Rogers runs out of answers against Rebs

— 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.

Southside scored the final 17 points of a 38-21 win at Mountie Stadium.

Senior running back David Adair recorded his third straight 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 thethird quarter.

Whorton hit a 52-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Falleur - his second score of the game.

The Rebels (3-1, 1-0) put the game 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 yards on 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 JeffWilliams said. "Just made plays to win it."

Rogers quarterback Andy 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 three total touchdowns.

He hit Graham Parker and Ethan Melton with second-quarter touchdowns and tied the game at 21 with a 31-yard run early in the third quarter.

Melton did not play after halftime because a shoulder 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 theirfinal 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 SpencerDunlop had to 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 an11-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 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 Mountie defense stuffed Adair and Hollis inside the 5-yard line, stopping Hollis on fourth-andgoal 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 defendersfor a 33-yard gain down to the Rebel 2. He was wide open on the next play for a touchdown.

Southside answered with a 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Adair's 35-yard run through the middle of the defense.

After the teams traded possessions - Rogers losing it on fourth down in Rebel territory and Southside punting - the Mounties drove 72 yards in 39 seconds to cut the lead to 21-14.

Couture was 3 of 4 on the drive for 54 yards, including a 22-yard screen to Oller. Melton caught an 18-yard touchdown on the next play with 27 seconds left.

Rogers carried the momentum into the second half, forcing two Southside punts before Gallo's field goal.

NOTE: Rogers senior linebacker D.J. Smart was ejected in the fourth quarter and will have to sit outnext week's game at Heritage.

Sports, Pages 7, 8 on 09/26/2009

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