Southside comes back
With a little less than six minutes remaining the the first half, Fort Smith Southside quarterback Cooper Johnson watched Alma return an interception 31 yards for a touchdown and a 19- 0 lead. The rest of the game belonged to the Rebels, who reeled off 35 consecutive points in a 3519 victory at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
FAYETTEVILLE — Fort Smith Southside quarterback Cooper Johnson turned it on at the right time Tuesday night.
Alma cornerback Kevin Shultz returned one of Cooper’s passes 31 yards for a touchdown that gave the Airedales a 19- 0 lead with just less than six minutes remaining before halftime at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, but the rest of the game belonged to Johnson and the Rebels.
Johnson completed his next eight passes as Southside reeled off 35 consecutive points on the way to a 35- 19 victory in the season opener for both teams.
Southside scored two touchdowns in the final 3: 13 of the first half, and it took less than minute for the Rebels to add 14 more early in the second half. Johnson completed 15 of 20 passes for 235 yards and 1 touchdown. He was 12 of 16 for 149 yards in the first half.
Southside Coach Jeff Williams said he left his quarterback alone after Alma had taken a 19- 0 lead.
“The game, and especially the season, is a marathon,” Williams said. “We understand that good things are going to happen and bad things are going to happen. Johnson just kept playing, just like the rest of the team, and we finally got going.
“When you keep fighting, good things are going to happen.”
Johnson opened the Rebels’ next possession after the interception with three consecutive completions and he completed five consecutive passes for 52 yards before capping the 80- yard scoring drive with a 1- yard touchdown run.
Johnson cut Alma’s lead to 19- 14 going into halftime with a 3- yard touchdown pass to Evan Simpson with 28 seconds left before halftime.
Southside put away the game with 14 points in a 17- second span in the third quarter. Johnson hit Randy Rainwater for a 52- yard gain to set up a 6- yard touchdown run by Kobe Rogers.