PEARCY -- D'erek Fernandez ran for three touchdowns, and quarterbacks Clay Tyler and Cooper Johnson each threw for a score as Fort Smith Southside overpowered Lake Hamilton 42-14 Friday night at Bank of the Ozarks Field.
The clock ran continuously in the second half after Southside (2-1) led 35-0 at halftime.
The halftime statistics told the story, with the Rebels outgaining the Wolves 344-25 -- including 190 yards passing on 8 completions -- with 15 first downs to Lake Hamilton's 2.
Lake Hamilton held Southside to a 22-yard field goal on the opening possession, but Quentavious Haywood roughed kicker Miguel Chavez for first-and-goal at the 2 and Fernandez scored from there two plays later.
The Wolves' first possession resulted in one of their six first-quarter penalties, linebacker Si Kilinc's sack of Ledbetter, a 3-yard rushing loss and an incomplete screen pass.
Kicker Ethan Johnson flipped the field with his booming punt that glanced off a retreating Fernandez's hand and rolled to the Rebels' 4 before the returner recovered it.
It didn't matter much as Tyler firing a 9-yard completion to Deyon Jordan on third and 1 for the first of five Southside first downs that led to Fernandez's 12-yard touchdown run. The drive's biggest conversion came on J.D. Rivaldo's 2-yard run on fourth and 1 at Lake Hamilton's 28.
Chavez's kick made it 14-0 at 1:07 of the opening quarter.
The Wolves (2-1) went three and out again, finishing the quarter with minus-4 yards, and a 27-yard punt by Johnson that set up Southside at its 49. On third-and-2, Fernandez picked his way through would-be tacklers near the line before racing 43 yards for his second score. Chavez made it 21-0 with 9:43 left in the half.
The Rebels had an even shorter field after Lake Hamilton botched a reverse handoff on the kickoff and Southside's Mark Spradlin recovered it at the 21. Riley Goad's sack of Cooper Johnson on first down preceded three incompletions, and the Wolves followed with their two first-half first downs -- the second coming on a face-mask penalty -- before stalling at Southside's 33.
On third and 13, Johnson found Randy Rainwater open on the left side, with the receiver slipping Nazario's tackle and racing 70 yards for a touchdown.
Sports on 09/20/2014