FORT SMITH -- The defending Class 7A state champions looked the part Friday night at Mayo-Thompson Stadium.
North Little Rock got its running game going early and didn't look back in a 40-3 victory against Fort Smith Northside in a 7A-Central Conference matchup.
North Little Rock 40, Fort Smith Northside 3
North Little Rock^14^26^0^0^—^40
North^0^0^0^3^—^3
First Quarter
NLR — Cotton 1 run (Lee kick), 7:08
NLR — Day 5 run (Lee kick), 3:05
Second Quarter
NLR — Thomas 29 run (Lee kick), 10:12
NLR — Thomas 1 run (kick failed), 6:45
NLR — Adaway 3 run (pass failed), 3:14
NLR — Martin 15 pass from Cotton (Lee kick), :54
Fourth Quarter
North — FG Hernandez 24, 8:15
"We are playing pretty well right now," North Little Rock Coach Jamie Mitchell said. "This is a quality win because it isn't easy to come here and get a win."
Oscar Adaway, Brandon Thomas and Tyler Day set the tone on the ground for the Charging Wildcats, scoring four of the team's six first-half touchdowns.
"I've been coaching for 29 years," Mitchell said. "Thomas, Day and Adaway are three of the best I've ever had. And to have them all at one time, it is just amazing. But without the offensive front, they couldn't make these plays."
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Click here for more scores, recaps and photos]
Adaway finished with six carries for 94 yards with a touchdown. Thomas added 88 yards on the ground with 2 scores on 10 carries, while Day had 58 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown.
North Little Rock (8-0, 5-0 7A-Central) had a 40-0 lead at halftime.
Thomas scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, a 29- and 1-yarder.
Adaway's 3-yard touchdown pushed the lead to 33-0. North Little Rock quarterback Kareame Cotton found senior tight end Andrew Martin for an 18-yard score to close out the first-half scoring.
"They are a good football team, and they do a good job," Northside Coach Mike Falleur said. "But I'm disappointed in the way we played. They had something to do with that, but we didn't do the basic things right."
Northside (5-3, 2-3) was limited to four first downs and 39 offensive yards on 24 first-half plays. North Little Rock had 347 offensive yards on 39 plays before the break.
"I thought our defense set the tone for us," Mitchell said. "We got some short fields and some three-and-outs. I'm proud of that side of the ball."
The Grizzlies' best opportunity to score in the first half was after an interception and 30-yard return by Elijah Tabut, but Northside fumbled on the initial play of the possession early in the first quarter.
"You can't do that against a good team," Falleur said. "We know that."
The Charging Wildcats grabbed a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown from Cotton and a 5-yard run from Day.
Northside put points on the board on its ninth drive when Henry Hernandez kicked a 24-yard field goal.
Northside was led by quarterback Derrick Wise, who finished with 13 carries for 73 yards for the Grizzlies.
"We hang our hat on stopping the run and running the football," Mitchell said. "It is tough to hold back Wise because he is a good athlete, but I thought we played physical and really attacked the line of scrimmage."
Sports on 10/20/2018