Little Rock – With one of the most explosive offenses in the state in Pulaski Academy facing off against dual threat Jacolby Criswell and his Morrilton squad, the scoreboard at Bruin Stadium was destined to get a workout.
And that notion certainly rang true after the dust settled in the Class 5A semi-final game between the two powerhouse teams.
Senior quarterback Braden Bratcher passed for 529 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 91 yards and another score as Pulaski Academy out-dueled Morrilton in a shootout 68-41 to advance to their fifth consecutive state championship game.
Bratcher finished 28-of-55 passing attempts with 619 all-purpose yards as the Bruins (11-2) will now prepare for a rematch with defending state champion Little Rock Christian, who halted a Bruins repeat in last season’s title game with a 52-38 win to end hopes of an unbeaten season for Pulaski Academy last year. The two teams will meet next Saturday, October 7 at War Memorial at noon.
Little Rock Christian (13-0) beat White Hall 42-14 in the other Class 5A semi-final.
Pulaski Academy scored on five first half offensive possessions to put the game out of reach early in cruising to a 32-13 cushion at intermission over a Devil Dogs team that had struggled most of the season but found its way over the last few weeks, winning four straight games entering Friday’s contest.
Bratcher tossed an 81-yard TD bomb to Mason Kolb to spark a four touchdown first quarter for the Bruins.
Sophomore tailback Joseph Himon added a 19-yard rushing touchdown on the next Pulaski Academy and then preceded to catch a 10-yard TD strike from Bratcher as the Bruins extended their lead to 18-0.
Bratcher would score his lone rushing touchdown from 27 yards out on their fifth possession to counter Criswell’s 19-yard touchdown run to get Morrilton on the board and the Bruins never looked back.
Criswell – a North Carolina commit – scored five touchdowns in his final high school game for Morrilton (8-5) to surpass 1,000 rushing yards on the season as he rushed for 252 yards on Friday.
Himon rushed for 99 yards on ten attempts to pace the Bruins.
Faulkner County Focus Sports 