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PREP RALLY PLAYOFF: 25 CLASS 3A PAUL BOYD NWA Democrat-Gazette BOONEVILLE — Carson Ray's carrying on a family tradition. e senior has followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the Booneville Bearcats. Scott Hyatt is in his 27th season at Booneville as head football coach and he says football and the Ray family name go hand in hand in the rural Logan County town. Ray's father, Allen, known as Gator is the school's all-time leading rusher, while his grandfather Bruce also topped the 1,000-yard plateau in the early 1970s. "ey've been around for a long time and they're just a family that loves football," Hyatt said. "Carson's just one of those kids who works hard. He's not very vocal, but gets out there and leads by example. He's a spark plug. He sees the field well, has a low center of gravity and he's hard to knock off his feet. He's a physical kid. Just a good hard- nosed football player, but a respectful kid. People all the time ask me 'Is that Gator's boy?'" e Booneville football tradition is similar, reaching all over the state. "I can go to South Arkansas, back home to Rison for Christmas and my folks still talk about that game that went into overtime in 1999. Ray's hoping to lead the Bearcats to a state championship like his father. e Bearcats (10-0), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, begin their quest for their fourth state title in school history by hosting Ray looking to lead Booneville to another state title COURTESY PHOTO Carson Ray, Booneville senior running back, looks for an opening against Cedarville. The No. 1 Bearcats will host Baptist Prep in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs Friday night. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018