Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but unfortunately for the West Memphis Blue Devils, they weren't the ones who walked away with it. They were the victim of a tough 55-32 defeat at the hands of Van Buren on Friday. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Leading Van Buren to victory were Cameron Keller and Bryce Perkins. Keller gained 265 total yards and three touchdowns, while Perkins threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns. Keller was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 57 yards. Another player making a difference was Trenton Cooley, who picked up 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Van Buren's imposing defensive line, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Alex Welborn was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
West Memphis bumped their record down to 7-3 with that loss, which was their third straight at home. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 9-1 Benton and 8-2 Marion (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 70% over those games). As for Van Buren, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-6.
West Memphis does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Van Buren will head out on the road to face off against Little Rock Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Little Rock Christian Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight matchups -- so hopefully Van Buren likes a good challenge.
