SPRINGDALE -- Oh, man, that hurts.
That was the reaction of one Springdale Har-Ber defender as he landed hard on the turf while trying to cover tight end C.J. O'Grady. Fayetteville receivers had an easy time Friday during a 32-13 victory over Har-Ber in the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase at Shiloh Christian.
Fayetteville quarterbacks Jack Lindsey and Taylor Powell took turns connecting with O'Grady and others against Har-Ber's overmatched defenders. O'Grady was effective over the middle and he used his 6-foot-5 frame to shield 5-foot-10 Justin Setser on a lob into the end zone. Both players went down and O'Grady held onto the pass for a touchdown.
Juniors Tyson Morris and Drake Wymer, a 6-foot-6 transfer from Springdale, also went over Har-Ber defenders for long gains.
"We've got some guys other than C.J.," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "They're a good group of kids and they're all working hard."
O'Grady, who is committed to Arkansas, should be a frequent target again in the fall for Fayetteville, which finished 8-3 last season. He scored three of his 14 touchdowns against Har-Ber in conference play and finished the season with 45 catches for 884 yards.
Har-Ber coach Chris Wood acknowledged Fayetteville's talented receiving corps Friday but said his players have to do a better job defending the pass.
"Fayetteville executed really well but I didn't think we were as physical as we needed to be," Wood said. "These are D-1 type guys, so it's hard to stop them anyway. But you can't just let them run clean routs."
Har-Ber closed late in its first game Friday but still lost 30-27 to Little Rock Christian. The Wildcats then traded early touchdowns with Fayetteville before the Bulldogs pulled away. Quarterback Caleb Daniel had some early success and Brady Patrick and sophomore Trey Smith each displayed good hands at receiver. Smith, who could also see action at quarterback this fall, will be a nice addition after Har-Ber lost its top receivers from last season.
But Har-Ber was already behind 25-7 when Daniels connected with Patrick for a touchdown with 5 minutes, 15 seconds left in the game.
"In 7-on-7, you've got to match score for score and we didn't do it," Wood said.
The tournament will continue today and the finals are scheduled for 4 p.m. at Shiloh Christian.
Sports on 07/12/2014