Prairie Grove and they get to stay home," said Gosnell Coach Brian Sims. "I wouldn't have it any other way!" "This is a rival game. It's a huge win for us, especially on their field. It's been over 20 years since we have won here. Our seniors really stepped up and made this happen." After a scoreless first quarter, Gosnell (5-4-1, 4-3) got on the scoreboard with a 5-yard touchdown run from Josh Anderson. The two-point try failed, and the Pirates led 6-0 going into halftime. Rivercrest (4-5, 4-3) got the ball to start the second half and drove to the Gosnell 7-yard line. On 4th and goal from the 7, Charles Harris seemed to score a Colt touchdown. The official on top of the play signaled that Harris had scored. Another official from behind the line of scrimmage overruled the call, and said that Harris had gone down at the 3. "That was a blown call," said Rivercrest Coach Mike Smith. "They blew that call and it cost us the game. You can print that." The Colts held Gosnell deep in its own territory on the following possession. On 4th and 15 from the 24, a bad snap on the punt attempt gave Rivercrest the ball on the Pirate 16. Four plays later, with :12 left in the third quarter, Harris got in the end zone from 8 yards out to tie the score. The Colts took the lead 7-6 after a successful extra point attempt. Gosnell used almost half of the fourth quarter to drive 73 yards in 12 plays and reclaim the lead. Anderson scored on a 28-yard run with 6:31 remaining, and Ryan Humphrey ran in for another two points to make the score 14-13. A short kickoff gave Rivercrest the ball at the 50-yard line. 5 plays later, Danton Jackson scored on a 21-yard sprint to the end zone with 4:32 left to play. The extra point missed by only inches to the right, and the score remained 14-13. Gosnell's final possession sealed the victory. Twice faced with fourth down, the Pirates converted on 4th and 1 from their own 33, and 4th and 3 from their own 46. Anderson's 101 yards on 24 carries led Gosnell's three-man rushing attack. Jackson led the game with 113 yards rushing on 13 carries for the Colts. The loss marks Rivercrest's first sub .500 season since 1980.

2004 Schedule

Date	H/A	Rivercrest	282		Opponent	170	W/L	Record	Conf
Sep.  3		Rivercrest			OPEN
Sep. 10	A	Rivercrest	27		Paragould	21	W	1-0
Sep. 17	H	Rivercrest	17		Marion	6	W	2-0
Sep. 24	A	Rivercrest	46		Brinkley	14	W	3-0	1-0
Oct.  1	H	Rivercrest	49		Marianna Lee	36	W	4-0	2-0
Oct.  8	H	Rivercrest	41		Trumann	14	W	5-0	3-0
Oct. 15	A	Rivercrest	7		Osceola	20	L	5-1	3-1
Oct. 22	A	Rivercrest	47		Jonesboro Westside	13	W	6-1	4-1
Oct. 29	H	Rivercrest	14		Harrisburg	7	W	7-1	5-1
Nov.  5	A	Rivercrest	14		Gosnell	18	L	7-2	5-2
Nov.12	A	Rivercrest	20		Ozark	21	L	7-3

2004 Archives

Gosnell plays spoiler, clips Rivercrest November 5, 2004 By David Grim NEARsports.com GOSNELL - The Gosnell Pirates, with no chance of making the Class AAA playoffs, defeated the Rivercrest Colts 18-14 and sent the Colts on the road for the opening round of postseason play. With the loss, Rivercrest (7-2, 5-2) will enter the playoffs as the third seed from the 3AAA conference, and travel to the play Ozark (8-1-1),  the second seed from the 4AAA conference. All of the game's scoring came in the first half. Gosnell (6-4, 4-3) scored first on a 2-yard touchdown run from Mario Young to put the Pirates up 6-0 with 1:37 left in the opening quarter. Mario Young (7) looks for running room in Gosnell's 18-14 upset victory over Rivercrest. Photo courtesy of David Pierce, Osceola Times 11/5/04 The Colts answered quickly. With :23 left in the first quarter, Kyle Murphy threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Chris Barnes. Barnes kicked the extra point to put Rivercrest ahead 7-6. Young scored again early in the second quarter and put the Pirates ahead 12-7 on an 8-yard run to the end zone. Rivercrest countered again, this time on a 4-yard touchdown run from Marcus Arnold with 7:18 remaining in the half. Barnes' extra point made the score 14-12. Gosnell quarterback Hunter Hughes set what would be the final score with 2:31 left in the half. Hughes scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper to make the score 18-14. The Pirates had two running backs exceed the century mark in rushing yardage. Young ran for 133 yards on 22 carries, and Byron Thompson gained 130 yards on 13 carries. For only the second time this season, Arnold was held under 100 yards rushing. Arnold gained 98 yards on 20 carries. Rivercrest lost to Osceola the only other time Arnold didn't reach 100 yards.

Rivercrest defense stifles Harrisburg October 29, 2004 By David Grim NEARsports.com WILSON - The Rivercrest Colts handed the Harrisburg Hornets their first loss of the season, 14-7 in a 3AAA conference game here Friday night. Harrisburg (8-1, 5-1) scored its only points on the opening drive. The Hornets went 37 yards in 7 plays and scored on a 6-yard pass from Brody Eaton to Nick Burnett. Phillip McDoniel kicked the extra point to put the Hornets up 7-0. Harrisburg's Jakayis Hester (27) looks for yardage against the Rivercrest defense. The Colts took the game, 14-7. Photo courtesy of David Pierce, Osceola Times 10/29/04 Rivercrest (7-1, 5-1) took over from there. The Colts scored on a 36-yard pass from Kyle Murphy to Chris Barnes with 4:07 left in the half. The extra point was blocked, leaving the lead with Harrisburg, 7-6. Felix Herrera recovered a Hornet fumble on Harrisburg's next possession to set up Rivercrest's final score. The Colts went up for good with 2:27 left in the half on a 3-yard touchdown run. Arnold added the two-point conversion to set what would be the final score. "It was a huge win for us," said Rivercrest Coach Mike Smith. "We're only one step away now from the championship. It's a great feeling." The win marked the 28th consecutive regular season home win for the Colts. Arnold ran for 159 yards on 39 carries for Rivercrest. Herrera and Bennie Washington each notched 8 tackles for the Colts. The Rivercrest defense held Harrisburg to just 9 yards rushing for the game. Eaton completed 13 of 36 Harrisburg passes for 185 yards. Zach Owens caught 5 passes for 88 yards.

Rivercrest outlasts Marion, 17-6 September 17, 2004 By David Grim NEARsports.com WILSON - The Rivercrest Colts, runners-up in class AAA for the past two seasons, defeated their second class AAAA opponent in a row here Friday night, beating the Marion Patriots, 17-6. "That's what we needed for this young squad," said Rivercrest head coach Mike Smith. "We didn't get to play in the first week. This really builds their confidence. They played inspired football, especially in the fourth quarter." Rivercrest (2-0) scored the only points of the first half on a 28 yard field goal sophomore back-up kicker, John Walker. Walker's kick made the score 3-0 with 2:25 left in the first half. Marion (1-2) got its only points of the game on the opening drive of the second half. The Patriots marched methodically down the filed on a 14 play, 72 yard drive that was capped on a one yard plunge from quarterback Justin Counts. The PAT was broken up, leaving the score 6-3 with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter. Marcus Arnold (14) runs for a handfull of his 114 yards while Dominique Bettes (27) pursues. Rivercrest won the game, 17-6. Photo courtesy of David Pierce, Osceola Times 9/17/04 The Colts held Marion to three, three and out possessions in the final quarter. Marcus Arnold put Rivercrest ahead to stay with 7:36 left in the game on a six yard touchdown run. Arnold added another touchdown from 14 yards out with 2:04 left to ice the game. "We knew that three point lead wouldn't win the game," said Marion head coach Mark Uhiren. "We did our best to keep them contained, but we missed too many tackles. We did everything we could to hang in there." Arnold finished the game with 114 yards on 32 carries. Darcel Johnson led the Patriot running game with 74 yards on 15 carries.

Paragould quarterback Chris Stidham (9) stiff-arms Rivercrest's Marcus Arnold (14) as he fights for yardage. Rivercrest won the game, 27-21. Photo courtesy of Mike Buhler, Eastridge Imaging 9/10/04

2003 Schedule

Date	H/A	Rivercrest	487		Opponent	165	W/L	Record	Conf
Sep.  5	A	Rivercrest	7		Marion	12	L	0-1
Sep. 12	H	Rivercrest	27		Paragould	2	W	1-1
Sep. 19	A	Rivercrest	40		Brinkley	23	W	2-1
Sep. 26	H	Rivercrest	34		Piggott	6	W	3-1	1-0
Oct.  3	A	Rivercrest	35		East Poinsett Co.	0	W	4-1	2-0
Oct. 10	A	Rivercrest	41		Trumann	20	W	5-1	3-0
Oct. 17	H	Rivercrest	28		Osceola	0	W	6-1	4-0
Oct. 24	H	Rivercrest	44		Jonesboro Westside	7	W	7-1	5-0
Oct. 31	A	Rivercrest	35		Harrisburg	0	W	8-1	6-0
Nov.  7	H	Rivercrest	35		Gosnell	7	W	9-1	7-0
Nov.14	H	Rivercrest	39		Mountain View	0	W	10-1
Nov.21	H	Rivercrest	31		Ozark	0	W	11-1
Nov.28	H	Rivercrest	13		Central AR Christian	10	W	12-1
Dec.  5	H	Rivercrest	46		Prairie Grove	14	W	13-1
Dec. 13	LR	Rivercrest	32		Pulaski Academy	64	L	13-2

2003 Archived Stories

Colts advance, beat Ozark, 31-0 November 21, 2003 By David Grim NEARsports.com WILSON - The 3AAA champion Rivercrest Colts rolled to another shutout victory in the Class AAA Playoffs Friday night, this time over the Ozark Hillbillies, 31-0. "With the competition level rising in the playoffs, it's hard to beleive we could do this two weeks in a row," said Rivercrest Coach Mike Smith. "These guys just come together and focus and play hard each and every week." After a scoreless first quarter, Rivercrest (12-1) got its first touchdown with 7:31 left in the half on a one yard run from Zach Logan. Murphy Smith, a perfect four of four on the night, kicked the score to 7-0. The Colts doubled their lead with 35 ticks left before intermission. Quarterback Andy Winkleman threw a 24 yard strike to Marcus Arnold to make it 14-0. Ozark (8-4) put together its longest drive of the night to start the second half. The Hillbillies started at their own 10 and drove 47 yards in 13 plays to the Colt 43 before being forced to punt. Rivercrest took over on its own 22 and marched 62 yards to the Ozark 16. That's where Smith kicked a 33 yard field goal with 3:03 left in the third quarter to make it 17-0. Logan made the score 24-0 with just :24 left in the third stanza when he ran in his second touchdown from two yards out. Verdell Kimbrough capped the scoring on the second play of the fourth quarter. Kimbrough returned an interception 24 yards with 11:08 left in the game to set the final score. Ozark threatened to score with just over a minute left to play. That's when Arnold grabbed an interception at the three and returned it 97 yards before the play was called back on a cipping penalty. Winkelman finished the night completing five of six passes for 179 yards. Arnold caught three of those five for 81 yards, grabbed two interceptions and tallied 14 tackles. The Colts keep their home field advantage next week as they face the 6AAA champion Central Arkansas Christian Mustangs in the third round.

Rivercrest rolls into round two November 14, 2003 By David Grim NEARsports.com WILSON - The 3AAA champion Rivercrest Colts had no problems advancing to the second round of the Class AAA State Playoffs, soundly defeating the Mountain View Yellowjackets, 39-0. Rivercrest (10-1), scored on the third play of its opening drive. Zach Logan scored on a 44 yard run to put the Colts up 7-0 early in the first quarter. Verdell Kimbrough scored the Colts' next points with 7:27 left in the opening stanza. Kimbrough ran in from nine yards away to double the Rivercrest lead. The Colts set the halftime score early in the second quarter. Quarterback Andy Winkelman passed 22 yards to Logan for a 20-0 intermission score. Mountain View (7-4), the four-seed from the 2AAA conference, opened the second half by throwing an interception into the waiting arms of Marcus Arnold. Four plays later, Kimbrough sprinted in from 19 yards out to put the Colts ahead, 26-0. Arnold got to score the next Rivercrest points on a seven yard touchdown run with 4:30 left in the third quarter. Chris Foster wrapped up the scoring for the Colts on a one yard touchdown plunge late in the same quarter. "I'm pleased with the outcome," said Rivercrest Coach Mike Smith, "but I don't think we played with a lot of enthusiasm. I wasn't pleased with the way we performed, especially in the first half." Logan led all rushers with 95 yards on only seven carries. Kimbrough added 84 on nine carries. Rivercrest, with home field advantage throughout the playoffs, stays in Wilson next week to face the Ozark Hillbillies, the two-seed from the 1AAA conference.

Rivercrest uses third quarter to stun Osceola, 28-0 October 17, 2003 By David Grim NEARsports.com WILSON - The Rivercrest Colts (6-1, 4-0) scored 21 points in the third quarter to upend the Osceola Seminoles, 28-0 in 3AAA conference play here Friday night. The scoring didn't begin until the second quarter. Senior running back Verdell Kimbrough scored on a 20 yard touchdown run with 9:06 left before intermission. Murphy Smith, kicking a perfect four of four PAT's on the night, made the score 7-0. Osceola (3-4, 2-2) was set to receive the kickoff to start the second half. The Colts successfully executed an onside kick, and took over at the Seminole 33 yard line. Eight plays later, Zach Logan ran in from five yards out to double the Rivercrest lead. After forcing the Seminoles to go three and out, Rivercrest took over on its own 41 yard line. Marcus Arnold needed only one play to score again for the Colts. Arnold ran 59 yards untouched to the end zone to make it 21-0 with 4:04 left in the third quarter. Rivercrest drove to the Seminole one yard line late in the third quarter before fumbling the ball away to Osceola. Two plays later, the Seminoles dropped the ball and gave it back to the Colts at the Osceola 11. Logan used the next play to score from there, running in an 11 yard score with :33 left in the quarter to set the final score. "We did in the second half what we should have done in the first half," said Rivercrest coach Mike Smith. "We had people open all over the field. We just couldn't get the ball to them. We started executing our offense much better in the second half. We just couldn't execute in the first half." Osceola running back Chris James led all rushers with 86 yards on 21 carries. Arnold led the Colts' ground game with 79 yards on only four carries.