North Crowley’s rally comes up just short against Bowie and Vols’ star Prevost
After a first quarter that saw four punts, a turnover and no points, Arlington Bowie and North Crowley got busy Friday night at Panther Stadium.
The teams combined for 78 points in the final three frames as the Volunteers outlasted the Panthers, 42-36, in the District 4-6A opener for both schools.
Bowie (3-1 overall, 1-0 District 4-6A) jumped out to a 21-0 lead behind D’Aunte Prevost who scored on a 74-yard run and a 36-yard pass from quarterback Malcolm Mays. The latter with 4:11 left in the second quarter.
North Crowley (1-3, 0-1) battled back behind Ryan Fisher. Fisher cut the lead to 21-7 on a 50 yard run late in the first half. His two fourth quarter TDs, on a 12-yard pass from Caleb Leake and a 1-yard run, pulled the Panthers to within 42-36 with 4:05 left in the game.
North Crowly forced Bowie to punt on the Vols ensuing possession and a bad punt snap gave the Panthers the ball back at the Bowie 47. The Panthers failed on a fourth-and-three from the Vols’ 40 and turned the ball over on downs with 1:10 left.
Prevost and Fisher had stellar nights with over 200 yards rushing each. Prevost finished with 219 yards on 21 carries. Fisher tallied 260 yards on 34 carries.
Game was over when: This one wasn’t over until North Crowley running back Ryan Fisher was tackled a yard short of a first down at the Bowie 38 with 1:10 left in the game. The Vols were able to run out the clock from there.
Play of the game: Ty DeArman, subbing at punter, picked up 15 yards on a fake punt from the Bowie 45 to give the Volunteers a first down at the North Crowley 40. The Vols scored four plays later on a 12-yard pass from Mays to Jimmy Valsin to give Bowie a 28-7 lead with 9:22 left in the third quarter. Bowie would need every point.
Offensive player of the game: While Prevost had a stellar night for Bowie with 219 yards rushing, 46 more receiving and four scores, North Crowley’s Ryan Fisher was just as good. Fisher helped the Panthers score 29 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. In addition to his 260 rushing yards, he had four catches for 33 yards and a 12-yard TD reception from Caleb Leake.
Defensive player of the game: Bowie defensive back Tyler Taylor kept two scores from happening. The senior recovered a fumble at the Bowie seven yard line after North Crowley had driven from their own two. The play kept the game scoreless with 4:34 left in the first quarter. Just before halftime, Taylor batted away a pass in the end zone to keep Bowie’s lead at 21-7 at intermission.
Unsung hero of the game: Both quarterbacks played extremely well. Bowie’s Malcolm May threw for 168 yards and two scores and was 12-85 rushing. North Crowley’s Caleb Leake threw for 206 yards completing 18-of-30 passes. Leake ran for 69 yards on 13 carries.
What’s next? Bowie will be the home team at Wilemon Field and take on Sam Houston on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. North Crowley travels to UT-Arlington’s Maverick Stadium on Friday, Oct. 5 to face Arlington Martin at 7:30 p.m.