SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber appeared in early trouble against Little Rock Central after failing on a fourth-down gamble near midfield while trailing 7-0.
That’s when the Har-Ber defense took a stand.
GAMEBREAKER
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 42
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 7
WHY HAR-BER WON
Quarterback Kyle Pianalto was efficient in the passing game after a couple of his early passes fluttered in a strong wind. Pianalto threw TDs to four different receivers and Tucker Lee added two long touchdown runs.
WHY CENTRAL LOST
Central could’ve led by two scores early but the Tigers were stopped by the Har-Ber defense. The Wildcats’ offense then began to hum and Central was out of the game by halftime.
Har-Ber got on a roll after stopping Central on fourth down and defeated the Tigers 42-7 Friday in the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. Har-Ber scored six consecutive touchdowns in the first half to overcome an early deficit and lead 42-7 at halftime. A scoreless second half was played with a running clock because of the 35-point mercy rule.
Springdale Har-Ber (7-4) moves to the second round and will play at Fort Smith Southside, which received a first-round bye. The Wildcats defeated Southside 10-7 in a non-conference game earlier in the season.
Central (4-7) was eliminated by Har-Ber for the third consecutive season after losing to the Wildcats 21-6 last season and 38-0 in 2010.
“We got beat by a much better football team tonight,” Central coach Scooter Register said. “We didn’t play well, they did, and that was the outcome of the game.”
Central was in position to increase its 7-0 after quarterback Kyle Pianalto was stopped on fourth down at the Har-Ber 46-yard line. But the Har-Ber defense prevented the Wildcats from falling behind by two scores when Peyton Squires stopped the Tigers on fourth down at the 22.
Pianalto then directed a flurry of 42 consecutive points by hitting Matt Garrison for a 17-yard touchdown to tie the score. Pianalto threw touchdown passes to four different receivers in the first half while Lee had touchdown runs of 32 and 47 yards to give Har-Ber a 42-7 lead.
“Our first two series were really not good at all,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “We went for it on fourth down and came up short but our defense kept them out of the end zone. That was huge and our offense was able to capitalize on it.”
Pierce Phillips took over at quarterback in the second half for Har-Ber, which substituted freely while completing the lop-sided victory. Payne Phillips intercepted a pass in the third quarter after Jerry Wood and Hunter Patrick intercepted passes in the first half against Central sophomore Cooper Westbrook. Westbrook completed a 23-yard pass to Reggie Harris to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Logan Moragne for the Tigers’ only score.
Tucker Lee ran over Central defenders early then used two huge holes to score easily on touchdown runs of 32 and 47 yards. After connecting with Garrison to tie the score, Pianalto threw touchdown passes of 10 yards to Nick Byrne and 15 yards to Gus Vitt to give Har-Ber a 21-7 lead. Byrne took a pitch and completed a fourth-down pass to set up Har-Ber’s final touchdown of the first half on a 31-yard pass from Pianalto to Sain Matthew.
“We feel real good about our receivers,” Wood said. “When we have time for Kyle, he’s gotten better every week, and I thought our running game was strong with Tucker Lee.”