Rogers Heritage used a big second half to pull away and keep its playoff hopes alive with a 43-10 victory over Springdale High on the road Friday night.
The War Eagles (4-4, 2-3 7A/6A-West Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak and coasted to the win, after suffering back-to-back tough losses in the final seconds the past two weeks.
The Heritage defense limited Springdale to just 236 total yards of offense, giving up a meaningless fourth-quarter touchdown after the outcome had already been established.
Heritage coach Perry Escalante said his defense has been playing well, even in defeat the past couple of weeks. But they came up big to help the War Eagles post a much-needed win.
“Our defense is playing great right now, Escalante said. “They’ve played great for three weeks and our offense is taking advantage of that. So to come out on top, we really needed it right now. That was a great time to win a ballgame.”
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Junior Joey Saucier enjoyed a big night, rolling up 221 yards of total offense (71 rushing, 51 receiving, 99 return). He rushed for two touchdowns and also caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Qualls to help the War Eagles pull away in the second half.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT: Saucier gave Heritage a huge lift by returning the second-half kickoff down to the Springdale 4 and later scored for a 17-3 lead en route to the victory.
INJURY UPDATE: Heritage had three starters leave the game with injuries on Friday. Senior defensive back Daniel Spickes suffered a possible season-ending lower leg injury, according to War Eagles coaches. Linebacker Brandon White also came out with a lower leg injury, but coaches were unsure of the severity on Saturday. Offensive lineman Kevin Merlos’ knee cap popped out, but should be available this week.
NOTABLE: Kicker Eric Grom has now hit 8 of 9 field goals for the season, including 4 of 5 from beyond 40 yards. … Heritge was 8 of 13 on third down and 3 of 4 in the red zone. … Jeremy Spickes has just one catch on Friday, but still leads the team with 34 receptions for the season.
UP NEXT: The War Eagles play their final regular-season home game next week against Van Buren, then travel across town to face rival Rogers High in what could be a shootout for a playoff spot.
THAT FIGURES
8 — Consecutive games Brandon Gates has rushed for more than 100 yards
1 — Turnovers by the War Eagles
3 — Field goals by Eric Grom