Chambers’ five touchdowns lift Booneville past Mena
Booneville 49, Mena 28
MENA — Brody Chambers rushed for 213 yards and five touchdowns as Booneville erased an early 16-point deficit and defeated Mena 49-28 Friday night at Randle Horton Field.
Chambers carried 31 times, according to the broadcast’s corrected game totals, and scored three second-half touchdowns. Booneville outscored Mena 28-6 after halftime to improve to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in 4A-4 play. Mena fell to 2-3 and 1-1.
The visiting Bearcats earned the program’s 800th victory, a milestone coach Doc Crowley acknowledged during the postgame interview. Booneville had not played in 20 days, and Mena quickly put the visitors behind.
Hank Rose returned the opening kickoff approximately 90 yards to the Booneville 5. Chance Hughes scored on the next play, and Rose ran in the conversion for an 8-0 lead with 11:41 remaining.
Mena recovered the ensuing onside kick and drove for another score before Booneville ran an offensive play. Hughes cut back on a 15-yard touchdown run with 8:43 left, and Rose added another two-point run for a 16-0 advantage.
Booneville answered with Chambers’ 36-yard run around the left side. Hayden Daniel carried in the conversion, cutting the deficit in half with 6:04 left.
Mena scored again on fourth-and-goal from the 5 to move ahead 22-8. Booneville responded with Daniel’s 47-yard touchdown run with 1:35 remaining in the quarter, and Cooper Smithson’s extra point made it 22-15.
The visiting defense kept Mena from adding to its lead in the second quarter. Devon Ritchie made a touchdown-saving tackle on Luke Rowland’s reverse, and Booneville eventually put together a late scoring drive. An offside penalty changed fourth-and-six to fourth-and-one, which Chambers converted. His two-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left trimmed the margin to 22-21, but the tying kick was unsuccessful.
Ritchie returned the second-half kickoff into Mena territory. Chambers finished the possession with a touchdown run that featured a hurdle and a spin, giving Booneville its first lead, 27-22, with 10:40 left in the third quarter.
Booneville then recovered a fumble and converted the turnover into Callen Montalvo’s 15-yard touchdown run. The extra point missed, keeping the score 33-22.
Mena remained within reach. A fourth-down completion to Blayden West helped extend a drive that ended with Stradden House’s six-yard touchdown run with 1:30 remaining. Booneville stopped Rose’s conversion attempt to retain a five-point lead.
Chambers answered with a seven-yard touchdown and a two-point run with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter. After Booneville forced a fourth-down incompletion with 6:47 remaining, the visitors controlled the ball on their final scoring drive. Tayden Washburn’s 15-yard keeper converted third-and-long, and Chambers finished with a four-yard touchdown with 1:52 left. Washburn ran in the final conversion.
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Mena — Chance Hughes five-yard run (Hank Rose run), Mena 8, Booneville 0. 11:41.
Mena — Chance Hughes 15-yard run (Hank Rose run), Mena 16, Booneville 0. 8:43.
Booneville — Brody Chambers 36-yard run (Hayden Daniel run), Mena 16, Booneville 8. 6:04.
Booneville — Hayden Daniel 47-yard run (Cooper Smithson kick), Mena 22, Booneville 15. 1:35.
2nd Quarter
Booneville — Brody Chambers two-yard run (kick unsuccessful), Mena 22, Booneville 21. 0:10.
3rd Quarter
Booneville — Brody Chambers run (two-point run unsuccessful), Booneville 27, Mena 22. 10:40.
Booneville — Callen Montalvo 15-yard run (kick unsuccessful), Booneville 33, Mena 22.
Mena — Stradden House six-yard run (two-point run unsuccessful), Booneville 33, Mena 28. 1:30.
4th Quarter
Booneville — Brody Chambers seven-yard run (Chambers run), Booneville 41, Mena 28. 8:41.
Booneville — Brody Chambers four-yard run (Tayden Washburn run), Booneville 49, Mena 28. 1:52.
Players Who Stood Out
Brody Chambers, Booneville — 31 carries for 213 yards and five touchdowns, according to corrected broadcast totals. Also converted fourth-and-one late in the first half and ran in a fourth-quarter two-point conversion.
Hayden Daniel, Booneville — Scored on a 47-yard first-quarter run and carried in the two-point conversion after Booneville’s opening touchdown.
Devon Ritchie, Booneville — Made a touchdown-saving tackle on Luke Rowland’s second-quarter reverse and returned the second-half kickoff into Mena territory to set up the go-ahead score.
Callen Montalvo, Booneville — Scored on a 15-yard third-quarter run after a Mena fumble.
Tayden Washburn, Booneville — Converted third-and-long with a 15-yard fourth-quarter keeper to sustain the final scoring drive and ran in the final two-point conversion.
Chance Hughes, Mena — Scored the first two touchdowns on five- and 15-yard runs; had 70 yards on eight carries at halftime.
Hank Rose, Mena — Returned the opening kickoff approximately 90 yards to the 5 and ran in Mena’s first two conversions.
Stradden House, Mena — Scored on a six-yard third-quarter run to cut Booneville’s lead to five points.
Blayden West, Mena — Caught a fourth-and-seven pass near the sideline during the third-quarter touchdown drive.