Arkansas All-Star weekend: Big performances by several receivers allow East to post dominating win in football game

By Kyle Sutherland | Pictures by Ted McClenning 

CONWAY — An distinctive day by the receiving corps and shutdown protection helped the East soccer squad to a dominating 54-9 win towards the West at Estes Stadium within the last contest of the 2022 Arkansas Excessive Faculty Coaches Affiliation All-Star video games.

Harding signee Braden Jay (Cabot), Henderson State signee Jody Easter (McGehee) and Southern Arkansas signee Jackie Washington (El Dorado) mixed to haul in 15 passes for 330 yards and 5 touchdowns.

These three will all face off towards one another on the subsequent degree for years to come back as every school they are going to be attending is within the Nice American Convention.

“It’s going to be enjoyable,” Jay mentioned. “I’m going to know a whole lot of DII children who didn’t get closely recruited and we’re all going to play one another.”

Easter echoed Jay’s assertion that he’s able to compete towards guys whom he fashioned a relationship with previous to closing the door on his highschool profession.

“I’m trying ahead to it,” Easter mentioned. “We turned actually good mates and realized from one another.”

Issues couldn’t have gone a lot better for the East, nor head coach Tom Sears (Hoxie), who spent a few of the last hours of his 51st birthday main his squad to an enormous win.

“I attempted to maintain that (birthday) on the down low,” Sears mentioned. “I knew all week we had a great bunch and we struggled just a little bit offensively as a result of our protection was so good.

“I knew as soon as we acquired out right here and went up towards another person we might be all proper. We had some guys who can actually play, so it was enjoyable.”

Of all of the spotlight landing performs, none had been extra entertaining than Washington going the size of the sector on a 97-yard seize halfway via the third quarter.

The West acquired on the board to guide 3-0 within the first quarter after Bradley Turnage (Greenbrier) hit a 26-yard discipline objective simply over three minutes into the sport.

The East responded by going 80 yards on six performs, capped by a 9-yard landing cross from quarterback Cade Forrester (Hoxie) – an Arkansas-Monticello signee – to Washington that was countered shortly after by the West on a 55-yard landing reception to Chase Cross (Sizzling Springs Lakeside) from Stran Smith (Benton).

Cross’ rating would give the West a 9-7 lead after Turnage’s further level try was blocked, however the West wouldn’t see the top zone once more from that time on.

The East offense started to dominate within the second quarter on 22 and 43-yard TD receptions from Jay, in addition to a 55-yard rating to Easter.

As nice because the trio of Easter, Jay and Washington had been, the quarterbacks additionally deserved credit score for the East, significantly Cameron Scarlett (Nettleton), who threw these three touchdowns within the second quarter and received the sport’s Most Invaluable Participant.

“I assumed each (quarterbacks) performed rather well,” Sears mentioned. I assumed Cade was possibly just a little tight early, however then he hit a few passes and loosened up just a little bit. I assumed Cameron performed nice; each of them did.”

The East protection held the West to 273 complete yards (in comparison with the East’s 534), together with simply 2.2 common yards per rush, whereas forcing 4 turnovers.

“We struggled there just a little bit early on, however we acquired some momentum that kicked in there within the second quarter,” Sears mentioned.

Together with Scarlett being named MVP, different gamers from the East who obtained awards had been Easter for Excellent Offensive Again, Malcolm Perry (West Memphis) for Excellent Defensive Again and Vaughn Seelicke (Pulaski Academy) for Excellent Particular Groups Participant.

For the West, Dylan Horton (Lake Hamilton) was named Excellent Offensive Lineman, whereas Parker Gill (Greenwood) was named Excellent Defensive Lineman.