Chandler enjoying successful senior season at Har-Ber

SPRINGDALE -- With seconds remaining against Fayetteville, Springdale Har-Ber could've set up for a tying field goal, but that wasn't the option the Wildcats selected.

Not with Fuller Chandler at quarterback.

Har-Ber put its trust in Chandler, and he delivered a 6-yard touchdown pass to Trey Smith with six seconds left to give Har-Ber a 47-43 win. The victory followed a win over Bentonville and cleared the path for Har-Ber's first outright conference championship.

"Any time you can beat Bentonville and Fayetteville at home in the same year, those are special moments," Chandler said. "It doesn't happen too often."

Chandler has provided plenty of special moments for Har-Ber (10-1), which will meet Fort Smith Southside (8-4) in a semifinal game tonight at Wildcat Stadium. Har-Ber beat Southside 38-0 on Oct. 23, and a second win over the Rebels will set up a rematch with either Fayetteville or Bentonville for the Class 7A state championship Dec. 5 in Little Rock.

Chandler's play at quarterback and a vastly improved defense are the primary reasons Har-Ber has won 10 consecutive games after losing eight of 11 last season. Chandler has thrown for 1,928 yards and 28 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He threw for six touchdowns against Kansas City Rockhurst and for five touchdowns against Rogers Heritage, but there were also games where his strong right-arm wasn't needed as much. That happened against Bentonville when he was 1-for-7 and against Fort Smith Northside when he was 2-for-7 passing.

"Fuller could be in a system where they throw 40, 50 times a game and pad his stats like nobody's business," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "But in this system, where we highlight a running attack and set up play-action (passes), he's still thrown for 28 touchdowns. That shows what he can do."

Chandler decided to leave Springdale High last December after he made all-conference by throwing for 2,447 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. He already lived in the Har-Ber school district and was attending Springdale as part of the law academy. But the change added to some controversy after Tereke Eckwood left Springdale for Har-Ber and Drake Wymer moved to Fayetteville.

Chandler expected and received some negative feedback, even from his uncle, Shohn Doty, the head baseball coach at Springdale.

"I was going to play baseball at Springdale had I ended up staying, but he was really supportive of my decision," Chandler said. "Springdale is his alma mater and he said a couple of things. That's OK. Had he not said anything, I'd have been a little skeptical."

Chandler and Har-Ber running back Luke Hannon have both been offered by Henderson State, which is 11-1 on the season after a victory in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. But Chandler and Hannon are both high achievers academically, and Chandler said he has also been contacted by some Ivy League schools.

"Henderson State, I think, has led the nation in passing the last three years, and they're in the playoffs so that's a draw, obviously," said Chandler, who made a 30 on his ACT. "But I'm really looking for someplace that will meet my academic standards and provide a family environment, so I'm really open about it."

Chandler is much too smart to look past Southside tonight, especially after Har-Ber escaped Conway at home last week. Conway led most of the game after getting drilled 37-7 by the Wildcats on their home field Oct. 18. But Har-Ber pulled out a 20-17 victory after Tyler Blackston took a pass over the middle from Chandler and scored the winning touchdown.

"Conway was whipping us all over the field, and we entered this week with a different mindset," Chandler said. "To be playing again after Thanksgiving is really special, but nobody cares about what the score was against Southside the last time we played. Coach Wood talked about that and how Southside always get better late in the year.

"So, we're definitely going to have to play much better or this could be our last game."

Sports on 11/27/2015