VAN BUREN -- Van Buren hung tough with Fort Smith Northside early, but senior quarterback Derrick Wise was too much for the Pointers' defense Friday night at Blakemore Field.
Wise accounted for 337 yards of total offense and four touchdowns to help the Grizzlies pull away for a 46-21 victory.
Fort Smith Northside 46, Van Buren 21
Fort Smith Northside 10 22 7 7 —46
Van Buren 7 7 0 7 — 21
First Quarter
North-Hernandez 32 field goal, 7:33.
Van-Morrow 2 run (Flores, kick), 2:42
North-Maffei 37 pass from Wise (Hernandez kick), 0:12.
Second Quarter
North-Wise 8 pass from Thorne (Hernandez kick), 9:21.
Van-Humphries 14 pass from Morrow (Flores kick), 8:16.
North-Shepard 1 run (Hollenbeck pass to Ferguson), 4:40.
North-King 23 pass from Wise (Hernandez kick), 0:40.
Third Quarter
North-Wise 10 run (Hernandez kick), 8:58.
Fourth Quarter
North-Jackson 3 run (Hernandez kick), 8:27.
Van-Rivas 34 pass from Morrow (Flores kick), 6:30.
The 5-8, 170-pounder threw for two touchdowns, ran for one and also caught a touchdown pass from receiver J.T. Thorne as the Grizzlies (3-0) led 32-14 at halftime.
Wise rushed for 139 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, and he completed 14 of 16 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns.
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"[Wise] is a good football player," Northside Coach Mike Falleur said. "He's a running back playing quarterback, and he's worked hard to get better and he's done a great job. He's worked all winter on throwing the football."
The Grizzlies defense also limited Van Buren to 15 yards rushing. The lone blemish was penalties as Northside was flagged 12 times for 123 yards.
Northside finished the first half with a pair of touchdowns after the Pointers scored to pull within 17-14 with 8:16 left in the second quarter.
Wise found Jackson King open in the middle of the field for a 33-yard gain on third and 19 from the Northside 19. Demarion Shepard finished off the 10-play drive with a 1-yard run.
After a three-and-out by Van Buren, the Grizzlies took advantage of a short field and Wise did the damage again.
He got loose for a 22-yard run, then found King again for a 23-yard touchdown pass to give Northside a 32-14 lead with 40 seconds left before halftime.
Northside also took advantage of a bad snap on a punt by Van Buren, which set the Grizzlies up at the Pointers' 7. Northside faced a third and goal from the 8, but Falleur dipped into his bag of tricks.
Thorne took a handoff on a reverse and threw to Wise for the 8-yard touchdown for a 17-7 lead with 9:21 left in the first half.
Senior quarterback Christian Morrow accounted for most of the Pointers' offense, completing 18 of 26 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
Sports on 09/08/2018