Har-Ber overcomes mistakes to beat Rogers High

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 35,

ROGERS HIGH 10

SPRINGDALE —Springdale Har-Ber started fast and finished fast against Rogers.

Tyler Blackston caught two touchdown passes and Luke Hannon ran for two scores to give Har-Ber a 35-10 victory over Rogers High Friday at Wildcat Stadium. Trey Smith also scored for Har-Ber on a short touchdown run in the 7A-West Conference opener for both teams.

Har-Ber (3-1, 1-0) scored two touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters against the Mounties (0-4, 0-1), who controlled much of the second quarter. The Wildcats added some fizzle to its sizzle while grabbing a 21-7 lead. A fumbled punt resulted in Rogers’ first score and Hannon fumble into the Mounties’ end zone after a run in the third quarter. But Har- Ber was able to overcome the mistakes with touchdown runs by Smith and Hannon in the fourth quarter.

“We put up 35 (points) and controlled the ball offensively, but we can’t turn the ball over like that,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. ” We were sloppy at times but a win is a win, especially in this league.”

Penalty flags began to flow freely in the fourth quarter and Har-Ber sophomore linebacker Oliver Nasilia was ejected, which means he will have to sit out Har-Ber’s next game against Springdale.

Har-Ber started fast again with three touchdowns in the first half, but a fumbled punt by the Wildcats helped keep Rogers close. Two Har-Ber returners couldn’t control the loose ball and Grayson Lee hustled between them and recovered in the end zone to give Rogers its first score.

Tyler Blackston caught a second touchdown pass from Fuller Chandler and Hannon followed with a 16-yard touchdown run to give HarBer a 21-7 lead. Blackston’s touchdown catch came from 14 yards after he opened the scoring with a 38-yard scoring reception from Chandler.

The catch capped an 80-yard surge that needed only three plays.

Rogers got its ground game going and controlled much of the action in the second quarter. The Mounties put together a time-consuming drive from its 20 to the Har-Ber 4-yard line. On third down, Jacob Robertson stopped quarterback Joseph Sultemeier for a 2-yard loss and Chris Lopez kicked a 23-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-10.

“We had opportunities and left points on the board when we were moving the ball,” Rogers coach Shawn Flannigan said. “They’re a good football team, but we didn’t capitalize like we needed.”

Rogers got another possession late in the second quarter and Sultemeier completed three passes to get to the Har-Ber 20. Lopez attempted a 37-yard field goal with two seconds left, but he just missed wide right to leave the score 21-10 at halftime.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE Tyler Blackston (left) of Springdale Har-Ber carries the ball into the end zone Friday ahead of Landon Harper of Rogers High.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE Dalton Douangdara (3) and Tyler Blackston of Springdale Har-Ber celebrate a touchdown Friday against Rogers High during the first half at Wildcat Stadium in Springdale. Visit nwadg.com/photos to see more photographs from the game.