It took nearly two quarters for Arkadelphia to get going Monday, but there was no stopping the Badgers once they did.
Arkadelphia (1-0) scored with 19 seconds to go in the first half, triggering a run of 42 consecutive points over the next 13 minutes, 34 seconds at War Memorial Stadium, and the Badgers defeated Stuttgart 42-13 in the season opener for both teams.
The defending 7-4A Conference champions trailed 7-6 at halftime, but by the time they scored their last touchdown with 10:35 to play in the fourth quarter, the game was played with a running clock.
"Our whole team did a good job of not being rattled," Arkadelphia Coach J.R. Eldridge said. "So they have a good demeanor about them and know that we still had a lot of time left and a lot of opportunities to work with."
Junior quarterback Jeff Blake, making his first start for the Badgers after Jakahari Howell exhausted his eligibility, completed 9 of 15 passes for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed 18 times for 98 yards.
"I feel really good about Jeff Blake," Eldridge said. "I'm really excited about what's in front of him. If he continues to hold on to the football and not give it up, I think we're going to have a great year behind him."
Classmate Ty Kosters accounted for three touchdowns, including two rushing. He rushed 21 times for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns. His first score was a 1-yard run right before halftime and he had 3-yard run in the third quarter. Kosters added a 19-yard scoring reception in the fourth quarter.
Senior Carter Ward completed 9 of 16 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown to lead Stuttgart (0-1). He rushed 19 times for 42 yards..
Stuttgart took a 7-0 lead with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter on Ward's 21-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Malik Brasfield.
The Ricebirds had a chance to take a two-possession lead midway through the second quarter, but Ward was stopped on fourth-and-goal at the Arkadelphia 1.
Arkadelphia pulled within 7-6 with 19 seconds left in the half on Kosters' 1-yard touchdown run, but the point-after attempt was no good.
That was the last thing that went wrong for the Badgers.
Arkadelphia drove 56 yards in 10 plays to open the second half and Blake found senior Bryant Robinson for a 10-yard touchdown pass to give the Badgers a 13-7 lead.
Arkadelphia made it 20-7 after a Stuttgart punt, scoring on Blake's second touchdown pass of the game, a 37-yard completion over the middle to senior J. Brooks Burnham.
The Badgers' defense forced a fumble deep in Stuttgart territory and Kosters scored from the 3 for a 27-7 lead with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
Robinson scored his second touchdown of the quarter, this one on a 64-yard completion from Blake with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter, that increased the Badgers' lead to 35-7.
Kosters' 19-yard scoring reception and Blake's two-point conversion allowed the running clock to go into effect with a commanding 42-7 lead with 10:35 to play.
Senior Darius Earvine scored on a 16-yard touchdown run to pull Stuttgart within 42-13 in the fourth quarter.
But for first-year Stuttgart Coach Vince Perrin, it was too little, too late for the Ricebirds.
"We have to get in better shape," Perrin said. "We play guys both ways. We're a fast-paced team. We're good for two quarters, then things snowballed on us. We got tired."
Sports on 09/02/2014