SPRINGDALE — Perhaps no one saw more action Friday night than the officials overseeing Springdale Har-Ber’s game with Springdale High.
Judging by the number of penalties called at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium, there is no doubt that the rivalry between the two Springdale schools is very much real.
GAMEBREAKER
Why The Wildcats Won
Springdale Har-Ber struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, but its passing game connected on four touchdown passes in the third quarter and scored 28 points in the second half for the win.
Why The Bulldogs Lost
Springdale jumped out to a 7-0 lead and clung to a four-point lead at halftime, but the Bulldogs struggled to stop the pass in the third quarter and didn’t have enough offense to mount a comeback.
And the Wildcats (6-4, 5-2 7A/6A-West Conference) remain firmly in control of it.
With quarterback Kyle Pianalto finding his rhythm in the third quarter, Har-Ber overcame several costly mistakes early on and exploded for 28 points after halftime to defeat Springdale 31-17 in a sloppy game that saw at least 200 yards in penalties.
“It was real frustrating. If you went into our (locker room), we think we’re behind by 21, but we weren’t,” Wood said of his team’s mood at halftime. “We just made so many mistakes, but we overcame them and that’s good resilience.”
Har-Ber’s offense finally got into a rhythm in the third quarter after trailing 7-3 to Springdale (4-6, 2-5) on the Wildcats’ Senior Night. Pianalto threw four touchdown passes in the third quarter, including a 71-yard strike to Matt Garrison that helped Har-Ber turn a 4-point halftime deficit into a 14-point lead heading into the fourth.
Har-Ber went into the final week of the regular season with a playoff berth already locked up, but it wasn’t sure what seed it would get in the playoffs. However, after everything shook out Friday, the Wildcats received the No. 3 seed out of the West and will host Little Rock Central next week.
Har-Ber has dominated its rivalry with Springdale, winning every year except for in the school’s inaugural season in 2006. But the Wildcats made things much tougher on themselves as they had several big missed opportunities in the first half.
Har-Ber appeared to be on the verge of taking an early lead in the second quarter after converting a fourth-and-10. But Springdale recovered a fumble by Tucker Lee at the 2 as the bruising running back was about to score with 8:37 remaining in the first half.
A few minutes later, Garrison’s 61-yard punt return for a touchdown was negated by a Har-Ber holding penalty.
And Springdale made the Wildcats pay for their mistakes when safety Cua Rose recovered a fumble by Pianalto and returned it 60 yards, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 1:17 left in the first half.
“Kids were just playing their tails off. They’re going out there and playing physical, and even though they make a big play, we knew we had to come back and make a big play,” Springdale coach Shane Patrick said.
“When you play games like this, there are big plays that are going to happen on both sides and our kids just kept hanging in there and making those plays.”
Both teams struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the first half as they combined for 115 yards of penalties.
Springdale headed into Friday knowing that it had been eliminated from the playoff race following back-to-back loss to Rogers Heritage and Bentonville. Still, Patrick said his team had plenty to play for against Har-Ber, including city bragging rights and the chance to finish the season with a .500 season.
Springdale running back Deandre Murray was particularly effective after halftime, finishing with 135 yards on 18 carries. His 45-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes, 20 seconds in the third cut Har-Ber’s lead to 24-17.