VAN BUREN -- Little Rock Catholic's defense got off to a good start and its offense backed it up to clinch a spot in the playoffs with a victory Friday night at Citizens Bank Stadium.
Senior running back Lance Harville-Thomas had 12 carries for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns as Little Rock Catholic defeated Van Buren 54-21 in a 7A/6A-Central Conference game.
"It was one of those things where everything was clicking," Little Rock Catholic Coach John Fogleman said. "This was a nice one to get us into the playoffs. This is three years in a row for our seniors. We wanted to go back."
Van Buren (2-8, 0-7) was forced to punt with three-and-outs on its first four possessions and gained its initial first down on its fifth drive.
The Rockets scored touchdowns on their first six first-half possessions and led 45-7 heading into halftime.
"That start really killed us," Van Buren Coach Greg Werner said. "You can't do that against a good football team. We got way down way early. Our kids fought, but you can't spot that team anything."
Catholic (4-6, 3-4) needed four plays to score on its opening possession. Senior quarterback Andre Sale found Thompson Olaimey for a 18-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 9:39 left in the first quarter.
Senior running back Noah Black-Ocken then capped a five-play drive with a 9-yard touchdown to push the lead to 14-0 with 6:50 left in the first.
Harville-Thomas added to the advantage with a 30-yard touchdown run that made it 21-0.
Van Buren used a fake punt on its next drive but turned over the ball on downs with an incomplete pass, and the Rockets took full advantage of the short field after taking over at the opposing 35.
Sale capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Olaimey to push the lead to 28-0 with 15 seconds left in the first quarter.
Catholic's offense continued to find success in the second quarter. Sale rushed for a 12-yard touchdown run and Harville-Thomas scored on a 20-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 42-0 with 6:45 left in the second quarter.
"This was like a playoff game because we know if we lose we won't be playing again" Fogleman said. "It was nice to see them not be too tight. We focused and played good football."
Van Buren's offense got going on its seventh possession with a 67-yard touchdown drive. Senior quarterback Jordan Barlow capped the drive with a 36-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Zach Wornkey to cut the lead to 42-7 with 4:08 left before the break.
"They have some good weapons over there," Fogleman said. "That could've went the other way with them coming out fast. Our defense did a really good job."
Sale finished 9 of 15 passing with 2 touchdowns and added 34 yards on 4 carries with 1 touchdown. Olaimey finished with 4 catches for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Barlow led the way for the Pointers, completing 14 of 31 passes for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns. Barlow set a school record for career touchdown passes Friday after setting the career yardage mark last week.
Wornkey finished with 6 catches for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Jaylynn Dye added 5 catches for 44 yards and 1 touchdown. Dye also finished with 39 rushing on five carries.
Sports on 11/07/2015