FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville Coach Daryl Patton thought he knew how good a quarterback Dallas Hardison was.
He found out just how good the former Bentonville standout is Thursday night in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Hardison earned MVP honors after passing for a record 392 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another in the West’s 42-38 victory. Hardison completed 20 of 32 passes in the game, and his total number of touchdowns was another All-Star record.
“He’s unbelievable,” said Patton, the West head coach. “He did a great job of reading the defenses. The East had a hard time because Dallas did a good job picking them apart.”
Patton coached against Hardison for two years in the 7A-West Conference but developed a greater appreciation for the Henderson State-bound player after watching him work in practices this week. The West was loaded with talented receivers such as Fayetteville’s Brad Culp, Lake Hamilton’s Dre Bennett and Fort Smith Northside’s Shaquille Jones, but Patton knew he needed a quarterback who could get them the ball.
Hardison did, time and again. He and Northside quarterback Kenrick Burns combined to complete 26 of 43 passes for 479 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Bennett had 9 catches for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Culp had 4 for 151 yards and 1 touchdown.
“I was surrounded by a lot of good athletes,” Hardison said. “I just had to get the ball where it needed to be and let them do the rest.”
East Coach RandyColeman of Jonesboro said Hardison’s playmaking was the difference in the game. Hardison threw a 33-yard touchdown to Fayetteville’s Tyler Tuck on fourth-and-6 and completed two passes for first downs that allowed the West to eat up the final 3:43 of the game.
“The guy kept making plays,” Coleman said. “He converted a bunch of big first downs.”
Hardison’s big night overshadowed a nearequal performance by East quarterback Michael Ludwig of Heber Springs. Ludwig, who will play baseball at Arkansas-Pine Bluff next year, completed 10 of 13 passes for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed for another.
Ludwig was named thegame’s Outstanding Offensive Player.
“My receivers made me look good,” Ludwig said. “I’m 5-9, what am I going to do? When I see someone waving their hands at me, I’m going to give it to them.”
The total points scored was five shy of the record set in the 2008 game, won 62-23 by the West. The teams set the tone for a high score in a wildly entertaining first quarter that saw 35 points scored.
On the third play of the game, East Poinsett County’s Darius Barnes stepped in front of a pass from Hardison and returned the interception 35 yards for a touchdown.
The West wasted little time answering. Hardison found Culp running free behind Harding Academy’sLandy Shipman for an 81-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7-7 with 10:09 left in the first quarter.
Magazine’s Cory Chambers recovered an onside kick to give the West possession at the East’s 42. Hardison’s 36-yard pass to Springdale Har-Ber’s Michael Fine set up a 6-yard touchdown pass from Hardison to Bennett to give the West a 14-7 lead with 9:26 left in the first quarter.
“Once we figured out what they were doing, we clicked pretty well,” Hardison said. “We took what they gave us, and it worked out for us.”
Th e We s t atte m p te d another onside kick but the East recovered to take possession at its 43. The East drove for the touchdown in eight plays, ending the drive on West Memphis receiver Cody Dauksch’s 19-yard reception from Ludwig.
On the East’s next possession, it faced thirdand-8 from its 24 but Willie Sargent got behind Chambers and caught Ludwig’s pass for a 76-yard touchdown and a 21-14 East lead with 37 seconds left in the first quarter.
Ludwig completed 5 of 5 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first quarter.
The second quarter was scoreless until Bryant’s Jace Denker kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the East a 24-14 halftime lead.
Sports, Pages 22 on 06/22/2012