SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber used a power running game Friday to defeat rival Springdale for the third consecutive season.
Gordon Welch rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 29-3 victory over the Bulldogs before an overflow crowd at Jarrell Williams Bulldogs Stadium. Har-Ber (4-0, 1-0) outscored Springdale (2-2, 0-1) 19-0 in the second half to improve its series lead to 3-1 over the Bulldogs.
Har-Ber bypassed its usual prolific passing game for a rushing attack led by Welch, who scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 9 yards. The junior halfback found good blocking, particularly on the right side and carried the ball nine consecutive times on one scoring drive.
"Gordon is a typical Springdale kid, a hard-nosed running back," Har-Ber Coach Chris Wood said. "He got behind that offensive line and they grunted like a bunch of hogs in there. We wanted to establish the run, and I think we wore them down in the second half."
Har-Ber held Springdale to a lone field goal and the Wildcats pressured quarterback Joseph Calcagni into 9-of-23 passing with one interception. Preston Cash had two early sacks and Russ Rynerson made an interception to disrupt the Springdale offense.
"We didn't perform very well offensively, but their defense had a lot to do with that," Springdale interim coach Dennis DeBusk said. "Our defenseplayed pretty well for the most part, except you can't stay out there all night."
Har-Ber's victory was tempered by the loss of wide receiver Josh McKinney, who suffered a broken collarbone while making a diving catch in the second half. McKinney, who is one of the top receivers in the 7A-West Conference, is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
"Hopefully, we can get him back for, maybe, Week 9 and in the playoffs if we're fortunate enough to get there," Wood said.
Har-Ber looked like a top contender for posteason play, especially in the second half.Jordan Nicholson got behind the Springdale secondary for a 36-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Luther and Welch added a 9-yard run to put the Wildcats ahead 24-3.
Har-Ber's defense contributed a safety and Escobar made a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to set the final margin.
Springdale's passing game was ineffective until Calcagniled a drive that resulted in a 23-yard field by Christian Garcia with 10 seconds left before halftime.
Justin Bocchino had catches of 17, 9 and 8 yards and Blake Fogg added a 14-yard reception to put the Bulldogs deep in Har-Ber territory. T.C. Barkey tried to run on third down, but Har-Ber stopped him for no gain and Garcia kicked a field goal.
Har-Ber built a 10-0 lead behind strong inside running by Welch, who had more than 80 yards rushing and one touchdown by halftime. Welch had nine consecutive carries on one drive, with a long run of 19 yards, to set up a 17-yard field goal by Oscar Escobar.
Luther then targeted McKinney to increase the Har-Ber lead to 10-0. McKinney caught a 12-yard pass then went up between two Springdale defenders for a 22-yard gain to the Springdale 30. Kaleb Vaughn added an 18-yard run before Welch culminated the drive with a 1-yard run with 5:55 left in the second quarter.
Sports, Pages 25 on 09/26/2009