SPRINGDALE -- Dennis Debusk gave Springdale Har-Ber football coach Chris Wood a handshake-hug embrace after the Wildcats' 45-14 win against Van Buren on Friday.
"That was 100, correct?" Debusk, the Springdale schools assistant athletic director, asked.
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 45, VAN BUREN 14
Van Buren 0 0 0 14 – 14
Springdale Har-Ber 14 17 7 7 – 45
First Quarter
Har – Wood 3 run (Rodriguez kick), 6:37
Har – Burns 15 run (Rodriguez kick), 4:25
Second Quarter
Har – Wittschen 55 run (Rodriguez kick), 8:28
Har – FG Rodriguez 36, 2:43
Har – Wittschen 26 pass to Seawood (Rodriguez kick), :23
Third Quarter
Har – Burns 68 run (Rodriguez kick), 11:43
Fourth Quarter
Van – Dye 70 fumble return (Flores kick), 10:42
Har – Rondon 45 run (Rodriguez kick), 7:18
Van – Phillips 19 run (Flores kick), 5:03
"Yep, 100," said a smiling Wood, the only coach in program history.
The program's 100th win came much easier than most of the previous 99 over the past 12 seasons -- all coached by Wood -- as the Wildcats (4-4, 2-3 7A-West) raced out to a 31-0 halftime lead against the Pointers (3-5, 2-3).
Two plays and 17 seconds into the second half, a 68-yard touchdown run by Jay Burns began a continuous running clock for the remainder of the game because of the Arkansas Activities Association's sportsmanship rule.
"It feels good," Wood said. "For us to do it at Har-Ber in a little over 12 years, I think it speaks volumes because ever since Day 1 we've played a brutal nonconference schedule year-in and year-out, and then playing in the 7A-West, a lot of times we've had to try to go back through other teams from the West in the playoffs and Central has been a tough, daunting task.
"100 wins in Har-Ber's history speaks volumes for our kids, our parents and all the support we've had."
Hunter Wood's three-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 74-yard drive to put Har-Ber on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter. The drive was kept alive when, on fourth-and-nine, Micah Seawood somehow managed to corral a pass that was deflected into the air by a Pointers defender for a 16-yard gain.
The first of two Nick Buchanan interceptions led to the next score, a 15-yard run by Burns that pushed the lead to 14-0 with 4:25 remaining in the first quarter. Burns, the team's sixth different running back due to injuries this season, finished with 16 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior linebacker Gabe Baker made two key tackles to stop Van Buren's next two possessions. He sacked quarterback Gary Phillips for a nine-yard loss to force a punt and then stopped Phillips a foot short of the line to gain on a 4th-and-3 play with the Pointers driving inside the Har-Ber 25-yard line. Van Buren's next possession was halted when senior cornerback Justin Moto jumped the route to bat down a pass from Phillips that was intended for Jude Bartholomew.
"The defense set the tone for the night by creating some turnovers," Wood said. "Defense went out there with the right mindset of getting stops to get us the ball back. They played really well tonight."
Three plays later, Wittschen squirted loose for a 55-yard touchdown sprint. He was sprung free for the final 25 yards by a downfield block by Lucas Sawyer. Following a 36-yard field goal by Pedro Rodriguez, Buchannan's second interception set up the next score, a 26-yard touchdown pass from Wittschen to Seawood.
Van Buren avoided the shutout with a couple of late scores. The first came when Rodriguez' 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked by David Evans. Dylan Dye scooped up the ball and scored on a 70-yard return.
In addition to playing for victory No. 100, the Wildcats had extra motivation entering the game because media polls picked the Pointers to win.
"We had a little chip on our shoulder being the underdog," Wood said. "We took that personal because we're having a good year even though we've had some moments where it's snowballed on us. It has not been pretty, but our kids have kept the right mindset of being positive and coming to work every day to get better. It's a fun group to coach."
Sports on 10/20/2018