SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber was clinging to a 3-0 lead against Fort Smith Southside last week when a third consecutive defeat for the Wildcats was still a possibility after neither team scored in the first half.
Profile
KYLE PIANALTO
SCHOOL Springdale Har-Ber
HEIGHT 5-11
WEIGHT 162
CLASS Junior
NOTABLE Led Har-Ber to 10-7 victory over Fort Smith Southside in first start at quarterback at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. ... Rushed for 48 yards and completed 6 of 11 passes for 29 yards against the Rebels. ... Played sparingly as a sophomore last season at cornerback. ... Competes in the sprints and high jump for Har-Ber track and field team in the spring. ... His father, Mark Pianalto, played for Springdale High in late 1980s and early 1990s.
Har-Ber got a break when Southside missed a tying field goal attempt and the Wildcats took advantage when junior quarterback Kyle Pianalto led a scoring drive that resulted in a 10-0 lead with 8 minutes, 19 seconds left to play. Pianalto broke loose for a 38-yard gain during the series to set up a 17-yard touchdown run by Tucker Lee.
Pianalto later added a 9-yard run that left Southside with only nine seconds left on the clock and the Wildcats emerged with a 10-7 victory at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. It was the home-opener for Har-Ber and the first appearance at home as a starting quarterback for Pianalto, who was a backup cornerback last season as a sophomore.
“I really wasn’t nervous about the game because I had a lot of faith in the team and how we were doing in practice during the week,” Pianalto said. “It felt great getting that first win.”
Pianalto finished with 48 net yards rushing and completed 6 of 11 passes for 29 yards on a rainy night. Just as important, Pianalto guided an offense that did not commit a turnover after the Har-Ber suffered six turnovers the previous week in a 27-16 defeat at Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge.
Most of those turnovers at Rock Bridge came in the second half after Har-Ber had built a 16-7 lead.
“Kyle wants to do so well for the guys around him and he’s gotten better each week,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “He hasn’t played quarterback since his ninth grade year, so it’s a process. His decision-making last Friday night was solid and his reads were correct, even though we missed some throws. I’ve been pleased with Kyle.”
Pianalto (5-foot-11, 162 pounds) comes from an extended family with a strong football tradition at Springdale. His father, Mark, played for Springdale in the early 1990s and his second cousin, Zack, played on the Bulldogs’ undefeated state championship team in 2005.
Zack Pianalto later played at North Carolina and for one year in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released earlier this season.
“My dad, my uncles, cousins, a lot of them played at Springdale, so it’s fun to carry on that name here at Har-Ber,” Kyle Pianalto said.
Pianalto won the starting job at Har-Ber after an extended competition with senior Pierce Phillips, who played some year at quarterback. Pianalto and quarterbacks coach Patrick Scott, agree that the strong competition from Phillips has made Pianalto better.
“Competition always brings out the best in you and that’s what we do around here,” Scott said. “It’s been really good at the quarterback position because they’ve fed off each other. When one does really well, the other seems to pick up his game and that’s what we want at all positions.”
Pianalto will have to pick up his game even more on Friday when Har-Ber (1-2) hosts Bentonville (3-0) in a 7A/6A-West Conference opener at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. Bentonville is ranked No. 1 in the state and the Tigers are coming off an impressive 41-6 victory over South Panola, Miss.
“Bentonville is going to be tough and we have to make sure we don’t have hardly any mistakes,” Pianalto said. “If we play mistake-free ball, we’re going to win.”