Staring at a 22-point deficit, No. 5 Heber Springs scratched and clawed back into a tie with No. 4 Osceola before falling 41-28 Friday night in the 4A State quarterfinals at Seminole Stadium in Osceola.
The Panthers finished their season with a 10-3 record while Osceola (11-1-1) advances to the state semifinals against Lonoke, who defeated Malvern 21-20 on the road on Friday.
Osceola received the opening kick off but had little success as middle linebacker Mason Williams stopped Seminole running back Tony Dancy for a net of seven yards on two carries and a false start left Osceola with a third and eight from its own 36. Dancy found room on a toss but Darren Teel and Braylon Mitchell tracked him down two yards shy of a first down, forcing a punt.
Osceola shanked the punt, giving Heber a first and 10 at its own 45. Mitchell rushed twice for seven yards then quarterback Wes McMullen found receiver Hunter Derrick for six yards and a first down at the Seminole 44.
After Mitchell picked up three yards over right tackle Jimbo Bodron, Dancy batted down a McMullen pass, leaving Heber with third and seven. McMullen hit Mitchell with a swing pass but Dancy stopped him for a 3-yard loss, forcing a punt. Landon Glover booted the punt inside the 10-yard line and Jake Blackwood swarmed the returner at the 6.
But Osceola marched 94 yards in 14 plays for the game’s first score. Fullback Zack Armstrong pounded out three yards then Dancy carried twice for a total of 14 yards, giving Osceola a first down at its own 23.
Following a 6-yard run by Armstrong, running back Kelton Jacobs was stopped for no gain by Ryan Palenske and then Palenske threw Dancy for a 4-yard loss, leaving Osceola with a third and 14. But Dancy broke free down the right sideline for 31 yards and a huge first down inside Heber territory.
Jacobs added a 7-yard run before a botched exchange left the Seminoles with a third and three. Armstrong pounded out two yards then he picked up three more on fourth and short, giving Osceola a first down at the Panther 33.
Dancy ran over right side for five yards then Jacobs added 15 more before he scored from 14 yards out and the PAT gave Osceola a 7-0 lead.
The Panthers answered with an 80-yard, 10-play scoring drive. After Mitchell ran for three yards, McMullen fired incomplete but on third and seven, McMullen hooked up with receiver Will Gilbrech for 28 yards and a huge first down.
McMullen kept for 14 more yards then Mitchell shed two tackles for four yards, setting up second and six from the Seminole 31. After firing incomplete, McMullen kept for 21 yards and a new set of downs.
On first and goal from the 10, McMullen kept for one yard but Osceola middle linebacker Charles Cody nailed Mitchell in the backfield for a 3-yard loss, leaving Heber with third and goal.
McMullen hit receiver Michael Ludwig at the 3-yard line and he used his quickness to get into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown with 10:44 remaining in the second quarter. Antonio Romero missed the extra-point, leaving Osceola with a 7-6 lead.
Romero booted a touchback on the ensuing kick off but Osceola covered 80 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Dancy picked up six yards and Jacobs added a 3-yard carry before a penalty pushed Osceola back to its own 16.
On third and long, Jacobs broke loose down the right sideline for 52 yards and a first down at the Heber 32.
Armstrong, Jacobs and Dancy each picked up eight yards on three consecutive carries, setting up second and two from the Panther 8. Armstrong barreled inside the Panther 5 and Jacobs capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. The extra-point gave Osceola a 14-6 lead with 7:09 left in second quarter.
The Seminoles forced a three and out on Heber’s next possession and Dancy returned Glover’s punt to the Osceola 48, where the Seminoles began a 3-play, 52-yard scoring strike.
Armstrong carried between the tackles for nine yards then Dancy found 13 yards around the right end before Jacobs scored from 30 yards out. The extra-point was true, pushing Osceola’ s lead to 21-6 with 5:18 to go until halftime.
The Panthers fumbled the ensuing kickoff as the Seminoles took over at the Heber 40 and used five plays for another score.  Jacobs got the drive started with a 15-yard jaunt and Dancy added three more before Armstrong pounded out five, setting up third and two from the Panther 17. Armstrong plowed up the gut for three yards and a new set of downs then Jacobs finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, his fourth of the first half. The PAT was good, extending Osceola’s lead to 28-6 with 3:31 remaining until halftime.
After Markeyvus Mays returned the ensuing kick off to the Panther 32, Heber responded with 7-play, 68-yard scoring strike. Mitchell churned out five yards on first down then he picked up five more before slot back Geoffrey Anderson turned a middle screen into 16 yards.
McMullen fired incomplete and Mitchell rushed for three yards before McMullen evaded a sack and hit Gilbrech for 24 yards and a new set of downs at the Osceola 15. On first and 10, Mitchell broke a tackle over the left side and burst into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown with 1:12 left until halftime. McMullen’s two-point conversion pass was batted down, leaving the Panthers with a 28-12 deficit.
With time running down, Osceola moved out to its own 45 then Dancy connected with Paris Harrison on a halfback pass for 31 yards as the first half came to an end.
A personal foul on the opening kick of the second half gave Heber the pigskin at its own 35 and the Panthers covered 65 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown.
After Mitchell found a gaping hole over left tackle Joseph Tharp for eight yards, Cody stopped Mitchell for a short gain before a hard count drew the Seminoles offside, giving Heber a first down.
McMullen fired incomplete and Cody stuffed Mitchell before McMullen found Gilbrech, who survived a big hit for 21 yards and first down at Seminole 30. McMullen kept for 16 more then Mitchell barreled up the middle for six yards and Derrick added four more on an end around.
On first and goal from the Seminole 4, Johhny Brown tackled Mitchell for a 2-yard loss but Heber scored on the next play as McMullen used a play-action fake to freeze the defense before he found Anderson at the 2-yard line and he powered across the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown with 8:00 left in third quarter. Using the swinging gate formation, Mitchell carried over the left side for two points on the conversion as Heber pulled within a score and conversion, trailing 28-20.
Palenske, David Darrell and the Panthers’ defense only allowed one first down before forcing a punt, which rolled dead at the Heber 33.
The Panthers marched 67 yards in nine plays for another score. Jonathan Alexander caught McMullen for a 1-yard loss before he connected with Derrick for 11 yards and first down.
Mitchell ground out six yards but McMullen passed incomplete before he hooked up with Gilbrech for 10 yards and new set of downs. Mitchell pounded out three more yards then McMullen passed to Gilbrech, who made a spectacular diving grab over the middle for 32 yards, setting up first and goal from the Seminole 6.
Mitchell carried down to the 1-yard line and McMullen capped the drive with a sneak behind center Keith Watson. Out of the swinging gate formation, Ludwig took the snap and made an option pitch to Derrick for two on the conversion, tying the game at 28-up with 40 seconds left in third quarter.
But Osceola responded with a quick strike as Dancy returned Romero’s kick off to the Seminole 24, where Armstrong ground out six yards but an illegal procedure penalty left Osceola with a second and nine. On the final play of the third quarter, Dancy found room over the right side and sped past the Panther secondary for a 75-yard touchdown. The extra-point was good, giving the Seminoles a 35-28 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Starting from their own 35, the Panthers drove into Osceola territory as McMullen connected with Gilbrech for 37 yards and Mitchell added a 16-yard scamper that set up a first and 10 at the Seminole 12.
Nose guard Malcolm Golden threw McMullen for a 2-yard loss on first down then McMullen fired incomplete before Dancy intercepted a deflected pass in the end zone, killing the Panthers’ drive.
The Seminoles chewed up a lot of clock on their next drive as Dancy carried eight times for a total of 70 yards, including a 15-yard jaunt on fourth and five that set Osceola up with a first and 10 from the Heber 15.
After Armstrong plowed up the middle for five yards, Williams recovered a fumbled exchange at the Panther 9, giving Heber one last gasp with 4:19 remaining in the game.
Following the turnover, Mitchell rushed for five yards and McMullen hit Derrick for six more and a first down. After an incompletion, McMullen found Derrick for eight yards but on third and two McMullen was flushed from the pocket and tracked down for a 2-yard loss, leaving Heber with a critical fourth and four with 3:23 left in game.
After a timeout, McMullen hit Gilbrech at the 30 for what appeared to be a first down but the spot left Heber three inches short as Osceola took over on downs and put the game out of reach with five straight carries by Dancy that totaled 29 yards, including a 4-yard run that gave Osceola a 41-28 lead with 37 seconds left. The Seminoles missed the extra point but with little time remaining Heber only had time for three more plays as Osceola held on for a hard-fought victory.