ROGERS -- Rogers High took advantage of four Van Buren second-half miscues to pull away for a 26-7 7A-West Conference win Friday night at Whitey Smith Stadium.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
Van Buren (2-5, 1-3 7A-West) trailed only 9-7 at halftime, but Rogers recovered three Pointer fumbles and also took advantage of a short punt, turning the mistakes into 17 points en route to the win.
Rogers High 26, Van Buren 7
Van Buren^0^7^0^0^—^7
Rogers^7^2^10^7^—^26
First Quarter
Rog-Brain 84 run (Lopez kick), 6:02.
Second Quarter
Rog-Safety, 6:52.
Van-Green 60 run (Dobbins kick), 2:46.
Third Quarter
Rog-Brain 6 run (Lopez kick), 6:03.
Rog-Lopez 24 field goal, 4:10;
Fourth Quarter
Rog-Lee 38 pass from Horton (Lopez kick), 11:50.
Rogers coach Mike Loyd praised the work of his defense holding down Van Buren's option attack. The Pointers broke only one big play all night. That was Walter Green's 60-yard run late in the first half to get Van Buren within 9-7 with less than three minutes before halftime.
"I think our defensive coaches and defensive football team did a tremendous job in a very physical football game," Loyd said. "They gave us opportunity after opportunity. I thought they played outstanding. We did enough to win. Learning to win is a process and we're in the middle of that process.
"Again, we left three or four touchdowns on the board, but to me and these kids there's no such thing as an ugly win. It was a hard-fought win. Believe me, it's hard to defend the triple-option. They're a physical football team. I thought by far and away we were the more physical football team in the second half."
Rogers (5-2, 2-2) took advantage of a short field after a 7-yard punt by the Pointers. It took just four plays to go 32 yards with Jeb Brain covering the final 7 yards to put the Mounties up 16-7. Van Buren fumbled on its first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive and the Mounties cashed in on a 34-yard field goal by Chris Lopez.
After another Van Buren fumble, Rogers scored again to set the final margin on the first play of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Max Horton flipped the ball out to Grayson Lee, who got a nice block and turned the corner for a 38-yard touchdown run.
Van Buren coach Greg Werner said his defense was put in bad positions time and again thanks to turnovers.
"We fumbled three out of four plays and that just killed us," Werner said. "I thought our defense played well. We just couldn't get anything going. Rogers did a great job. You can't be that bad on offense and expect to win."
Brain enjoyed a nice night on the ground, rushing for 166 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. The senior put Rogers on top with an 84-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter.
The Mounties sacked Van Buren quarterback Caleb Salisbury and forced a fumble that the Pointers recovered in the end zone for a safety to give the Mounties a 9-0 lead. Green, who finished with 98 yards on 10 carries, accounted for Van Buren's lone score.
Sports on 10/15/2016