The 2024 Football Season is officially underway in Monticello after the annual AAA Benefit Scrimmage game was held at Hyatt Field on Tuesday, August 15, featuring the Monticello Junior Billies and Billies hosting the Rison Junior Wildcats and Wildcats.
The Junior Billies and Junior Wildcats would officially get the 2024 season underway with a 5:30 pm kickoff.
Monticello would get the ball first on their own 30 yard line and after a run by Joseph Accelus, the Junior Billies would find themselves inside the Red Zone on their first drive.
After a few penalties pushed the Junior Billies back, Hudson Harvey would connect with Luke Reid for the first Junior Billie touchdown of the season to give the Junior Billies a 6-0 lead after the failed two-point conversion.
Rison would have an opportunity to tie the contest, but the Monticello defense would intercept the Rison pass in the endzone to null the Rison scoring drive.
The Junior Billies would add their final score in the second half on a 35-yard run by Accelus and a two-point conversion to give the Junior Billies a 14-0 lead that would be recorded as the final score of the contest.
The Monticello Billies would take the field at 7 pm for their benefit contest hosting the defending 8-3A Conference Champions from a season ago.
This would be the first time that the Wildcats would be taking the field under a new head coach for the first time in 25 seasons after the departure of former head coach Clay Totty in the offseason.
Caleb Carmikle, who was the head coach at Magnet Cove for the last six seasons, showed a new concept to not only Rison fans at Hyatt Field, but also the Billie home crowd s Rison began to pass the football, a game plan not used very often in the past 25 years.
Rison received the ball to begin the contest starting from their own 30-yard line.
Rison’s first pass attempt was incomplete followed by a run and another incomplete pass to set up an opening drive punt.
Monticello began their first drive at their own 34-yard line with Brooks Bowman completing his first pass to Evan Bealer for a 15-yard gain.
Jontavion Lambert added a yard before a 22 yard completion to Bealer to the Rison 28.
Lambert would get the Billies inside the 10-yard line, but the drive would stall with the Billies turning the ball over on downs at the eight.
The Billie defense pushed Rison back to the one before Rison completed a 68-yard pass to the Monticello 31.
Rison scored on the drive to take a 6-0 lead after the failed two-point conversion.
On Monticello’s next drive, Lambert would lose a couple of yards to the Monticello 28 before breaking free for a 70-yard gain to the Rison two-yard line.
A four-yard loss put the Billies on the six, but Zaedin Jones gained the six for the touchdown. After a failed extra point, the score was tied at six.
Rison’s drive would carry into the second quarter before turning the ball over on downs at the Monticello 47-yard line.
After two positive runs, a holding penalty against Monticello would bring the ball back to the Monticello 38.
Bowman connected with Bealer on a 62 yard touchdown pass that would be called back on a false start penalty.
Monticello would be forced to punt on the drive.
Rison would score on their next possession with 6:51 remaining in the half to take a 12-6 lead.
Bowman connected with Tejon Tensley on his first pass of Monticello’s next possession for a 70-yard touchdown strike.
Joseph Rojas added the extra point to give the Billies a 13-12 lead.
Rison would turn the ball over on downs at the Monticello 40 with 4:34 remaining in the half.
On their next drive, Bowman would connect with Bealer for 14 yards followed by a 38 yard strike to the Rison one where Lambert would get the score to give the Billies a 19-12 lead.
Rison would shoot for the end zone as the half ended but the pass would be intercepted by Tensley.
Starting the third quarter, each team would get eight plays before the start of the fourth quarter.
Getting the ball first to start the third quarter, Bowman would connect with Bealer on a 70 yard strike to increase the Billie lead to 26-12 after the successful extra point by Rojas.
Starting the fourth quarter, the quarter would be played by the second string offense and defense with a running clock.
Monticello would get one more score in the contest after Tye Guthrie connected with Curtis Barrow for a 64-yard touchdown to set up the final score, 32-12.
For the Billies, Brooks Bowman would complete 7 of 13 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns.
Evan Bealer would lead the Billies in receiving yards with 159 yards and a touchdown.
Quay Rhodes would have one catch for 19 yards, and Tejon tensley finished with 70 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Jontavion Lambert led the Billies in rushing yards with 94 yards and a touchdown with Zaedin Jones adding 18 yards and a score.
The Junior Billies and Billies will return to Hyatt Field Friday night, August 18, at 6 pm for the annual Blue/White Scrimmage with the juniors taking the field first.
The regular season will officially begin for the Junior Billies on Thursday, August 24, traveling to Fordyce to face the Junior Redbugs at 7 pm.
The Billies will begin the regular season on Friday, August 25, hosting the Fordyce Redbugs with a 7 pm scheduled kickoff.
Pirates to host Dumas Bobcats Thursday for AAA Benefit Scrimmage game
The Drew Central Pirates season will officially get underway on Thursday, August 17, at Drew Central.
The Pirates, under second year head coach Larry White, will host the Dumas Bobcats with the Junior Pirates facing the Junior Bobcats at 5 pm and the Pirates and Dumas to follow at 6 pm.
This will be the first game on Drew Central’s new football field that was converted to a turf field over the summer break.
The Junior Pirates will begin regular season play on Thursday, August 24, at Drew Central hosting Bearden at 5:30 pm with the Pirates first regular season contest being on the road on Friday, August 25, traveling to Bearden to face the Bears with a scheduled 7 pm kick.
