ROGERS — The Rogers Mounties just ran out of answers Friday night.
After digging out of an early hole, the Mounties couldn't keep up with Fort Smith Southside in their 7A-West Conference opener as the Rebels scored the final 17 points in a 38-21 victory at Mountie Stadium.
Senior running back David Adair recorded his third consecutive 100-yard game and the Rebels' passing game came alive after Rogers tied the game at 21 earlier in the third quarter.
Junior Hunter Whorton completed three long passes during a 64-yard drive that ended in Leo Gallo's 22-yard, go-ahead field goal with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
Whorton hit a 52-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Falleur - his second score of the game - while Rogers quarterback Andy Couture was being checked out on the sidelines.
The Rebels (3-1, 1-0) put thegame out of reach on their next possession as Lee Hollis leaped in from 2 yards out.
After rallying from a 14-0 deficit, the Mounties couldn't match Southside's late scores.
"We had to have an answer for that," Rogers Coach Ronnie Peacock said. "We did answer early. We have to have an answer and we went out there and we struggled. We were running away from pressure way too much."
Hollis rushed for 65 yardson 14 carries, and Adair rushed for a career-high 188 yards on 27 carries.
"In the third quarter I thought [Rogers] had the momentum and we came back and got going with Adair and Hollis and the big bomb to Falleur," Southside Coach Jeff Williams said. "Just made plays to win it."
Couture was sacked four times in the loss and left with a concussion early in the fourth quarter. He finished 20 of 31 for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Couture hit Graham Parker and Ethan Melton with secondquarter touchdowns and tied the game at 21 with a 31-yard run early in the third quarter.
Melton did not play after halftime because an injury.
Parker replaced Couture at quarterback but completed just one pass and lost 16 yards on four rushing attempts as the Mounties (2-2, 0-1) punted their final three possessions.
The Rebels started their first two scoring drives in Rogers territory.
A good punt by the Rebels and a sack on Couture pinned the Mounties deep and Rogers kicker Spencer Dunlop hadto punt out of his end zone. Southside started the ensuing drive from the Rogers 34 and needed just six plays to score.
After five running plays, Whorton hit Falleur for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Aaron Grant picked off Couture at the Rogers 44 to end the next Mountie possession and the Rebels scored eight plays later - on Whorton's 1-yard sneak - for a 14-0 lead. Adair's 25-yard scamper started the drive.
Southside nearly broke the game open, grabbing a fumble late in the first quarter at the Rogers 27 and driving to the 1 on Adair's hard running. But the Mounties defense stuffed Adair and Hollis inside the 5-yard line, stopping Hollis on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The Mounties turned the game around with a 99-yard drive to cut the lead in half.
Couture completed 8 of 12 passes on the drive, hitting Lucas Gartman on third-and-long and Parker on third-and-short to keep the drive going. Parker then caught a jump ball between three defenders for a 33-yard gain down to the Rebel 2. He was wide open on the next play for a touchdown.
Sports, Pages 25 on 09/26/2009