This article has been updated to include the names of the Badger seniors

By CHRIS BABB | The Arkadelphian

The Arkadelphia Badgers celebrated Senior Night with their second straight blowout victory, defeating Waldron 56-6 in the last regular season game on AllCare Field at Badger Stadium.

With the win, the. Badgers improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the 4A-7. By virtue of the win, the Badgers officially clinched a berth in the 4A State playoffs. Arkadelphia is tied at 3-0 with Malvern, which also clinched a spot in the playoffs with a win at Mena Friday night. Waldron fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

The Badgers again use a quick-strike offense to overwhelm the Bulldogs although it wasn’t on the second play of the game like it was two weeks ago. Arkadelphia to 1:34 to score and got its first of seven first-half touchdowns when senior quarterback Donovan Whitten found senior wide receiver Tripp Campbell in the left side of the end zone. Senior Broc Currey’s extra point
made the score 7-0 with 10:26 left to play.

The Badger defense put together its first of many stops on Waldron’s first drive of the game, forcing a punt. After a penalty on Arkadelphia’s first play, Whitten found senior receiver Carter Babb on a screen pass at the Badger 40-yard line. Babb spun away from one defender and eluded a second tackles on his way to the end zone. Currey again would add the extra point and
the Badgers led 14-0.

Whitten’s third touchdown pass of the night was again to Campbell, who made a spectacular catch on a route to the back left corner of the end zone, high-pointing the ball above the outstretched arms of the defender. Curry made the third of his eight extra points on the night to extend the Badger lead to 21-0.

Another senior on offense got in on the action with 9:35 left in the second quarter when receiver LaTonnieo Hughes hauled in a deep ball from Whitten after getting behind the Waldron defense for the fourth touchdown pass of the night. Currey was again perfect to give the Badgers a 28-0 lead.

Junior DeAngleo Buckley added a 14-yard touchdown and Whitten scored from one yard out to give Arkadelphia a 42-0 lead in the second quarter. The Badgers ended the first half with a defensive and special teams score as senior Marveon Berry blocked a Waldron punt on the last play of the first half. Junior linebacker chase Vantilborg hauled in the deflected punt out of the air and ran 30 yards into the end zone. The Badgers led 49-0 at halftime.

Arkadelphia’s only score of the second half came early in the fourth quarter when senior running back Allen Buckley scored his second touchdown in as many weeks on a nine-yard run. Waldron’s only score of the night came from its defense after the Bulldogs picked up a Badger fumble inside the Badger five and scored. The two-point conversion was no good.

Arkadelphia returns to action this Friday as the Badgers travel to Ashdown to take on the Panthers in the next-to-last regular season game of the season. Kickoff at Dick Hays Stadium on the Ashdown High School campus is set for 7 p.m.