Williams’ TD passes carry Rogers to win

ROGERS 37, SPRINGDALE 0

ROGERS — It appeared Rogers’ problem with turnovers had reared its ugly face again Friday night when the opening drive ended with a fumble.

The Mounties recovered nicely from that early mistake as Dane Williams threw touchdown passes to four different receivers en route to a 37-0 victory over Springdale during 7A-West Conference action at Whitey Smith Stadium.

The win sets up next week’s big showdown as Rogers (6-1, 3-1) travels to league leader Bentonville with the top spot on the line.

“We’ve just got to quit putting so much pressure on ourselves, I think,” Rogers Coach Chad Harbison said. “They just need to go out, relax and play. Obviously, we put an emphasis on that in practice, and we’ve just got to do a better job of protecting the football — period. It’s hard to win games when you turn the ball over.”

Rogers, which had suffered eight turnovers in its last two games, easily moved the ball from its 35 to the Springdale 13 on eight plays during its opening possession. The next play resulted in a fumble that the Bulldogs recovered on their 6.

The miscue didn’t faze the Mounties the next time they had the ball, especially Williams. The senior quarterback guided Rogers on a six-play, 49-yard drive following a Springdale punt, and he capped it with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Tye Cunningham with 5:08 left in the first quarter.

Williams, who finished with 185 yards on 18-of-25 passing, added touchdown passes of 9 yards to Jansen Garner and 31 yards to Mabry Verser for a 21-0 halftime cushion. He then connected with Graycen Cash with an 11-yard touchdown pass on the first time he threw in the second half.

“I was really proud of the way he was poised,” Harbison said of Williams. “He took some shots on some one-onones and made some really nice throws. He checked some plays at the line of scrimmage and made some good decisions. He really played great.”

Springdale (1-6, 1-3), which has lost three straight, had a chance to keep things close on its final possession of the first half. The Bulldogs drove from their 20 to the Mounties 37, but the drive stalled.

Disaster then hit Springdale in the second half. A bad snap on a punt attempt resulted in a safety and gave Rogers the ball with great field position, which led to Williams’ touchdown pass to Cash. On the next offensive play, Jack Pounders’ pass was intercepted by Tyler Pinkerton, who raced 27 yards for the final score.

“We’ve got to get better at what we do,” Springdale Coach Brett Hobbs said. “We’ve got to be able to move the football because our defense is playing well enough to keep us in the game.

“Early on, it’s a field-position battle we’re losing bigtime. They hit a couple of big plays on us in the first half and we’re down 21-0 at halftime. In the second half, it’s a safety. Then again, it’s field position and it’s tough to recover from that when you’re playing a really good team.”

“I was really proud of the way he was poised. He took some shots on some one-on-ones and made some really nice throws. He checked some plays at the line of scrimmage and made some good decisions. He really played great.”

Rogers Coach Chad Harbison on the play of quarterback Dane Williams in Friday’s victory over Springdale