TULSA, Okla. — I graduated high school in the Tulsa area. I spent a lot of my not-so-distant teenage years watching Union spank the diapers off just about every team it played.
Knowing how good Union is, winning the past three Oklahoma Class 6A state football championships, and knowing how completely green Springdale Har-Ber is this season, I expected the Redskins to deal a spanking reminiscent of the one Bentonville gave Owasso, Okla., on Friday night.
Needless to say, I was surprised when Har-Ber defensive end Seth Gates tackled Union star running back Kendall Holmes for a 2-yard loss on his first carry, setting a tone for the rest of the night.
Though Union went on to score 17 points in the two-quarter scrimmage, taking advantage of that inexperience I expected the Wildcats to display, it was hard not to be impressed by Har-Ber.
Continuing with the defense, Chad Ramey did bite on a juke that resulted in a 39-yard pass on a third-and-18, setting up a touchdown. But let’s not forget his red zone interception in the first half.
Trailing by three points, Evan Nuessner had a late sack that gave Har-Ber a chance to rally, and fellow linebacker Peyton Squires couldn’t go a series without having his name called over the P.A. system.
On offense, quarterback Jon Vaughn completed only 3 of 9 passes for 52 yards, but four incompletions were dropped balls.
But who really stole the show for Har-Ber was the other quarterback, Austin Mayfield. He only played the second quarter and ran the entire thing like a two-minute drill.
Finishing 7 of 11 for 72 yards and one touchdown, Mayfield played the quarterback spot like a seasoned field general.
He was visibly aware of down and distance situations, had the pocket presence to know when to step up for a throw, when to scramble and showed a quick cannon that makes it hard for defenders to jump routes.
The only thing Mayfield did wrong (in my eyes) all night was selling the snap count by falling backward before getting the ball from center.
I didn’t expect Har-Ber to win Friday, but being one or two mental errors from pulling an upset wasn’t on my mind, either.
The inexperience for Har-Ber definitely showed this weekend, but if that’s how “bad” this Wildcats team is going to look in its first time out, then coach Chris Wood must be feeling pretty good.
Matt L. Stephens is a sports reporter for NWA Media.