FORT SMITH -- Andrew Clark picked a perfect time to get his first interception -- ever.
Clark stepped in front of Andre Sale's pass near the Fort Smith Southside end zone to end a potential Little Rock Catholic score, and the Rebels used a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to claim a 38-35 win in Jim Rowland Stadium on Friday in Class 7A playoff action.
LR Catholic^0^21^0^14^—^35
FS Southside^14^7^3^14^—^38
First Quarter
South — White 76 pass from Johnson (Gutierrez kick), 5:28.
South — Johnson 12 run (Gutierrez kick), :35.
Second Quarter
Cath — Temple 7 pass from Sale (Elser kick), 9:59.
Cath — Sale 1 run (Elser kick), 6:51.
South — Rogers 5 run (Gutierrez kick), 4:47.
Cath — Temple 25 pass from Sale (Elser kick), 3:01.
Third Quarter
South — FG Gutierrez 24, :30.
Fourth Quarter
South — Rogers 30 run (Gutierrez kick), 9:18.
Cath — Harville-Thomas 2 run (Elser kick), 6:12.
South — Johnson 4 run (Gutiererrz kick), 3:01.
Cath — McKay 2 run (Elser kick), 1:13.
"I didn't really see anything," Clark said. "It hit my hands and reflexes got the ball for me."
Clark's interception sparked the Rebels (7-4), who saw leads of 14-0 and 21-7 evaporate in the first half. The game was tied at 21 at halftime.
Catholic coach John Fogleman said the interception was a big turning point in the game when it looked like the Rockets (4-7) were moving in for a go-ahead score.
"We did come back and hold them to three, but that obviously was a big difference," Fogleman said. "That was our only mistake but it was a big mistake. He was just in the right place at the right time."
Following the interception, the Rebels drove the length of the field to take a 24-21 lead on Derek Gutierrez's 24-yard field goal with just 30 seconds left in the third quarter, and Southside never relinquished the lead from there.
After Southside's defense came up with a big stop to force a punt, the Rebels were back in scoring position thanks to Parker Dixon's 50-yard run that moved the Rebels to the Catholic 33. From there, Kobe Rogers did the rest, barreling in on a 30-yard scoring run and a 31-21 lead.
Catholic refused to quit, and the Rockets drove 92 yards in 14 plays, capped by Lance Harville-Thomas' 2-yard touchdown run with 6:12 left in the game. Harville-Thomas finished with 183 yards rushing, and his score cut Southside's lead back to 31-28.
The Rebels again answered the challenge. Senior quarterback Cooper Johnson, who rushed for 188 yards and was 6-of-12 passing for 118 yards, led Southside to the game-clinching score. Johnson ripped off a 10-yard run, then it was Dixon again for a 50-yard bolt to move the ball inside the Catholic 20. Johnson capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Catholic scored a late touchdown to pull within 38-35, but failed to execute an onside kick and Southside ran out the clock.
"We made a lot of explosive plays," Southside coach Jeff Williams said. "In this deal, it don't matter if you win by 30 or you win by 1, it's all about just moving on."
The game marked the final time Southside will play a home game as the Rebels. The school mascot will change to the Mavericks next season. Southside will travel to Cabot next week for a second-round playoff game.
Sports on 11/14/2015