Har-Ber beats Fayetteville to win 7-on-7 tourney

CHARLESTON -- Springdale Har-Ber was able to pull away Saturday with the championship at the Lumber One 7-on-7 Showcase tournament, but Fayetteville didn't make it easy.

With the game tied in the final moments, Fayetteville led by quarterback Darius Bowers turned the ball over on downs needing just one more yard to move the chains after a completed pass. The defensive stop and the points it gave them allowed Har-Ber to pull away with a 25-23 victory at Alumni Field.

"I'm really happy with our play today," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "We went up against some really good and well-coached teams. Iron sharpens iron. Any time you can go against quality programs, it's only going to make you better at the end of the day."

Har-Ber quarterback Blaise Wittschen finished 10 of 20 passing for 147 yards with 3 touchdowns. He had touchdown passes go for 8, 40 and 6 yards in the championship game.

Bowers completed 13 of 22 for 164 yards with 3 touchdowns all inside the goal line for Fayetteville.

Fayetteville rallied to take a 23-16 lead in the second half after falling behind early. Har-Ber jumped out to a 16-6 advantage in the first half. Fayetteville forced a turnover before halftime and another after the break to get back in the game.

"We were down early," Fayetteville coach Billy Dawson said. "But we were able to come back and take the lead there. We had a close first down there that would have extended the drive. If we get that, that's probably the ballgame. It's a game of inches."

Har-Ber used a 5-yard touchdown pass and a extra-point conversion to tie the game at 23-23. After forcing the late-game defensive stop of Fayetteville, Har-Ber was able run out the clock after that to preserve the victory.

"They never panicked," Wood said. "That's the whole key. I thought both offensive and defensive staffs did a nice job. The kids didn't give up. We know how explosive Fayetteville is on offense. For the defense to go out there and get that stop, that was huge. That's hard to do in 7-on-7."

Har-Ber finished a perfect 7-0 on the day and has a 14-1 record so far this season in 7-on-7 games. The tournaments have provided a lot of learning experiences for the team, Wood said.

"Anything you can do in the summer with your kids you can't put a price tag on it," Wood said. "We are spending time with them building relationships. It's about competing as well. I tell my kids I don't care if it's chess or checkers, we want you to compete. It teaches that and how to handle adversity."

Fayetteville, playing in its first 7-on-7 event of the season, finished 6-1 on the day.

"I feel like our kids played well with this being our first event of the year," Dawson said. "Our kids played well through the heat out here. I'm proud of them. It was good for our kids to come down here, run around and compete."

Fayetteville was able to get into the finals with a 38-14 victory over Ozark, while Har-Ber got a 23-15 victory over Fort Smith Northside to advance to the championship game.

Fayetteville and Har-Ber each have one more scheduled 7-on-7 event for this summer. Wood said this tournament season has allowed the team to come together and be closer.

"One of the big things we are learning through this and our team events is how tight-knit this team is," Wood said. "They care for each other. They do a good job encouraging each other when things don't go well."

Sports on 06/17/2018

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