ROGERS -- Mike Loyd has been looking for a signature win his Rogers High football team could hang its hat on.
The Mounties delivered just that Friday night, holding off Little Rock Parkview 28-27 in their final nonconference game of the season at Whitey Smith Stadium.
Rogers High 28, LR Parkview 27
Parkview 13 0 7 7 — 27
Rogers 7 14 0 7 — 28
First Quarter
Rog — Ross 34 pass from Loyd (Vasquez kick), 8:20.
Park — Campos 1 run (Kick failed), 4:42.
Park — Allmon 71 run (White kick), :40.
Second Quarter
Rog — Zamarron 14 run (Vasquez kick), 2:57.
Rog — Loyd 8 run (Vasquez kick), 1:22.
Third Quarter
Park — McCauley 1 run (White kick), 1:04.
Fourth Quarter
Park — Rogers 1 run (White kick), 7:42
Rog — Loyd 1 run (Vasquez kick), 3:49.
Rogers was playing its second game of the season after its game last week at Little Rock Central was canceled just a few plays into the game due to lightning. Rogers had an open date the week before. Loyd said Friday's game was basically like a season-opener. And the close game was exactly what Loyd was hoping for.
"That's what we've been talking about, trying to change the culture," Loyd said. "That was a great football game and we made plays on both sides of the ball defensively, offensively. We had four or five kids going both ways. We were resilient."
Rogers (1-1) used a late fourth-quarter scoring drive of 64 yards to take a one-point lead, then handed the game over to the defense to preserve it. The Mounties' defense came through with a huge fourth-down stop near midfield with under two minutes left to secure the win.
The Mounties dropped Parkview running back Geary Allmon at the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-five and were able to run out the clock.
"We knew they were going to run the sweep because we had stopped them consecutive times up the middle," Rogers senior defensive end Charlie Louree said. "Mason (Sell) made the tackle and I came in and finished it off."
Louree also had a hand -- literally -- in the final outcome as he blocked Parkview's extra-point attempt on the Patriots' first touchdown and that one point proved to be the difference.
Rogers led 21-13 at halftime, but the Parkview defense dominated the game for most of the second half, helping the Patriots (1-2) take a 28-21 lead with 7 minutes, 42 seconds left as Landon Rogers' 1-yard quarterback keeper capped a 66-yard drive. Parkview's run game gouged the Mounties for every yard on the nine-play drive as Johnathan Campos had runs of 17, 13 and 14 yards to set up the Patriots' score. Campos rushed for 128 yards on 15 carries.
Up to that point, the Mounties had nine yards of offense and one first down in the second half.
Hunter Loyd led Rogers on a 13-play drive by completing 7 of 9 passes for 71 yards as the Mounties overcame a holding penalty. Loyd hit Will Sims on the right side to the Parkview one, then bulled in two plays later. Johnny Vasquez added the extra point for the one-point lead.
"I don't think coming into the game that they thought we could get open with them in man (defense)," said Hunter Loyd. "But we showed them we could. Hey, just keep playing us man."
Parkview stuck to what had worked the entire second half and stayed on the ground with Allmon carrying four times to move the ball to the Patriots' 45. After Allmon ripped off a seven-yard gain on first down, the Mounties' defense locked down.
Allmon, who rushed for 127 yards on 14 carries, was tackled for no-gain and Rogers threw incomplete on third down to set up the big fourth-down play. After the Mounties called a timeout, the defense came up with the big stop, tackling Allmon behind the line of scrimmage.
"The kids have talked about wanting to change things and we're in the process of doing that," Mike Loyd said. "Everybody says 'same old Rogers' and I told them the only ones who can change that is these guys out here, and they did that tonight.
"This is huge. It's huge for these kids who have been in the program. You talk about wanting to change, this is one of the ways to change the process."
Hunter Loyd finished the night completing 14 of 21 passes for 203 yards.
The Mounties open 7A-West Conference action at home next week against Van Buren.
Sports on 09/15/2018