FAYETTEVILLE -- The showdown between two of the top teams in Arkansas Class 7A football lived up to its billing Friday.
Fayetteville beat North Little Rock in a game reminiscent of the Bulldogs' victory over the Charging Wildcats two years ago.
How They Scored
Fayetteville^43
North Little Rock^33
NLR^0^21^6^6—^33
Fay^14^7^0^14—^43
First Quarter
Fay — O’Grady 16 pass from Powell (Conway kick), 8:08.
Fay — Allison 6 pass from Powell (Conway kick), 1:14
Second Quarter
NLR — Brown 7 pass from Land (Burks kick), 6:39.
Fay — Rock 1 run (Conway kick), 2:47.
NLR — Lewis 17 run (Burks kick), 1:37.
NLR — Brown 22 fumble return (Burks kick), 1:24.
Third Quarter
NLR — Austin 58 fumble return (kick failed), 2:45.
Fourth Quarter
Fay — Armstrong 14 run (Conway kick), 9:39.
NLR — Hill 53 run (run failed), 8:25.
Fay — Powell 10 pass from O’Grady (Powell pass to Wymer), 4:16.
Fay — Rapert 25 run (Conway kick), 1:42.
Fayetteville built a two-touchdown lead late in the first half, then watched as fumbles and miscues allowed North Little Rock to rally for the lead on two separate occasions in the second half. But Fayetteville stuck to what was working best, leaning on an effective running game to wear down the 7A-Central Conference visitors with two late scores in a 43-33 Purple'Dogs victory at Harmon Stadium.
"North Little Rock is so talented and so well coached," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "But really you take away two turnovers and we have a two-touchdown lead. And we told our kids it is what it is. Now it's how you handle that adversity and just take every play one at a time.
"And even when we got down, we blocked an extra point that was huge and we got the momentum back. And to get this win was huge."
Fayetteville started the game with its two-quarterback rotation of sophomore Taylor Powell and Jack Lindsey, but quickly stuck with Powell after the second series of the game. But it was the running of Luke Rapert and Terrance Rock that was the biggest different. Rapert rushed for 185 yards --including the game-clinching 25-yard TD run with 1:42 left -- on 32 carries, and Rock added 72 yards and a TD on 16 carries.
"Really it was coach Zak Clark, coach Bryant Davis, and Benji Mahan and coach Drew Yoakum, those guys all week said we think we can run the ball," Patton said. "We had some negative plays, but we never got down. And to run the ball against that football team is saying something."
Arkansas commit K.J. Hill rushed 71 yards on five carries and had four catches for 55 yards. His 53-yard TD on a Wildcat formation gave North Little Rock a 33-28 lead with 8:25 left to play, but the Charging Wildcats couldn't slow Fayetteville down late when it mattered most.
"Fayetteville has a very good football team, but we beat ourselves and the kids have to own up to that," North Little Rock coach Brad Bolding said. "You can't play like that, really in all three phases, and expect to beat a team as good as they are."
Extra Points
• Powell finished 9 of 22 for 121 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
• Fayetteville rushed for 255 yards Friday night.
• Both teams coughed up three fumbles in the game.
Up Next: Fayetteville visits Muskogee, Okla., next Friday. North Little Rock hosts Pine Bluff at War Memorial Stadium on Thursday.
Sports on 09/13/2014