De QUEEN, Ark. - The long losing streak dating back several years was over in an instant.
The scoreboard read: De Queen 14, Visitor (Fouke) 7.
The Leopards' 28-game football losing streak ended before a partisan and fired up crowd Friday night at Leopard Stadium.
"The crowd rushed onto the field in joy and celebration," said De Queen head football coach Brad Chesshir. "It was crazy and hard to put into words. It was almost indescribable.
"Some people were cheering and clapping, some were hugging and hollering, and some were crying in celebration. They were crying tears of joy and the jubilation of the moment.
"This is something the players, fans and coaches won't forget. This is the team that ended the losing streak."
The losing skid dates back to the 2018 season when the Leopards nipped Hope, 21-14 in overtime on Sept. 21. It was De Queen's homecoming game.
"Really, we haven't mentioned the losing streak to our players all year long," Chesshir said. "I actually started thinking about it and talked to our players about it at halftime when we were leading Fouke, 7-0.
"It was just a subject we didn't talk about and didn't want to think about. We put it in the back of our minds and just tried to forget about it."
Chesshir said he's received "probably hundreds of emails and phone calls congratulating us on our victory. It was like we won the state championship or something on that caliber.
"I wasn't surprised that we won, because our kids have been gaining confidence since we played Nashville (a 41-27 loss to the state-ranked Scrappers). Our kids have been fighting hard to win every game. I'm just glad I was around and got to experience this accomplishment.
"No team wants to be remembered as the team that continued the losing streak. You've got to remember, most of our players had never experienced victory on the varsity level. It was definitely a step forward for our program."
The Leopards performed well against Fouke, Chesshir said.
Running back Donyea Whitmore, a junior, gave the hosts a 7-0 lead on his 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Whitmore was the Leopards' workhorse, carrying the ball 21 times for 165 yards (7.9-yard per carry average). His longest run was a 51 yards. He has scored four touchdowns in four games this year.
Quarterback Dylan Williamson, a third-year starter, broke loose on a 47-yard scoring run in the third quarter as De Queen built a 14-0 lead. Williamson's favorite target was Jonathan Bahena, who caught three passes for 19 yards.
Williamson, a two-way starter, also intercepted a pass and was in on seven tackles for De Queen's stingy defense. Luke Pearce and Enrique Hernandez had 11 tackles each and Jesse Parker 10, Barnett nine and Kaden Ahumada eight.
Pearce had 10 sacks for minus-10 yards and Ahumada had an 11-yard sack.
Fouke's Dylan Van Kam had five tackles, and an interception. Aiden McGowen led the Panthers with seven tackles and Cody Henderson and Thornton had six stops apiece.
Fouke quarter Kye Monroe completed 13 of 32 passes for 147 yards. He had the Panthers' lone touchdown, a 62-yard scoring strike to Ethan Thornton in the third quarter, which closed the gap to 14-7 entering the final period.
"We had to make several big stops in the second half, especially with about 2 or 3 minutes left to play," said Coach Chesshir. "They had a 4th-and-long and went for a deep pass, but our defender, Monroe Barnett, knocked it down and gave the ball to our offense.
"We had several players to step up and contribute to this win. It was total effort, the players, coaches, the student body, the fans and the administration. It took everything we had to win and it's starting to pay off."
Chesshir said some of the fans were kind of stunned and in shock after De Queen had won. Then there was wild pandemonium as the field was swarmed with players and fans.
"It was an electric feeling for me - seeing all the joy, smiles and tears on our players' faces," he said. "It was very emotional for us all."
Chesshir said it's taken hours upon hours of hard work and preparation to get to the point of winning again.
"Most people don't see all the work, the long hours in the weight room, all the practices in the 100-degree heat," Chesshir said. "The kids' hard work is coming to fruition and we're starting to reap the benefits."
The 1-3 Leopards' next game will be Friday night at winless Hope (0-4), where they last won a game before the former losing streak began.
The Bobcats have struggled the last five years, posting a 3-47 record during that span. Hope, however, has beaten De Queen the last three meetings and the teams have split the last six contests, 3-3.
De Queen could have a two-game winning streak if the Leopards beat Hope. Yes, a winning streak.
"Let's not talk about Hope just yet," Chesshir said. "We want to savor this victory. It has a sweet taste to it."