Bowen leads defensive effort for Springdale Har-Ber

SPRINGDALE — The pain was worth the gain for defensive back Cole Bowen.

Bowen went up high and knocked down a fourth-down pass in the fourth quarter to help preserve a 16-10 victory for Springdale Har-Ber over Little Rock Central Friday in the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs at Wildcat Stadium. Har-Ber (8-3) advances to the second round at North Little Rock, which received a first-round bye Friday.

Har-Ber appeared in control leading 16-3 late in the third quarter. But the outcome remained in doubt after

Har-Ber turned the ball over on consecutive possessions.

Central (6-5) faced fourth-and-9 at the Har-Ber 17 while trailing 16-10 with 3 minutes, 53 seconds to play.

Central tried a pass into the end zone and that’s when the 5-foot-9 Bowen went up in a crowd and knocked the ball away. Bowen remained on the ground for a few seconds before trotting off to the delight of Har-Ber fans and cheerleaders, who raced down to the south end of the stadium to lend support for their team.

“I manned up with the receiver I was guarding,” Bowen said. “He bent in. I saw the ball go up and I was able to get a hand on it. Someone took my legs out from under me on the play and I hit my head on the ground. But I was able to get back up. It didn’t bother me.”

Har-Ber has been a hard team to figure out. The Wildcats got off to a poor start when Pulaski Academy outscored them 84-68 in the season-opener. Har-Ber lost two more games to Bentonville and Bentonville West before clinching a No. 3 seed with an impressive 27-6 over a dangerous Fayetteville team.

Har-Ber’s defense then saved the Wildcats from a home-field loss Friday after missing the playoffs last year.

“After giving up 84 points to

Pulaski, we quit messing around,” said Bowen, a senior who also had an interception on Friday. “We know what our defense can do.”

So does Har-Ber running back Jay Burns, who ran 85 yards on the first play for the Wildcats then scored on an 8-yard touchdown.

“Most definitely, they bailed us out,” Burns said. “During practice, they were on point and carried it over to the game.”

Central’s game plan was obvious from the start. Central wanted to limit HarBer’s offensive possessions and they mostly did so after standing around then rushing to the line of scrimmage with nine or 10 seconds left on the clock. Central quarterback Lawson Gunn found a reliable receiver in Antoine Westbrook and Sam Franklin found occasional running room against the Har-Ber defense.

Central didn’t score in the first half until Keeling Baker drilled a 43-yard field goal that just got over the crossbar with two seconds left. Baker earned hero status the previous game when he kicked a 28-yard field goal on the final play to give Central a 17-14 win over Little Rock Catholic. The pressure kick earned Central its first winning season in five years.

Central still had a chance in the fourth quarter. Central took advantage of a Har-Ber fumble at the 9 and scored on a 4th-down run by Sam Franklin to pull the Tigers within 16-10 with less than 10 minutes to play. Fans who had thought about leaving early for the warmth of their homes stuck around.

And Bowen sent them home happy.

Har-Ber advances to face North Little Rock, which won’t mind trading offensive possessions with the Wildcats. But Bowen and his teammates, especially the seniors, relish the opportunity to continue in postseason play.

“There’s nothing better than being in the playoffs and winning,” Bowen said. “Nothing better.”