Morrilton 48, Russellville 35

RUSSELLVILLE — Morrilton exploded in the second half behind sophomore running back Brelan Criswell, storming back from a halftime deficit to topple Russellville, 48–35, on Friday night at Cyclone Stadium.

Criswell set the tone early with a 46-yard touchdown run, then stole the show late with multiple long bursts, including a 40-yard clincher in the fourth quarter. He finished with a highlight-filled night that defined the Devil Dogs’ season opener.

Quarterback Maddox Berry connected with Jamarcus C. Sandidge for a 44-yard touchdown, and Sandidge later delivered a momentum-shifting 95-yard kickoff return. Junior Keaton Robinson added a bruising red-zone score, while kicker Aaron Echalaz nailed three PATs. Dominick McCoy supplied a key two-point conversion in the fourth to stretch the margin.

Russellville showed plenty of fight behind quarterback Marcellus Olson-Patton, who threw two early touchdown passes—including a 20-yarder to Julius Thompson—and added a short rushing score to help the Cyclones build a 29–20 halftime lead. Running back Quay Prince punched in a one-yard score, and receiver Jerahn Brown capped Russellville’s night with a six-yard touchdown run in the final minutes.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Morrilton – Brelan Criswell 46-yd run (Aaron Echalaz kick), MHS 7–0.
Russellville – Marcellus Olson-Patton 13-yd pass (Julius Thompson 2-pt run), RHS 8–7.
Morrilton – Jamarcus C. Sandidge 44-yd pass from Maddox Berry (kick blocked), MHS 13–8.
Russellville – Julius Thompson 20-yd pass from Olson-Patton (Jesus Perez kick), RHS 15–13.
Morrilton – Sandidge 95-yd kickoff return (Echalaz kick), MHS 20–15.

2nd Quarter
Russellville – Quay Prince 1-yd run (Perez kick), RHS 22–20.
Russellville – Olson-Patton 7-yd run (Perez kick), RHS 29–20.

3rd Quarter
Morrilton – Keaton Robinson 4-yd run (Echalaz kick), RHS 29–27.
Morrilton – Criswell 65-yd run (kick no good), MHS 33–29.

4th Quarter
Morrilton – Criswell TD run (distance n/a; Dominick McCoy 2-pt run), MHS 41–29.
Morrilton – Criswell 40-yd run (Echalaz kick), MHS 48–29.
Russellville – Jerahn Brown 6-yd run (2-pt try no good), Final 48–35.