Greyhounds end season with win over Buffaloes

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Fort Scott Community College's football team ended its season on a winning note Saturday afternoon, beating Arkansas Baptist College, 53-36, in a non-conference game.

The Greyhounds finished the season with a 2-7 record with their other victory coming over Independence by a 63-7 score on October 5.

Jo-Nathan Alford rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns for the Greyhounds, finishing the season with 1,289 yards. Kyle Hammond added 133 yards on 16 carries for his third 100-yard game of the season and the second in which both he and Alford gained 100.

Fort Scott had 497 yards in total offense while Arkansas Baptist had 307. The Greyhound defense held the Buffaloes to 39 rushing yards on 38 carries.

Fort Scott's first score came on defense as Jabyes Cross returned the first of five Greyhound interceptions 46 yards just 3:17 into the contest. Quarterback Jason Stewart hit Jared Dangerfield with 9:13 in the half for a 52-yard scoring play and Alford ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 15-0.

ABC scored 21 straight points with two Tyrone Carter touchdown receptions -- the first from 4 yards, the second from 80 -- bringing the Buffs within a point with 3:21 on the clock. Just 16 seconds later, Eric Williams returned a fumble 43 yards to give Arkansas Baptist its only lead of the game.

Alford scored from 3 yards out with 1:18 left in1 the first quarter and again from 1 yard away 3 1/2 minutes into the second, making it 36-21. Stewart hit Jornell Fondren on a 35-yard scoring pass with 6:45 left in the half. Then Alford scored for the third time, this on a 16-yard run to make it 43-21 with 2:05 to go in the half.

Kenny Bell returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for Arkansas Baptist, which was the last score of the first half.

Carlos Chavez kicked a 23-yard field goal for Fort Scott with 2:19 on the clock in the third. Then Demetrius Hill returned a fumble 31 yards to make it 53-28 with 1:22 left in the third.

The only score of the fourth quarter was a 6-yard touchdown pass to Carter for ABC, with a 2-point conversion pass also good with 2:48 left in the game.

This concluded Fort Scott's first losing season since 2005, which was the second of consecutive winless seasons during a 24-game losing streak that stretched over parts of four seasons.

NOTES -- Butler claimed its fourth consecutive Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference regular-season championship Saturday night when the eighth-ranked Grizzlies (6-1 conference, 7-1 overall) defeated Hutchinson, 19-16, in six overtimes.

Yes, SIX overtimes, likely the most in conference history. Hutchinson had played a four-overtime game at Fort Scott in 2002, which the 'Hounds won that day, 30-24.

What made this game go on so long was the inaccuracy of both teams' kickers. Butler's kicker, Robert Rawlings, had a 21-yarder blocked with 5:33 left in regulation. Hutchinson's kicker, Ryan Weese, had a 47-yarder blocked on the last play of regulation.

All but one of the first eight possessions in overtime ended with a missed field goal -- the other ended when Hutch (5-2, 6-2) intercepted a halfback pass.

Weese -- who had made 9 of 10 field-goal tries coming into the game -- hit a school record-tying 47-yarder in the fifth OT to put Hutchinson up 16-13. But Rawlings tied it with a 26-yarder.

Hutch also had first possession in the sixth OT but Weese's 26-yard try was blocked. Rawlings then hit a 21-yard kick to win the game....

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FORT SCOTT........ 22 21 10 0 -- 53

ARKANSAS BAPTIST..... 21 7 0 8 -- 36

Scoring

First Quarter

FS -- Cross 46 interception return (Chavez kick), 11:43

FS -- Dangerfield 52 pass from Stewart (Alford run), 9:13

AB -- Carter 4 pass from Dixon (Kertchavel kick), 4:34

AB -- Carter 80 pass from Dixon (Kertchavel kick), 3:21

AB -- Williams 43 fumble return (Kertchavel kick), 3:05

FS -- Alford 3 run (Chavez kick), 1:18

Second Quarter

FS -- Alford 1 run (Chavez kick), 11:29

FS -- Fondren 35 pass from Stewart (Chavez kick), 6:45

FS -- Alford 16 run (Chavez kick), 2:02

AB -- Bell 86 kickoff return (Kertchavel kick), 1:49

Third Quarter

FS -- FG Chavez 23, 2:19

FS -- Hill 31 fumble return (Chavez kick), 1:22

Fourth Quarter

AB -- Carter 6 pass from Dixon (pass successful), 2:48

Individual Statistics

Arkansas Baptist statistics not provided.

RUSHING: Fort Scott -- Alford 31-184, Hammond 16-129, Stewart 10-31, Buie 2-18, Vincent 1-minus 14.

PASSING: Fort Scott -- Stewart 8-21-1-149.

RECEIVING: Fort Scott -- Dangerfield 2-72, Fondren 2-51, Buie 2-1, Alford 1-23, Evans 1-2.

MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.