Har-Ber’s Offense Picking Up Steam

By Nathan Allen

Posted: November 22, 2009 at 1:24 a.m.

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SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber coach Chris Wood was overly pleased with the way the Wildcats played Friday night against Russellville in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs.

Wood said Her-Ber (10-1) played about as well as he expected, considering the many variables that could’ve come into play, including the Wildcats’ two-week layoff.

The running game was effective, the passing game worked several times in key situations, and Har-Ber’s defense was as dominant as it’s been all season long.

The result was a lopsided 30-7 victory that didn’t just let the Wildcats earn their third straight trip to the state semifinals. The convincing win also gave them a huge boost of confidence in the process.

Har-Ber will play next Friday night at Cabot, the top seed from the 7A-Central Conference, looking to claim a spot in the 7A state championship game on Dec. 5 in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium.

“These kids needed a win like this. They wanted to get on the field again and show what they’re capable of and they certainly did that (Friday),” Wood said. “I couldn’t be happier with the way we played. Sure, we still made a few mistakes, but we can fix those this week. The main thing is we won the game.”

Besides holding Russellville to only 12 first downs — including five in the first half — 40 rushing yards and 123 passing yards, the Wildcats played exceptional offense, totaling 505 yards.

The biggest piece of that came from Har-Ber’s rushing attack, led by junior Gordon Welch, who finished with 146 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Luther, the Wildcats’ quarterback, ran for 59 yards and Kaleb Vaughn ran for 33 yards and one touchdown.

“It was as good of a night of running the ball as we’ve had all season,” said Gary Wear, Har-Ber’s running backs coach. “Our guys ran hard, they hit their holes and they never looked back. That’s the kind of effort we’ve given all year and it’s really paying off.”

Senior receiver Josh McKinney, who missed six games this season because of a broken right collarbone, made his return in a big way, catching six passes for 81 yards. Vaughn led all receivers with seven receptions for 98 yards.

“Josh needed a game like that,” said Ric Davies, Har-Ber’s receivers coach. “But he’s a team leader, he knows how to prepare and get ready. He really showed his ability (Friday). And with Kaleb in there, as talented as he is, both those guys are just a dynamic duo.”

Har-Ber’s exceptional offensive performance against Russellville was the culmination of a season where offense hasn’t been its strongest position. A few times this season, the Wildcats — running more than ever this year — struggled to score points, which nearly cost them some games.

Regardless, Wood said his team is playing well on both sides of the ball, he and feels it’s continuing to get better each week.

“We’re doing a lot of things well right now, we’re getting into a groove,” Wood said. “Our guys are playing together, they believe in each other and they don’t want this to end. We’ve got seniors who really want this ride to go all the way to Little Rock, and right now, I don’t see this team changing that.”

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