Smash and dash

LITTLE ROCK — Stuttgart was bigger, faster and stronger than Ozark.

It showed in the statistics and, more important, on the scoreboard as the Ricebirds scored a dominating 28-7 victory in the Class 4A state championship game Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Senior quarterback Dontrell Brown, the game’s MVP, led the assault, carrying 30 times for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Ricebirds, top-ranked in Class 4A, out gained the Hillbillies 207-8 in total yardage in the first half and finished with a 409-119 advantage.

Stuttgart Coach Billy Elmore said Monday that the game would be a gauge of how far his team, particularly its seniors, had physically matured since a 28-7 loss to Ozark in a first-round playoff game in 2010.

The Ricebirds (13-1) delivered an emphatic answer before a crowd of 8,233 en route to their seventh state championship recognized by the Arkansas Activities Association.

“We don’t do anything flashy, I think that goes without saying,” Elmore said. “We feel like we try to win the game in March and April and May. It’s a big win for our program in that sense because, yeah, now we’ll be able to go back to our underclassmen and say, ‘The weight room is where it’s at.’ ”

Brown, a bullish 200-pound former fullback, was the catalyst, scoring on runs of 1, 3 and 11 yards. The bulk of Brown’s yardage came on designed draws and power plays from the Shotgun.

“How could you not ride Dontrell?” Elmore said. “That sucker’s a football player. So we’re getting down close to the end zone and I’m like, ‘Let the big dog eat. Let him hunt.’ ”

Senior wide receiver Drelon Ice capped Stuttgart’s championship season with a 5-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal with 5:49 left to play.

Ozark (12-3) was playing for its first state championship since 1992.

The Hillbillies trailed only 14-0 at halftime despite being dominated statistically and opened the second half by covering 57 yards on nine consecutive running plays to record their only touchdown with 8:37 left in the third quarter. Junior Josef Asbeck’s 14-yard touchdown run came on a toss sweep, the dominant play in a drive that saw Ozark in the Wishbone.

Ozark’s Spread attack was throttled by a Stuttgart defense that registered 10 tackles for 58 yards in losses. It also didn’t help Ozark that standout senior quarterback Jonathan McKenzie played on a badly sprained ankle sustained in the semifinals against Highland.

McKenzie entered with almost 6,000 passing yards, but completed 3 of 12 for 69 yards. Most of his incompletions sailed high.

Stuttgart also limited McKenzie, who entered with a team-high 1,241 yards rushing yards, to minus-4 yards on 4 carries.

“It was a tough night on the offensive side of the ball,” Ozark Coach Jeremie Burns said. “Take nothing away from Stuttgart and Coach Elmore. They’re huge up front and have a lot of talent. They have big-time athletes all over the field.”

Stuttgart’s margin could have been greater, but the Ricebirds were penalized 11times for 99 yards and lost 2 fumbles deep in Ozark territory in the first quarter.

Stuttgart’s first penalty, a hold, negated a 50-yard touchdown run by Ice on the game’s second play from scrimmage. That drive ended when Brown lost a fumble at the Ozark 31.

Another fumble, this one by 230-pound senior tight end Waymon Johnson at the 3, rolled out of the end zone for a touchback with 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

“We really felt like it should be 28-0 at half,” Elmore said. “That’s the worst part, when you know you’re controlling the ballgame but they’re sitting one play away from being in it. Of course, then they go on that drive and punched us in the face.

“You’ve got to give their kids credit for that, but our kids adjusted to it and ended up playing well.”

Scoring summary Ozark ................... 0 0 7 0 - 7 Stuttgart .............. 6 8 7 7 - 28

FIRST QUARTER SHS - Brown 3 run (kick failed), 8:17 S

ECOND QUARTER SHS - Brown 11 run (Harris pass from Brown), 4:50

THIRD QUARTER OHS - Asbeck 14 run (White kick), 8:37 SHS - Brown 1 run (Kennedy kick), :40

FOURTH QUARTER SHS - Ice 5 run (Kennedy kick), 5:49

Attendance - 8,233