SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber earned its seventh straight win over crosstown rival Springdale High on Friday.
Matt Garrison made sure of that.
The Wildcats’ senior totaled 275 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns to lead Har-Ber to a 41-7 win, which spoiled Springdale High’s senior night and ended the Bulldogs’ season in front of a capacity crowd at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.
Garrison had 39- and 80-yard touchdown catches in the first quarter, scored 12-yard touchdown run and made big plays on special teams while playing in his first game in three weeks. He finished with four catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Garrison also had 59 punt return yards, 41 kick return yards and 34 rushing yards.
“Having Matt back was a good thing for us,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “He’s one of our better special teams players. He hit that tunnel screen, had those two touchdowns early. He’s just an electric player. … He rose to the occasion tonight.”
Har-Ber (7-3, 5-2 (7A/6A-West) never trailed and racked up 402 yards of offense in the win. The Wildcats led 20-7 at halftime thanks in part to the explosive offense.
Springdale (5-5, 3-4) outgained Har-Ber 250-170 in the first half, but hurt its own cause by failing to cash in on two chances inside the red zone in the first quarter. The Bulldogs missed a 30-yard field goal and lost a missed exchange on a snap into the end zone after moving the ball to the 1-yard line.
“It was huge,” Springdale coach Shane Patrick said. “You cannot turn the ball over in the red zone and have a chance to win against a good football team. That’s just plain and simple.”
Har-Ber quickly put the game out of reach in the third quarter, scoring twice, including Garrison’s third touchdown of the night. The Wildcats have momentum heading into the playoffs after finishing the regular season with wins over the Bulldogs and previously-unbeaten Fayetteville.
“We’re getting better,” Wood said. “We hit that low spot against Rogers. I think everybody sees Rogers is pretty hot right now. But we’ve put two good weeks together. … I like the direction we’re headed and what everybody’s doing. We’ve just got to focus on that first round now.”
EXTRA POINTS
• Har-Ber senior running back Sain Mathew had just nine yards on eight first-half carries, but finished with 130 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts. He is now just 32 yards away from breaking Derek Brinker’s school single-season record.
• Springdale running back Deandre Murray ran for 157 yards on 28 carries. The senior finished the season with 1,538 yards, besting the 1,443 he ran for as a junior.
• Har-Ber quarterback Kyle Pianalto completed just 8 of 19 passes, but threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 51 yards and another score.
UP NEXT: Har-Ber will have a home game in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs. Springdale’s season was ended thanks to the loss and Rogers’ win against Heritage.
HOW THEY SCORED
Springdale Har-Ber 41, Springdale High 7
Springdale Har-Ber^14^6^14^7^—^41
Springdale^7^0^0^0^—^7
First Quarter
Harb — Garrison 39 pass from Pianalto (O’Brien kick), 9:19
Harb — Garrison 80 pass from Pianalto (O’Brien kick), 3:56
Spring — Patton 43 pass from Chandler (Kennedy kick), 1:51
Second Quarter
Harb — Pianalto 3 run (kick failed), 9:45
Third Quarter
Harb — Garrison 12 run (O’Brien kick), 7:46
Harb — Mathew 52 run (O’Brien kick), 4:29
Fourth Quarter
Harb — Mathew 1 run (O’Brien kick), 11:57