Football Recap: Izard County Starts Season with Victory on the Road

Izard County had to kick off their season on the road on Friday, but they showed no ill effects. They had just enough and edged out the Yellville-Summit Panthers 40-38. This was payback for the Cougars, who suffered a 55-7 loss the last time these two teams met.

Benaiah Spray

Receiving Yards (Career)

08/29/25 @ Yellville-Summit	257
10/25/24 @ Marked Tree	124
11/08/24 vs Lee	104
10/18/24 vs Des Arc	86
10/11/24 @ McCrory	84

A big part of Izard County's victory came down to the chemistry between Kyler Brashear and his top target Benaiah Spray. Brashear threw for 508 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 13.4 yards per attempt while Spray picked up 257 receiving yards and three scores. Those 257 receiving yards gave Spray a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hayden Strong, who picked up 101 receiving yards and one TD.

Izard County and Yellville-Summit will both get a bit of extra prep time before their next matches. The next time the Cougars see the field they'll take on Quitman at 7:00 p.m. on September 12. As for Yellville-Summit, their break will end when they face Hector at 7:00 p.m. on September 12.