SPRINGDALE -- Springdale Har-Ber came full circle after losing eight games for the first time since 2006 when the Wildcats first fielded a varsity team.
This season began with three losses in nonconference play and ended with a 28-27 loss to Bryant in the playoffs when the Hornets blocked an extra-point kick late in the game. Har-Ber (3-8) made the playoffs by going 3-4 in 7A-West Conference play.
Springdale Har-Ber Wildcats
Date^Opponent^Result
Sept. 5^At Webb City, Mo.^L, 42-13
Sept. 12^At Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst^L, 46-22
Sept. 19^Conway^L, 31-15
Sept. 26^At Rogers*^W, 42-7
Oct. 3^Springdale*^W, 41-34
Oct. 10^Bentonville*^L, 45-13
Oct. 17^At Fayetteville*^L, 49-20
Oct. 24^Fort Smith Southside*^L, 35-25
Oct. 31^At Fort Smith Northside*^L, 29-20
Nov. 7^At Rogers Heritage*^W, 35-12
Nov. 14^At Bryant^L, 28-28
* — Denotes 7A-West Conference game
# — Denotes Class 7A state playoff game
"If you go strictly by our record, it doesn't look like we had a ton of growth, but we played our best ball at the end of the year," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "We'll use that as a springboard going forward."
Har-Ber was in a transitional mode after losing 10 of 11 starters on offense from a team that finished 8-4 a year ago. Besides Luke Hannon, who led the conference in rushing, new playmakers failed to emerge on offense and the Wildcats struggled mightily in the passing game.
Har-Ber led the league in total offense (385.8) but three quarterbacks combined to complete only 41 percent (73 of 177) of their pass attempts.
"That was the biggest thing," Wood said. "We didn't complete enough passes and that put a lot of pressure on our running game. I'd like to be out there right now working on our deficiencies, but I've got to give my kids some time off."
There is hope for Har-Ber, which made a massive turnaround in 2007 when the Wildcats went 10-3 and reached the state championship game in only their second season. The Wildcats in 2015 could also be much improved with several returning starters and an influx of young talent from its sophomore and junior high teams.
Hannon will return after rushing for 1,498 yards and 13 touchdowns on 237 carries. He's also dangerous as a receiver who caught 12 passes for 229 yards and five touchdowns this year.
Trey Smith will return at receiver, where he caught 27 passes for 297 yards. Tyler Blackston will also be back after he caught 17 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats, who beat Springdale High, Rogers High, and Rogers Heritage this year.
At quarterback, Brandon Still could be challenged by Payton Copher, a freshman who saw varsity playing time late in the year. Smith could also see time at quarterback again in the Wildcat package.
Har-Ber will return its two leading tacklers, safety Austin Henderson and Brady Patrick, who had three of the team's six interceptions. Chase Anderson will be back in the secondary while Michael Neil and Jacob Robertson return to lead the linebacking crew.
Help is also on the way from Har-Ber's feeder schools, where Central Junior High finished 9-1 and Southwest Junior High finished 7-3. Central claimed the Northwest Arkansas Conference championship with a 24-3 victory over Fayetteville Woodland.
"I'm excited about what's coming up in our system, including our sophomore team, which had a very good season," Wood said. "We've got a lot of talented kids coming our way and I'm ready to start working with them."
Sports on 11/27/2014