Union tops Har-Ber in scrimmage

By Matt L. Stephens

Posted: August 27, 2011 at 11:56 a.m.

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By David Frank Dempsey
Har-BerÕs Evan Johnson runs a quarterback sneak against the Union Redskins in the Tulsa Gridiron Classic at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. Friday, Aug. 26, 2011.

TULSA, Okla. — It might not have been an official game, but the intensity was just as high Friday night in Union-Tuttle Stadium in a scrimmage between Tulsa (Okla.) Union and Springdale Har-Ber.

Union won the scrimmage 17-7, sealed by a one-yard quarterback sneak by the Redskins Hunter Atyia with less than a minute to go, but a battle against Oklahoma’s best team was exactly what Har-Ber needed heading into the regular season next week.

“Union is the three-time defending state champ. We heard it over and over on the intercom,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “I thought we were right there the whole game. We had a couple of plays where, if we don’t have a penalty, you never know.”

Mental mistakes were ultimately the downfall for Har-Ber, the biggest on fourth and 1 with 26 seconds remaining in the first half.

Union drew the Wildcats offside with the snap count, and two plays later running back Kendall Holmes took a 56-yard run down to the seven-yard-line with 0:01 showing on the clock.

A 24-yard field goal before half ultimately proved to be the difference Union needed to seal the victory in front of the home crowd.

“We had a lot of mistakes early. It was self-inflicted,” Wood said. “When you look at the body of work and what we did, I liked what I saw from all our kids.”

In a Har-Ber two quarterback battle during the preseason where neither player has stood out, senior Austin Mayfield did in Friday night.

Playing the second quarter of the two-period scrimmage, Mayfield went 7 of 11 passing, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Travis Tollett on fourth down.

The score didn’t come without punishment, as Mayfield was hit in the back immediately after throwing the strike.

“I had to step up in the pocket a little bit. I was looking for Evan (Johnson) and he wasn’t there,” Mayfield said. “I knew I had pressure behind me, but I wasn’t too sure if I’d be hit or not, but I guess it worked out.”

Mayfield was pleased by the play of his offensive line, featuring five players who had never started.

With one week to go until the season’s kickoff against Lebanon, Mo., at Razorback Stadium, Wood likes what he saw from his inexperienced squad and now it’s just a matter of fixing up the small details.

“People don’t remember scrimmages, they remember the end of the year,” he said. “We take what we did here and correct our own mistakes and this is going to be a good football team.”

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