VAN BUREN — Drew White got his revenge against Little Rock Central Friday.
White caught 3 touchdown passes and had over 200 yards in receiving as Van Buren opened 7A-Central Conference play with a 41-31 victory over Little Rock Central Friday at Blakemore Field. White finished with 13 catches for 204 yards, including touchdown passes of 58, 19, and 8 yards from quarterback Tyler Spoon.
Van Buren (4-0) built a 41-10 lead before Central (0-4) scored three late touchdowns against the Pointers reserves.The Tigers have now lost 25 consecutive games.
“Our first-team defense didn’t give up any points and that’s a monumental feat in this conference,” Van Buren Coach Mike Lee said. “We’re proud of that but the guys we ran in at the at the end didn’t do a good job of getting this game over.”
White helped Van Buren pile up over 400 yards of offense and his strong performance came one year after he broke his collarbone against Little Rock Central. White missed the rest of the season and the Pointers did not win another game.
White was all over the field Friday, hauling in passes and running an end-around while contributing occasionally at safety on defense.
“Drew White is phenomenal, what else can you say?,” Lee said. “He’s a difference-maker and we got him the ball.”
Van Buren mixed in some options runs, primarily by Spoon and Jacob Jenkins, to build a big lead over the winless Tigers. Spoon scored on a 19-yard scramble and kept on the option for 30 yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Kevin Neal.
Neal added a 38-yard touchdown run on a fake punt in the third quarter to give the Pointers a 34-10 lead.
Spoon and White needed only four plays to hook up for their first touchdown in the first quarter. The Pointers had two receivers in the same area when White snatched Spoon’s pass out of the air and scored on a 58-yard play.
Van Buren hit a lull in the second quarter before Spoonand White combined for two more touchdowns before halftime. Spoon threw a jump ball to the 6-2 White and he came down with it over a Central defender for a 19-yard touchdown. Five minutes later, White broke wide open on a slant and Spoon hit him with an 8-yard touchdownpass to put the Pointers ahead 27-10.
Central closed the gap in the fourth quarter after a 69-yard run by Marvell Harris and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cole Westbrook to Walker Hawkins. The Tigers had another chance after a Van Buren fumble but the gameended with the Tigers at the Pointers 15-yard line.
Bryce Wall had a 65-yard kickoff return and Byron Miller caught a 15-yard touchdown for two earlier scores by the Tigers. Hawkins had a 39-yard field goal after Van Buren scored on its first two possessions.
Sports, Pages 25 on 09/25/2010