SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber (1-3, 0-1) didn’t do much on offense against Bentonville (4-0, 1-0) after quarterback Kyle Pianalto ran 53 yards for a touchdown on the fifth play of the game Friday.
THAT FIGURES
(-1) — Passing yards by Har-Ber until its final drive in fourth quarter
2 — Interceptions by Bentonville
3 — Passes completed by Har-Ber
8 — First downs by Har-Ber
130 — Rushing yards by Bentonville’s Tearris Wallace
Bentonville went into shut-down mold after that play and scored four consecutive touchdowns to defeat the Wildcats 28-7 in a 7A/6A-West Conference opener at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. Following the long run by Pianalto, Bentonville held Har-Ber to 109 yards rushing on 45 attempts (2.24 yards per attempt) and allowed just three completions on the night for 22 yards and with two interceptions.
It was another dominating performance by Bentonville, which began the week ranked No. 1 in Class 7A and No. 24 nationally by RivalsHigh 100.
“We’ve got to do a better job of moving the ball offensively. That’s what this game boils down to,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “Part of that was we went against the best defense in the state. They’re seasoned vets, but we’ve got to do a better job of resting our defense, moving the ball and flipping the field — just some little things of the game.”
Tucker Lee, who rushed for 140 yards the previous week against Fort Smith Southside, was held to 47 yards on 13 carries by Bentonville. Tight end Nick Byrne was held to one catch for minus-one yard.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT: Junior quarterback Kyle Pianalto faked a handoff to Tucker Lee and ran through the middle of the Bentonville defense for a 53-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. It was the only score of the night for the Wildcats.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tucker Lee rushed for 47 yards on 13 carries.
NOTABLE: Har-Ber has scored only two touchdowns in eight quarters of play against Bentonville and Fort Smith Southside. Tucker Lee scored Har-Ber’s only touchdown on a 17-yard run in a 10-7 victory over the Rebels.
THE LINGO: “I thought, defensively, our guys did a pretty good job the whole game. It really came down to our inability, offensively, to move the football. We left our defense out there all night. I call the offense, so that’s on me.”
— Chris Wood
Springdale Har-Ber coach
UP NEXT: Har-Ber plays at Rogers Heritage (4-0, 1-0), which opened 7A/6A-West Conference play with a 70-21 victory over Siloam Springs.