ROGERS -- Springdale High got a key play late from its offense a week ago, but it was the defense that came up big Friday night.
Junior Jajuan Boyd intercepted a Hunter Loyd pass and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown to help the Bulldogs grab a 37-27 7A-West Conference win over Rogers High in Whitey Smith Stadium.
Springdale High 37, Rogers High 27
Springdale^13^3^8^13^—^37
Rogers^0^14^13^0^—^27
First Quarter
Spring-Cornelius 18 pass from Allen (Pass failed), 5:32.
Spring-Vaughn 1 run (Oropeza kick), 0:49.2.
Second Quarter
Rog-Ross 48 pass from Loyd (Vasquez kick), 3:43.
Rog-Watkins 38 interceptions return (Vasquez kick), 3:34.
Spring-FG Barroso 36, 2:23.
Third Quarter
Rog-Zamarran 40 run (Vasquez kick), 8:51.
Spring-Parchman 10 run (Allen pass to Simon), 6:08.
Rog-Watkins 51 fumble return (kick failed), 2:34.
Fourth Quarter
Spring-Allen 2 run (Barosso kick), 6:21.
Spring-Boyd 95 interception return (kick failed), 2:04.
Trailing 31-27, Rogers (1-5, 0-4 7A-West) put together a drive into the Springdale red zone late in the fourth quarter. But Loyd's pass on third-and-9 was tipped and Boyd was there for the interception at the Red'Dogs' 5 and he returned it for the touchdown with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left.
The PAT was blocked, but it didn't matter as Springdale (6-1, 3-1) pushed its lead to 10 points and the Mounties turned the ball over on downs on their ensuing possession.
Springdale coach Zak Clark said his team's problems were self-induced at times as Rogers returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns. But Boyd, who also recovered two fumbles, came up big.
"He had a tipped ball and the pick-six was huge to close it out," Clark said. "Offensively we didn't play badly, but when we're in the red zone we've gotta finish.
"We had a miscommunication on a route where they had the pick-six and they had the scoop and score where we fumbled the exchange. So really we had two self-inflicted that has really kinda been the story for us. If we can ever get that stuff cleaned up, we've got a chance to be all right."
The Bulldogs, who led 13-0 in the first quarter, had to battle back late and took the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter. The drive was set up by a short kick. Springdale started at its own 47 and took just four plays to grab a 31-27 advantage with 6:21 left. The big play was a 43-yard completion from Grant Allen to Jaden Cornelius down to the Rogers 10.
Allen finished off the drive with a 2-yard quarterback keeper.
Rogers coach Mike Loyd was pleased with his team's effort, but acknowledged the Mounties' execution was lacking at times and pointed to five false start penalties including a couple at huge times.
"I think the defense played their guts out," Loyd said. "It's hard to win. It's a process and we moved some kids around, some sophomores. Some others stepped up and played hard. But you've still gotta make a play. We were our own worst enemy.
"I think we played toe-to-toe with them. We had our opportunities and didn't make plays. We're not disciplined enough at times, but that's part of learning how to win."
Rogers running back Sammy Zamarran rushed for 129 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. Allen threw for 246 yards and a touchdown and also ran for one.
Rogers junior Logan Watkins scored a pair of defensive touchdowns, the second coming on a 51-yard scoop and score late in the third quarter to give the Mounties a 27-24 advantage. He also returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown in the first half for a 14-13 Rogers lead.
However, Springdale came right back with a short drive that resulted in a 36-yard field goal by Nelson Barosso for a 16-14 lead with 2:23 left in the first half. The Red'Dogs had a chance to extend the lead after recovering a Rogers fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but Barosso's 35-yard attempt was wide with less than a minute left.
Sports on 10/13/2018