DePriest’s last-second touchdown keeps Sheridan unbeaten
Sheridan 48, Searcy 45
October 16, 2026 | Hooten’s Arkansas Football |
SHERIDAN — Wylie DePriest took an underneath pitch from Easton Barksdale four yards into the end zone with nine seconds remaining as Sheridan rallied past Searcy 48-45 Friday night in a matchup of unbeaten 6A-East teams at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
The Yellowjackets drove 80 yards after Jackson Smith’s fifth touchdown put Searcy ahead 45-41 with four minutes left. Sheridan overcame a holding penalty and a sack on the winning possession, with Barksdale scrambling for a first down and Hunter Socia fighting through contact to convert a fourth-down reception with 1:13 remaining.
Sheridan faced fourth-and-1 again in the closing seconds. Barksdale threw toward the sideline, where Dylan Smith made a sliding catch while keeping a foot inbounds. DePriest scored on the next play, and Enzo Miranda added the extra point. Searcy completed a pass to move into Sheridan territory, but its final pass-and-lateral play ended short of the end zone.
Sheridan improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Searcy fell to 6-1 and 3-1 despite Jackson Smith’s five scores and a third-quarter defensive surge that produced an 11-point lead.
Barksdale opened the scoring with a 19-yard pass to Socia, then found DePriest for the two-point conversion. Jackson Smith answered on a 41-yard jet-sweep play, but DePriest’s touchdown reception and Zay Stephens’ conversion run stretched Sheridan’s lead to 16-7.
Searcy stopped Sheridan near the goal line early in the second quarter, then Jacob Miles connected with Jackson Smith for a long catch-and-run touchdown. Barksdale answered with a 52-yard scoring pass to Dylan Smith on fourth down. Stephens’ conversion made it 24-14 before Micah Linderman kicked a 25-yard field goal with 32 seconds left.
Stephens’ sideline reception helped Sheridan reach Searcy territory before three Lions penalties moved the Yellowjackets into field-goal range. Mason Morris handled a high snap, and Miranda made a 27-yard kick as the half ended for a 27-17 lead.
Sheridan stopped Searcy on fourth-and-goal to open the second half, but the Lions soon scored three touchdowns in a little more than two minutes. Jackson Smith caught a 29-yard pass after a Sheridan punt, then added a 5-yard scoring reception following a fumble recovery. Bryson Allen intercepted a pass under pressure and returned it for a touchdown, putting Searcy ahead 38-27.
Barksdale absorbed another hit while delivering a 75-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Smith with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Reid Stevens then intercepted Miles, setting up Stephens’ 7-yard touchdown early in the fourth. Stephens added the two-point conversion for a 41-38 lead, and Stevens recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Sheridan did not score on that possession. Searcy later regained the lead on Miles’ 12-yard pass to Jackson Smith, leaving the Yellowjackets four minutes to assemble their decisive drive. Sheridan finished four of five on two-point attempts, with the four conversions and Miranda’s final extra point supplying nine conversion points to Searcy’s six.
Scoring summary
First quarter • 11:03 Sheridan — Hunter Socia 19-yard pass from Easton Barksdale (Wylie DePriest pass from Barksdale). Sheridan 8, Searcy 0.
First quarter • 10:12 Searcy — Jackson Smith 41-yard touchdown on a jet sweep (Micah Linderman kick). Sheridan 8, Searcy 7.
First quarter • 5:54 Sheridan — Wylie DePriest pass from Easton Barksdale (Zay Stephens run). Sheridan 16, Searcy 7.
Second quarter • 9:05 Searcy — Jackson Smith pass from Jacob Miles (kick good). Sheridan 16, Searcy 14.
Second quarter • 3:15 Sheridan — Dylan Smith 52-yard pass from Easton Barksdale (Zay Stephens run). Sheridan 24, Searcy 14.
Second quarter • 0:32 Searcy — Micah Linderman 25-yard field goal. Sheridan 24, Searcy 17.
Second quarter • 0:00 Sheridan — Enzo Miranda 27-yard field goal. Sheridan 27, Searcy 17.
Third quarter • 5:44 Searcy — Jackson Smith 29-yard pass from Jacob Miles (kick good). Sheridan 27, Searcy 24.
Third quarter • 4:35 Searcy — Jackson Smith 5-yard pass from Jacob Miles (kick good). Searcy 31, Sheridan 27.
Third quarter • 3:37 Searcy — Bryson Allen interception return (kick good). Searcy 38, Sheridan 27.
Third quarter • 1:35 Sheridan — Dylan Smith 75-yard pass from Easton Barksdale (two-point pass failed). Searcy 38, Sheridan 33.
Fourth quarter • 11:34 Sheridan — Zay Stephens 7-yard run (Stephens run). Sheridan 41, Searcy 38.
Fourth quarter • 4:00 Searcy — Jackson Smith 12-yard pass from Jacob Miles (kick good). Searcy 45, Sheridan 41.
Fourth quarter • 0:09 Sheridan — Wylie DePriest 4-yard touchdown on an underneath pitch from Easton Barksdale (Enzo Miranda kick). Sheridan 48, Searcy 45.
Players who stood out
Wylie DePriest, Sheridan: Two touchdowns, including the 4-yard winner with nine seconds left; also caught the opening two-point conversion
Dylan Smith, Sheridan: Touchdown catches of 52 and 75 yards, plus the sliding fourth-and-1 reception immediately before the winning touchdown
Easton Barksdale, Sheridan: Touchdown passes to Hunter Socia and DePriest, two to Dylan Smith, and the winning pitch to DePriest; converted a third down with his legs on the final drive
Zay Stephens, Sheridan: 7-yard fourth-quarter touchdown and three successful two-point runs; sideline reception helped set up the field goal before halftime
Reid Stevens, Sheridan: Interception that set up the early fourth-quarter go-ahead touchdown, followed by an onside-kick recovery
Hunter Socia, Sheridan: Opening 19-yard touchdown reception and a fourth-down catch with 1:13 left that kept the winning drive alive
Jackson Smith, Searcy: Five touchdowns, including three in the second half and the 12-yard reception that gave Searcy a 45-41 lead with four minutes remaining
Bryson Allen, Searcy: Third-quarter interception return for a touchdown that stretched the Lions’ lead to 38-27