6A High School Football

Class 6A Final game summaries and briefs

Moderated by ArkansasOnline Staff

Want to report on a game? To report a game score call 1-800-272-4650 or email webreleases@arkansasonline.com

Texarkana 13, Lake Hamilton 0 — PHOTOS

Bo Bingham and Tim Lackey connected on a second-quarter touchdown pass that stood up as Texarkana defeated Lake Hamilton 13-0 in the Class 6A championship game Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium.

It was the second consecutive state title for the Razorbacks and the school’s fifth. It was also a rematch between the two 6A-South heavyweights. Lake Hamilton (12-1) won the regular season meeting 23-14 four weeks ago.

The Razorbacks (11-1-1) scored their first touchdown on 30-yard pass from Bingham to Lackey with 11:17 left in the half. Lee Starr kicked the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

Lake Hamilton never recovered. Phillip Butterfield, the school’s standout junior quarterback, got hit hard while diving through the air on a fake punt play with 5:33 left in the half. The game stopped as Butterfield lay unmoving on the field for at least five minutes. He finally got up and spent the rest of the game on the sidelines.

“When their quarterback went down that hurt them,” Texarkana coach Bill Keopple said. “We experienced that the first time. We fought it out to the very end. Who would have thought it would have been 13-0.”

The rest of the game belonged to the Texarkana defense, which posted its second shutout of the season. And it was the Razorback defense that provided the final score, a 32-yard interception return with 1:33 left by Lavon Hervey. The Razorbacks missed extra point kick.

The shutout was only the second in the title game in the state’s two largest classifications since 1980 and the lowest scoring title game since Jacksonville defeated Hot Springs 3-0 in 1976.

The other difference in the game was a big performance from Texarkana All-State running back Dennis Johnson.

Johnson, who played injured in the first meeting between the teams, finished with 33 carries for 132 yards and was named the most valuable player. He finished the half with 87 yards on 16 carries and was swarmed everywhere he went by the Wolves’ defense.

Without Butterfield, the Wolves offense sputtered with both senior Josh Whitney and sophomore Benson Jordan splitting time at quarterback. Lake Hamilton finished with 182 yards offense and suffered three interceptions and four fumbles, although none were lost.

Texarkana had 222 yards offense, 69 of that passing.

— The Associated Press

» Read more scores and summaries from the 6A High School Football classification