Cardinals Survive Late Charge, Edge Devil Dogs in 5A Thriller

Farmington 28, Morrilton 27

FARMINGTON — Farmington held off a furious late rally to beat Morrilton 28–27 on Thursday, sealing a key 5A West result behind quarterback Ayden Lester’s four-touchdown night. Lester threw three scoring passes and added a goal-line sneak to pace the Cardinals.

Lester’s early fade to receiver Dawson Keaton opened the scoring, and the senior later found sophomore wideout JJ Moore on fourth down to put Farmington ahead again after a 7–7 first quarter. Keaton tacked on a second touchdown before halftime, and Lester’s sneak made it 28–14, capping a 99-yard march that began at the Cardinals’ 1.

Morrilton answered behind record-setting quarterback Maddox Berry, who threw four touchdown passes, including a late deep ball with 0:41 remaining. The Devil Dogs went for the lead, but Cardinals cornerback Peyton Bailey broke up the two-point try in the end zone to preserve the margin.

Keaton and Moore anchored a balanced receiving corps, while slot target Brady Richards moved the chains with multiple third- and fourth-down grabs. Defensively, end Trevor Harvey and the front produced steady pressure as Farmington varied fronts and mixed in timely blitzes.

The win keeps Farmington’s pursuit of playoff seeding intact, while Morrilton showed its trademark timing offense and resiliency. Both teams protected the ball and executed in special teams; the difference was one defensive snap. Lester distributed to six targets and guided an offense that balanced quick game with counter schemes, while the Cardinals limited Morrilton to short fields until the final drive on a cool Thursday night.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Farmington – Dawson Keaton fade from Ayden Lester (PAT good), FHS 7–0.
Morrilton – Maddox Berry 1-yd rollout TD pass (PAT good), 7–7.

2nd Quarter
Farmington – JJ Moore 35-yd pass from Lester (PAT good), FHS 14–7.
Farmington – Keaton TD reception from Lester (PAT good), FHS 21–7.
Morrilton – Berry TD pass (PAT good), FHS 21–14.

3rd Quarter
Farmington – Lester 1-yd QB sneak (PAT good), FHS 28–14.

4th Quarter
Morrilton – Berry 4-yd tunnel screen TD (PAT good), FHS 28–21.
Morrilton – Berry long TD pass (two-point pass broken up by Bailey), FHS 28–27.

Standouts

• Ayden Lester (QB, Farmington) — 3 TD passes, 1 rushing TD

• Dawson Keaton (WR, Farmington) — 2 TD catches

• JJ Moore (WR, Farmington) — 1 TD catch; key fourth-down grab

• Peyton Bailey (CB, Farmington) — 2 PBUs, including the decisive two-point attempt

• Maddox Berry (QB, Morrilton) — 4 TD passes; record-setting signal-caller