Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Opening Statement
Defense leads the way in Wildcats’ rout of Mavericks
SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber owned every minute of Friday’s season opener with Fort Smith Southside.
Mavericks quarterback Graves Schmidly’s first pass was intercepted and returned 23 yards for a touchdown by Brock Pounders 10 seconds into the game, and the Wildcats never let up, handing Southside a 47-0 loss.
Chris Wood’s defense led the way for the Wildcats, and the offense followed suit.
“This was about our defense and special teams,” Wood said. “That’s how you win in the 7A-West. The defense set the precedent tonight.”
Har-Ber (1-0) forced the Mavericks into four turnovers in the game, including three interceptions, and a fumble recovery by lineman Riley Bean. Linebackers Oliver Nasilai and Nicholas Franco also tallied interceptions of their own on a night dominated by defense. The Wildcats held Southside to just four first downs in the win while forcing the vistors to punt six times.
“First, you’ve got to give Keith Fimple and our defensive staff credit. They do a great job scheming every week,” Wood said. “We have a defense that can run, they read things well and they fly to the ball and create turnovers. Tonight I thought we played faster and smarter ( than the benefit game). When the defense can give you a short field it’s usually going to be a good night.”
Defense certainly kick- started the blowout win, but the Har-Ber running game eventually caught up. Running back Logan Collins finished with 135 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Quarterback Payton Copher also ran 12 times for 35 yards and a score. Copher also hooked up with Trey Smith for a 2-yard score to push the Wildcats lead to 330 just before the half.
“We had the pick-6, and another short field goal, but I thought the offense really sputtered. We had one good
series — I think series three of the game — then didn’t have another one until right before the half,” Wood said. “We cleaned it up a little, and got the run in there.”
Alongside Collins, Connor Sikes and Trevor Dobson also contributed to Har-Ber’s 331 yards rushing. Sikes rushed four times for 81 yards and Dobson picked up 35 yards on seven touches. The team’s rushing attack can be even better, said Collins, who was also quick to give his defense props.
“The running game started off a little slow, but as the game went on we started focusing and that’s what made a big difference,” Collins said. “But our defense, like coach said, wins championships. Our defense is one of the fastest in the state. They were big.”